Take a look inside 5 images
OER Commons
Pros: Offers tons of lessons and integrates with other tools teachers may be using.
Cons: Site offers so many options that it can be overwhelming.
Bottom Line: Impressive resource opens access to quality materials for all educators.
OER Commons makes it easy for teachers to connect with other educators and find relevant materials. Teachers can search by subject area, standard, or keyword to find resources, or use the advanced search option. Those resources can then be saved within OER Commons or shared through Google Classroom or Schoology. Teachers can also use the lesson builder or module builder to compile resources into lesson plans or unit plans that can be shared publicly on the site or more privately within a hub or group.
OER Commons is a free digital library of resources for teachers. OER Commons curates open educational resources (OER) and is part of a worldwide movement for, as the website states, the "human right to access high quality education." Teachers can search for resources or use the Open Author tool to create documents and lessons that can be shared publicly. Districts can purchase access for microsites and private hubs for sharing resources internally, and educators can join special-interest groups for further discussion and collaboration. Those who make their work available on OER Commons do so with few, if any, ownership rights. Usage falls under Creative Commons, which spells out how each resource can be used, shared, or modified.
In the same ways that collaboration enhances our students' learning, collaboration among educators makes us more efficient and increases learning opportunities for our students. Since most of these resources are curated from the public domain, teachers are free to adapt them for their own use while saving the time it would take to search for them elsewhere on the vast internet. With access to online textbooks, multimedia, research-based practices, and more, teachers can make quality educational materials available to their students regardless of budget or location.