Changes

=== Reasons limiting OER adoption ===

=== Reasons limiting OER adoption ===

The role of Open Educational Resources (OER) in promoting quality education, and reducing costs is widely acknowledged. However, research suggests that the adoption of OER is yet to achieve its potential, with several factors inhibiting adoption¹. These include '''''legal''''' (there is limited awareness of open licensing possibilities amongst people), '''''cultural''''' (the availability of OER in local languages is much lesser than in English, which is an obstacle to adoption), '''''social''''' (OER creation is largely ‘expert-driven’ with limited mass participation of teachers and other resource creators, hence it is yet to become a mass movement involving all), '''''pedagogical''''' (even now teaching restricted to ‘text books’ in many education systems, teachers are yet to look beyond the text books for sourcing materials for their teaching) and '''''political''''' (the default copyright policy globally is ‘all rights reserved’, which may not be the default intent of the creators).

The role of Open Educational Resources (OER) in promoting quality education, and reducing costs is widely acknowledged. However, research suggests that the adoption of OER is yet to achieve its potential, with several factors inhibiting adoption¹. These include '''''legal''''' (there is limited awareness of open licensing possibilities amongst people), '''''cultural''''' (the availability of OER in local languages is much lesser than in English, which is an obstacle to adoption), '''''social''''' (OER creation is largely ‘expert-driven’ with limited mass participation of teachers and other resource creators, hence it is yet to become a mass movement involving all), '''''pedagogical''''' (even now teaching restricted to ‘text books’ in many education systems, teachers are yet to look beyond the text books for sourcing materials for their teaching) and '''''political''''' (the default copyright policy globally is ‘all rights reserved’, which may not be the default intent of the creators).

However, today, we have a wide variety of mature and high quality FOSS applications which can allow resource creators and editors to create, re-mix, revise and re-distribute OER in multiple formats. These are available on the desktop environment, some of them are web-based and some available on mobile phone platforms. Teachers can become familiar with these applications will have many choices in creating, re-purposing  OER in different formats and publishing the same. The power of OER comes from its ‘openness’, that it can be freely re-used, revised and re-distributed. Similarly, software that can be freely  re-used, revised and re-distributed can create a rich learning environment, by providing the tool-set for OER creation and re-purposing.

However, today, we have a wide variety of mature and high quality FOSS applications which can allow resource creators and editors to create, re-mix, revise and re-distribute OER in multiple formats. These are available on the desktop environment, some of them are web-based and some available on mobile phone platforms. Teachers can become familiar with these applications will have many choices in creating, re-purposing  OER in different formats and publishing the same. The power of OER comes from its ‘openness’, that it can be freely re-used, revised and re-distributed. Similarly, software that can be freely  re-used, revised and re-distributed can create a rich learning environment, by providing the tool-set for OER creation and re-purposing.

=== 1.2Free and open technology environment ===

=== Free and open technology environment ===

FOSS

FOSS

In line with the philosophy of OER, the tool-kit is released under the CC-BY license, and the custom software distribution is released under the General Public License (GPL). The CC BY license enables you to make copies of the tool-kit with or without modifications and distribute it for profit or not for profit. The GPL license enables you to make copies of the software applications with or without modifications. Modifications if any, will also need to be distributed as FOSS.

In line with the philosophy of OER, the tool-kit is released under the CC-BY license, and the custom software distribution is released under the General Public License (GPL). The CC BY license enables you to make copies of the tool-kit with or without modifications and distribute it for profit or not for profit. The GPL license enables you to make copies of the software applications with or without modifications. Modifications if any, will also need to be distributed as FOSS.

=== 1.4.1How to use this tool-kit ===

=== How to use this tool-kit ===

The “hands-on toolkit for teachers to create, re-purpose and publish Open Educational Resources (OER) using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)” discusses the creation of OER in three separate chapters, dealing with text, image and animations, audio and video OER respectively. In each chapter, the features of a few applications that will enable you to create, re-purpose OER are explained. The selection of the tools from its universe is been based factors such as its popularity, ease of use, level of community support available.

The “hands-on toolkit for teachers to create, re-purpose and publish Open Educational Resources (OER) using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)” discusses the creation of OER in three separate chapters, dealing with text, image and animations, audio and video OER respectively. In each chapter, the features of a few applications that will enable you to create, re-purpose OER are explained. The selection of the tools from its universe is been based factors such as its popularity, ease of use, level of community support available.

Identify an area which you are very keen to learn more about, or where you feel you need resources for your own work as a teacher. Your own work as a teacher may require you to have materials for classroom teaching-learning processes, or for sharing with colleagues for mutual learning, or simply for your self-development. It will be much more meaningful learning, if as a part of using this tool-kit, you could access, create, re-purpose and publish a OER on a topic which you want to learn/ know more about. The topic could be from the subject you teach (a science topic like ‘Light’ or a mathematics topic such as ‘number system’ or a geography topic as ‘forests’), or a larger issue in education (“Challenges of teaching in inner-city public schools”), or larger social issue (“global warming”). You could create this OER in English or in your own native language (where the need for such an OER may be even greater).

Identify an area which you are very keen to learn more about, or where you feel you need resources for your own work as a teacher. Your own work as a teacher may require you to have materials for classroom teaching-learning processes, or for sharing with colleagues for mutual learning, or simply for your self-development. It will be much more meaningful learning, if as a part of using this tool-kit, you could access, create, re-purpose and publish a OER on a topic which you want to learn/ know more about. The topic could be from the subject you teach (a science topic like ‘Light’ or a mathematics topic such as ‘number system’ or a geography topic as ‘forests’), or a larger issue in education (“Challenges of teaching in inner-city public schools”), or larger social issue (“global warming”). You could create this OER in English or in your own native language (where the need for such an OER may be even greater).

=== Assumption about the user of this tool-kit ===

==== Assumption about the user of this tool-kit ====

The tool-kit assumes that you have a basic comfort in using computers, you can start and shut down a desktop computer. It assumes very basic familiarity with the commonly used applications on a computer – file explorer, web browser and text editor. The tool-kit assumes similar basic comfort in using a feature mobile phone (aka ‘smart phone’).

The tool-kit assumes that you have a basic comfort in using computers, you can start and shut down a desktop computer. It assumes very basic familiarity with the commonly used applications on a computer – file explorer, web browser and text editor. The tool-kit assumes similar basic comfort in using a feature mobile phone (aka ‘smart phone’).