This session is aimed to support discussions within the K12 community on the question of how to encourage and facilate a transition to Open Educational Resources (OER) from the dependence on traditional commercial textbooks. Such discussions are now in process in Alberta and in other provinces and US states as a way of exposing the issues and determining paths towards improving the quality of learning,while at the same time increasing the cost-effectiveness of taxpayer dollars spent on education. OER variable costs can be significantly reduced to maintaining the website, storing the data, and updating the content either ongoing or on an annual basis.
I am the UNESCO/Commonwealth of Learning/International Council for Open and Distance Education Chair in Open Educational Resources and the director of TEKRI at Athabasca University
