Create your own OERS Student-Generated Text book s Jennifer Kidd

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 21 st 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 8 th 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, multiplechoice 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-learning-in 2015/home

Tour Links Author Pages: https: //sites. google. com/a/odu. edu/teaching-learning-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-toteach-about-race-and-racism https: //sites. google. com/a/odu. edu/teaching-learning-in 2015/home/content/section-4 -schools-curriculum/assessmentaccountability/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 learning Constraints-> 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 & Mc. Loughlin, 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 jkidd@odu. edu