The headline on this Linkedin article got my attention - It's time to start paying attention to OER in K-12
I can't share it via Twitter which is apparently blocking links to Linkedin posts, so I'm pasting the link here. Click this link
From the article "The first-generation category of OER encompassed lightweight materials from sources like OER Commons or peer-generated materials from websites."
This article is, with a few exceptions, a very good history of K-12 OER in the U.S.
Something that needs to be pointed out is that when OER is 'productized' it ceases being OER. The affordances of OER to enable revision to meet the specific needs of students and to be able share it again with the whole world is gone. Also, when OER is printed out it becomes difficult at best to revise, retain, and share with others. It's still OER when it's printed out; it's just not as versatile as digital OER
For the most part, this article only applies to U.S. use cases. Digital platforms exist in Europe and the highly developed areas of Asia but often need to be translated. Often, the governments outside of the U.S. aren't keen on paying money to U.S. corporations. In large swaths of the Global South, digital platforms of the kind that are used in 'productization' are not viable.
Something else being overlooked in this move to 'productization' is teacher professional development. It seems that U.S. school districts would rather write checks to businesses that are usually for-profit than invest in building the skills of their teachers. That can't be sustainable for the long term.
