Open Educational Resources

The picture above pretty clearly states where I stand on this topic.  OER seems to have a good thing going.  Free resources available to the entire public. Where could you go wrong? In my opinion,  I believe that it is possible to use this expanding tool as a learner and a student, but I feel that for a student to effectively use the materials for a class, a teacher must point them in the direction of the materials they want them to use.  I realize this seems limiting, but it really isn't.  For a teacher to use these resources they have to look at the materials and see what works for their classroom.  After they direct students to specific material and activities, the students then get to explore the other materials while already having a general idea of what their teacher is talking about. Using a website like Internet Archives is a place that is easily navigated by anyone and easy to give students intructions on getting to specific material. Therefore,  the student knows that they have all the information their teacher wants, but they have expanded on their own.  As a teacher this is how I would use the tool and how I would like my teachers to have me use it as a student.  This gives a path to follow but allows for exploration and for me, I need guidelines to follow or I always end up way off track. If a teacher finds something that isn't and OER they can visit Hewlett to apply to have that material available as an OER. As learners I believe this tool is a great way to find  reliable information.  Everybody knows how hard it is to google a topic and recieved contradicting information from every other site,  this tool allows an independent learner, like myself, to investigate and know they are recieving information that they can trust. Also because it is a new tool to many of us as learners there is always help in navigating your way around it and finding out what is reliable. I found a blog that is very helpful in answering many of my questions Over all I think this is the best idea that I've heard all semester.  

This I Believe Reflection

This project was the most fun out of all the projects we created.  I think it was pretty easy because it was based on our opinions and feelings.  It's always rewarding when you can explore what you think about something, because you learn about others thoughts on the subject and your opinions may be changed by some of the things you learn.  I learned that I can actually navigate through garage band and turn something into an MP3 file.  Thinking about how I would use this in my classroom, I wouldn't.  There really isn't any reason to show this video to my class. I would, however,  use a project like this.  I could assign a projectto make a video on something we are talking about in class.  I then could show the video as an example of what it should look like.  Below is my finished project.  Enjoy!

This I believe

This I believe...

           Teachers are what made me into the person I am today.  Not only in the sense of what I want to be when I grow up, but also in the way I treat people, why I continue to strive for the best, and why I don't give up.  Throughout my highschool career, I have had some of the best teachers available. Every one of them has helped shaped me in someway.  These qualities also show in the real world.  One of my teachers helped me push through hard times, another geared me into the science world that I love, and the last taught me to never give up on anything.
           The first teacher to impact my life was unexpected.  I was taking his class for an easy credit my junior and senior year.  I wasn't interested in art but I knew it would be an easy class.  Little did I know that my art teacher, Mr. Humes, would be there to pick me up when my world came crashing down.  He was the type of teacher that kept a serious relationship with most students, but was more like a father to a select few. I was blessed to be tucked uner his wing.  Not only did he listen to my woes of the day, but he responded with help.  He knew how much my education meant to me and what I was struggling through to get where I wanted to be.  He helped me in so many ways.  He was present at my senior project presentation and kept reminding me how close I was to graduating.  He was the voice that kept me going.

          
 The next teacher solidified the idea that I was meant to be in science.  I took my highs school science classes with her.  Mrs. Prokopchalk had such a passion for science that it rubbed off on me.  She told me what influenced her to become a teacher.  I was always just interested in animals, but she taught me that science is what makes the world go round. When science started to seem a bit crazy and twisted, she brought it into perspective.  She helped me understand a confusing subject that soon became my passion.

         The last teacher taught me to never give up.  My calculus teacher, Mr. Berringer, challenged me in my senior year.  I wasn't even going to take calculus because I didn't want to do poorly in my last year.  After he did some slick talking it seemed calculus was the only way to go.  Looking back it was the best decision, because he was the best teacher to have learned this troubling topic from.  Whenever class became overwhelming, he took the time with each student to find out where the problem was.  In teaching such a challenging topic I think that all teachers should realize they need to spend the extra time to help students understand.  Mr. Berringer understood how to help different types of learners and accomadated us all.  He was the only teacher that I had that actually knew how to teach to the whole class.  Even though the subject was tough, I never gave up and it showed in the end. I owe where I am today to all of my teachers throughout my life. 

I believe

When we started talking about the upcoming project it reminded me of a past project I did in highschool I hope everyone likes it.  :)