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 adoption. 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).

'''''Technological''''' factors also play a role in limiting OER creation. OER is largely a digital phenomenon; it is the proliferation of digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which has allowed the possibilities of creating, revising and sharing resources on a large, global scale, and at low costs, given negligible marginal costs of production.  However, OER is usually created using proprietary applications such as the popular Microsoft office suite. In a proprietary software dominant desktop environment, where the use of Free and Open Source (FOSS) tools is limited, it becomes prohibitively expensive to license proprietary applications for creating resources in audio, video and other media formats, thus limiting such processes. Secondly the production of OER has largely remained confined to textual materials, learning materials have traditionally been textual in nature, the ‘text book’ is understood as the primary if not the only resource for teaching-learning.

'''''Technological''''' factors also play a role in limiting OER creation. OER is largely a digital phenomenon; it is the proliferation of digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which has allowed the possibilities of creating, revising and sharing resources on a large, global scale, and at low costs, given negligible marginal costs of production.  However, OER is usually created using proprietary applications such as the popular proprietary office suite. In a proprietary software dominant desktop environment, where the use of Free and Open Source (FOSS) tools is limited, it becomes prohibitively expensive to license proprietary applications for creating resources in audio, video and other media formats, thus limiting such processes. Secondly the production of OER has largely remained confined to textual materials, learning materials have traditionally been textual in nature, the ‘text book’ is understood as the primary if not the only resource for teaching-learning.

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.

=== Free and open technology environment ===

=== Free and open technology environment ===

Open standards for file formats

This is applicable to digital resources as well. If digital resources are allowed to be freely shared, modified and shared again, then it can result in a resource rich environment. This is the idea that triggered of the Free Software and the Open Educational Resources movements.

=== Democratizing OER production and consumption ===

==== Democratizing OER production and consumption ====

There is a possibility to provide a fillip to the creation of OER, by promoting the relevant and meaningful use of a variety of FOSS applications for authoring, editing and publishing OER. In a free and open technology environment where many free and open software applications are being used, resource creators / editors will be more able to create and share OER in multiple formats.  Popularizing the use of these applications amongst writers, editors and course developers can be hugely beneficial in enabling the larger and wider development of OER, and in richer formats.

There is a possibility to provide a fillip to the creation of OER, by promoting the relevant and meaningful use of a variety of FOSS applications for authoring, editing and publishing OER. In a free and open technology environment where many free and open software applications are being used, resource creators / editors will be more able to create and share OER in multiple formats.  Popularizing the use of these applications amongst writers, editors and course developers can be hugely beneficial in enabling the larger and wider development of OER, and in richer formats.

DEMOCRATISING OER. MOVING FROM OER HAS MAKE IT GIVE IT TO CAN WE ALL MAKE IT AND SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER. CAN ADAPT TO LOCAL CONTEXTS. SO EVERY TEACHER SHOULD DO MAKE AND SHARE OER (CAN USE A POSTER).

This process can help us move from a paradigm where OER is created by 'experts' for all, to a more participatory process where many more people can participate in OER production and exchange. Every teacher usually has to make or customise materials for her teaching-learning. This toolkit hopes to encourage every teacher could be encouraged to become a OER creator, it would be

USE OPEN FORMATS

USE OPEN FORMATS