OER - Are you using these in your Math Classrooms?

"The Federal government is supporting the use of OER to provide equitable access to quality education." - this is an excerpt from the Ed.gov blog entitled, OER: Providing Equitable Access to Education for All Learners.  Do you use OER in your math classroom?  What are some of your favorite OER lessons?  Would compiling a list of OER for learners who have stopped out of your program be a good way to help them develop life-long learning habits?  What are your thoughts?

Brooke

Comments

We don't use OER in our math classrooms, but our students do.   Happily, sites like mathisfun.com and mathplayground.com get to the top of the search lists ...some  students have picked up that "lifelong learning habit" and go to Google for sites to explain what they're trying to do! 

Now, lots and lots and lots of our prospective students know they don't know the math they need to in order to get into the programs they want to get into.   Before ever they darken our doors, I think many would benefit from access to good OER.   I've browsed Khan Academy and they've really got the "motivation" thing rolling with quizzes and feedback and badges and reminders.   I watch students respond well to that with ALEKS (the not-OER software our Pre-Algebra course uses)... though the pedagogy and organization  at Khan Academy *still* leave a lot to be desired. (Example:   I was told I could earn "mastery" of things I had practiced... so I clicked... and actually it was a set of skills I had *not* practiced.   Oh, and "mastery" was getting one problem right... and since it was randomly generated, it could be really easy or really difficult. And, of course, there was basically no concept development -- though the link to the instructional videos was nice.) 

I notice that the KA computer stuff is all open source on GitHub, so I have this fantasy of making a similar site and refining the pedagogy... 

I also gave a little plug for OER on a podcast at http://www.coolcatteacher.com/oer-how-to-find-use-and-share-free-teaching-tools-and-resources/ 

(And ... I'm "baaaack!" , my computer having utterly failed... and really grateful for Chrome remembering access to things like LINCS, even if the "log in" link here  still just goes to a page saying "You're not logged in!")   

I agree with you about the KHAN Academy approach - it is very content/prodecure heavy and shows only one way of understanding.  But, do you think that it gives some help to adult learners?  I know a lot of students say they do help and they often search those videos.  I am a bit indifferent about them - I love your fantasy of making a similar site and refining the pedagogy/andragogy.  

On a site note, I am glad for Chrome remembering how to access things like the LINCS Community!  

 

 

Good Morning!

I have not explicitly used OERs in my classroom yet. I am actually in the process of prepping my students to do an OER within the next two weeks. I do send students to Khan if they want to get some work done while at home. I hesitate to use it as a part of my official lesson because of the errors that Khan sometimes has. 

Like others have said, I do let students seek out their own websites and many do gravitate towards Khan.