Administrators should adopt OERs only after careful vetting | Education Dive

"Dive Brief: Open educational resources (OER) are catching the attention of educators but present unique problems for administrators looking for standards-aligned, consistent curriculum, Edutopia reports, noting that assessments and benchmarks in OER offerings are limited as well. Educators need to consider how well OER material is reviewed by other teachers, as well as whether it works for the needs of children in their specific classrooms. Finding high-quality OERs can take time, and Edutopia mentions UnboundEd and OER Commons as two sites focused on building a catalog of solid material for all teachers.

Dive Insight: Open educational resources are the utopia of education — online databases of excellent lessons plans and materials meant to be shared with all teachers and their students. But who decides what is the best? OERs have drummed up plenty of attention in educational circles, but the inconsistencies around who vets the materials can complicate how educators trust that a lesson meets their needs, the specific needs of their students, or even the variations in requirements found in standards from state to state. Curriculum administrators considering OER adoption may want to allocate time before applying these materials in classrooms. When educating children, the best approach is to investigate and critically consider all materials, exactly the way educators hope students approach decisions they make along their educational journeys."