At the rate technology progresses these days, it is almost impossible for even the most tech savvy among us to keep up with every change and advancement. Often, people hear of a new technological tool they may be interested in exploring but for one reason or another this idea never comes to fruition. This can be unfortunate because there are many tools out there that could greatly improve the way we live, work, play, or learn if we would take the time to learn moreabout them. One such resource that should not be overlooked is Open Educational Resources.

Open Educational Resources (OER) is a term used to describe educational resources created by various individuals and organizations that are made available for use by students, teachers, and other educational staff free of charge. We have written articles about OER here before: one article was about a great website for finding OER, the Open Educational Resources Commons and another article was about a set of guidelines for using OER written by the Commonwealth of Learning. Today we are going to take a step back and talk about a fantastic resource for explaining the basics of OER so readers may have a clear understanding of what OER are and how useful they can be in teaching and learning. Two International organizations interested in promoting and supporting education and technology, The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, created a document titled “A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)' that is perfect for anyone who is interested in taking the first step in learning more about OER.

This document opens up with a section that is set up in a “Frequently Asked Questions” format that essentially answers all of the questions someone new to OER would have. This section explains the basic premise of OER and continues on to cover questions about OER and eLearning, why OER are free, how to find OER, modifying OER, and several other topics. The next section in this publication is called “Making the Case for Open Educational Resources.” This section explores in the concept of OER in a more in depth manner and discusses the potential benefits and impacts of OER in various learning environments. This section also examines the implications of OER for educational planners and decision makers as well as the potential policy changes that OER may bring about. This publication concludes with nine informative Appendixes discussing topics such as open licenses, well functioning distance learning education systems, technology applications, open source software in education, the OER online terrain, a list of OER-related websites, policy issues with OER and eLearning, OER policy review process, and skills required for working with OER.

As you can see, “A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)” is a well-organized and extensive overview of OER and related topics. This document is an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to educate himself on the topic of OER and also a great resource for anyone already familiar with OER who wishes to fill in some knowledge gaps. If you would like to learn more about this publication or read “A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)” in its entirety on the COL website.