Group Admins
Description
Session Description
Open educational resources (OER) provide a strategic opportunity to improve the quality of education of K-12 public schools as well as to facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity-building across the world (UNESCO, 2015). Yet, “research on the impact of OER is generally limited, in the context of K-12 only a handful of peer-reviewed papers and commissioned reports exist” throughout the world (de los Arcos, Farrow, Pitt, Weller & McAndrew, 2016, p. 24). This is also true in Brazil where there has been little, if any, empirical research on teachers’ use of OER in the K-12 public school sector. Brazilian K-12 teachers also face various barriers and challenges that impact OER uptake such as readiness for change and innovation (Torres, 2013); possessing technology literacy (Amiel, 2006; Amiel & Reeves, 2008; Amiel, 2013); the way teachers use resources and their power to choose resources (T. Anderson, personal communication, June 20, 2014); and institutional support for innovation (Ferreira, 2014). Due to these challenges, there is great need for teacher professional development (TPD). This session is aimed at presenting findings of a case study conducted at one Brazilian fundamental education public school. The case study comprised the development and delivery of a face-to-face OER professional development program (ODP). The main goal of the program was to raise awareness and build teachers’ knowledge regarding OER adoption and use. For the ODP, the design thinking approach was used to deliver four workshops. Design thinking is focused on creating solutions to difficult problems in education by addressing the needs of the teachers who will consume a product or implement innovation and the infrastructure that enables it (Brown & Wyatt, 2010). This approach enabled the researcher to see problems and challenges through the eyes of participants, which is in line with the interpretive tradition of case study research (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011). Qualitative data linked to the program were analyzed using coding categories derived from the categories of Warschauer’s (2002) framework for Effective Use of ICTs. To assess learning outcomes post-ODP, focus groups were conducted and data were interpreted and analyzed using a generic inductive approach. The findings of this study suggest that ongoing facilitator support and hands-on TPD in OER can enhance teachers’ engagement and confidence with OER and that school administrations’ awareness and engagement is imperative to ensure their success. The study proposes a set of evidence-based OER guidelines for stakeholders who wish to promote the adoption and use of OER in the Brazilian public fundamental education system. During this presentation this researcher will share and discuss other important findings with participants highlighting how this study contributes to Brazilian K-12 education.
References
Amiel, T. (2006). Mistaking computers for technology: Technology literacy and the digital divide. AACE Journal, 14(3), 235-256.
Amiel, T., & Reeves, T. C. (2008). Design-based research and educational technology: Rethinking technology and the research agenda. Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 11(4), 29-40.
Amiel, T. (2013). Identifying barriers to the remix of translated open educational resources. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 14(1), 126-144. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1351/2448
Brown, T., & Wyatt, J. (2010). Design thinking for social innovation. Development Outreach, 12(1), 29-43.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education (7th ed). New York, NY: Routledge.
de Los Arcos, B., Farrow, R., Pitt, R., Weller, M., & McAndrew, P. (2016). Adapting the curriculum: How K-12 teachers perceive the role of open educational resources. Journal of Online Learning Research, 2(1), 23-40. Retrieved from 222
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebecca_Pitt/publication/301684854_Personalising_learning_through_adaptation_Evidence_from_a_global_survey_of_K-12_teachers’_perceptions_of_their_use_of_open_educational_resources/links/5721f7f908ae80636185e367.pdf
Ferreira, F. (2014). The right license [Course notes]. Retrieved from http://wikieducator.org/The_right_license/Video_signpost_-Frances_Ferreira
Torres, N. P. M. (2013). Embracing openness: The challenges of OER in latin american education. Open Praxis, 5(1), 81-89.
Warschauer, M. (2002). Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide. First Monday, 7(7). doi:10.5210/fm.v7i7.967
UNESCO (2015). Communication and information. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-resources/ [Accessed April 4, 2015].
