This past EDCI 336 class, on September 21, 2020, opened my eyes as a future educator in regards to online content. 

We covered the difference between Copyright materials and the various Creative Commons  licences, as well as going into the Fair Dealings Guidelines. It was my previous understanding that Copyright materials couldn’t be reproduced, sold, or altered. I did not know that in reality Copyright materials could be used if only 10% or less of the original copy was reproduced. This is incredibly important information for teachers to know so that they follow the legal guidelines when creating and distributing resources.

In addition to Copyright materials, we also covered Open Education Resources. Open Educational Resources are created and put out there so that individuals and educators can freely access materials without spending a fortune on resources and textbooks.

One site that is often used (and I’ve used myself for resources for kids’ camps) is Teachers Pay Teachers. This site is an excellent resource for lesson plans, activities, and various other classroom resources. One downfall of TPT is that many of the materials do cost money, but you can find some useful items for free. Teachers Pay Teachers is also a great place if you wish to possibly earn a few dollars off of the resources that you have created.

Other OER sources include OER Commons, Khan Academy, and our local elementary digital library from BC’s School District #61. Ben Koning, the teacher librarian from Tillicum Elementary, shared the digital library link to us. While looking through the library one can instantly see how this site can be a useful companion when creating lesson plans and collecting resources for students. It’s neatly organized, easy to use, and up to date. A site that I will certainly use before and after I become a teacher!