create your own oers: student-generated text(book)s jennifer kidd (old dominion university)
TRANSCRIPT
Create your own OERS:Student-Generated Text(book)s
Jennifer Kidd (Old Dominion University)
What do we mean by Open? Open to access Open to re-use/share Open to contribute/create
How does openness relate to control/power?
What do I mean by Open? Open to access Open to re-use/share Open to contribute/create
More openness = more control/power = more learning
My students write their Textbook
Undergraduate Students!
Students writing their own text????What intrigues you about this idea? Potential benefits? What horrifies you?
Drawbacks?
Potential Benefits of a student-authored text
Students save $ More motivated to read
(maybe?) Student Empowerment
Students decide what’s important (who normally does?)
Students evaluate their own course materials (who normally does?)
Students see themselves as authors, experts, contributors to professional conversations on educational topics
Potential Benefits of a student-authored text Communication and Evaluation Skills
Students write for an authentic audience, learn to present information
Students are responsible to their peers (task has purpose beyond course assignment)
Students provide and receive constructive feedback
Potential Benefits of a student-authored text Technological Prowess
Students learn new skills for 21st century literacy Pre-service teachers pass skills on to future
students
Potential Concerns of a student-authored text (product and process) Inaccurate, Incomplete, Grammatically nightmarish, Inappropriate Content
More work for you and students
Technical & Logistical Challenges
My Students’ Textbook
8th year writing own textbook Each semester there’s a new edition (or 3!) 150 pre-service teachers participate each semester Foundations of Education course Students select a topic and “TEACH” their peers
about the topic by creating 500-600 word lesson (with learning targets, anticipatory set, multimedia, references, multiple-choice questions)
Extensive peer review and peer evaluation process (Should students grade the book or the instructor?)
Book Tour List of URLs to all past wikibooks: https://sites.google.com/a/odu.edu/301-
wikibooks/
The first edition in Wikibooks: google “Wikibooks Social and Cultural”
Recent editions in Google Sites: https://sites.google.com/a/odu.edu/teaching-learni
ng-in-2015/home
Tour Links Author Pages: https://sites.google.com/a/odu.edu/teaching-le
arning-in-2015/home/about-the-authors Carolyn, Cat, Charlene Lesson Examples:
https://sites.google.com/a/odu.edu/teaching-learning-in-2015/home/content/section-1-diversity/teaching-learning-about-race-and-racism-in-the-us/using-the-art-of-faith-ringgold-to-teach-about-race-and-racism
https://sites.google.com/a/odu.edu/teaching-learning-in-2015/home/content/section-4-schools-curriculum/assessment-accountability/homework
Peer Reviews in Canvas
Student-authored texts as Open Pedagogical Practice Power transferred to students Students act as co-creators of course content Students have autonomy (choose what/how to
present) Students participate in the development of
grading criteria and the assessment process Students grade final submissions (determine
content) Created resources are open for access and re-
use Educational community is encouraged via
review, rating and commenting
Constraints used to focus learningConstraints-> Openness<-Constraints (Why constraints are needed: Openness is
cognitively demanding --requires problem solving)
Students choose from a list of approved topics Instructor-created/controlled forum Instructor-created guidelines and process;
scaffolded assignment, drafts reviewed by instructor
Project exists within an otherwise fairly traditional class (lectures, discussions, tests etc)
What’s the Goal of User-generated (Open) Texts: Product or Process?
Product Process
For us: It’s about Process
Students write a new textbook each semester WHY? “The people who are benefitting from these
open educational resource initiatives are the people who are producing the open educational resources” (Downes, 2010)
The primary purpose of learner-generated content is to stimulate knowledge growth within learners (Lee & McLoughlin, 2007)
Why do we have students write their own textbook? Pre-service teachers need practice
researching, evaluating and synthesizing material and then presenting it in an engaging fashion to an authentic and interactive audience
Models “authentic” learning Rise in Online Ed: Future Teachers will be
Online Teachers Rise in use of digital texts in K-12 Develop tech expertise with digital texts and
web 2.0 tools
Why do we have students write their own textbook? Disrupts traditional learning paradigm shifts
power to students (future teachers need practice making important decision about teaching and learning)
Promotes self-regulation, autonomy, intrinsic motivation
Practice giving and receiving feedback (improve writing and assessing abilities)
Drawbacks TIME! More work for students and instructor SKEPTICISM from fellow academics about
legitimacy of student-generated materials
Other Crazy Faculty:
It’s not just me!
SA Textbooks in IT 2004: Richard Watson, University of Georgia, had
students in his XML class each write a chapter of their textbook
2005: 20+ institutions in Israel write a wiki textbook on information systems in Hebrew
2006: Peter Woolf, University of Michigan, and his students created the University of Michigan Chemical Engineering Process Dynamics and Controls Open Textbook
2007: Ed Gehringer, North Carolina State, and his students developed Expertiza, software to manage SA wiki textbooks
Chris Bennett, University of Maine, Farmington, and his students in several courses write textbooks
SA Textbooks in other areas David Wiley, Project Management for Instructional
Designers Ryan Cragun, University of Tampa - Introduction to Sociology, Using SPSS and PASW
Lixun Wang, English Department in the Hong Kong Institute of Education - language studies
University of Thessaly in Greece - undergraduate course on the uses of the Internet in Education
Michael Orey, University of Georgia- learning theories Dale Fowler, Indiana Wesleyan University - learning theories University of Houston and Indiana University of Bloomington
– The Practice of Learning Theories International collaboration with 5 institutions: The Web 2.0
and Emerging Technologies
Quick Take Aways for Student-authored textbooks Find an easy to use platform Students like researching and writing their article but
stress about posting their work for all to see Students like the interactive parts of the text and
reading other students’ perspectives but still don’t much like reading textbooks
Students hate wiki code, any code Students feel proud of their work Student need lots of hand holding at the beginning
but feel more technologically confident at the end Encourage students to explore web 2.0 tools, you
don’t have to teach all these, or even know about them
If you are intrigued and want to learn more: Jennifer Kidd, Senior Lecturer Department of Teaching & Learning Office location: Ed 166-7 Office phone: 683-3248