After watching this video I realized that I had almost the exact experience that the video was talking about last year! I was teaching grade three and four, online. There were so little resources available for social studies in an online environment, so I was left using the Pearson textbook. We were learning about immigration and a pie chart was on the page of immigration in 2011. (Which also did not seem that long ago to me)! Some of the students spoke up and said “oh that is the year my older brother was born”. And then it hit me! This textbook is older than the kids using it. What kind of valuable information are kids getting from this? Like.. really?
This really brings forth the value of open education. Why shouldn’t we be able to share our resources, why should teachers then be expected to spend their own money on resources just for them to go outdated or to be part of yesterday’s trend. We really are stuck in a cyclical disaster. I think back to just my first year of teaching 5 short years ago, and I bought what was the current trend and top resources, and now here I am with those resources I spent hundreds of dollars on stashed away in my cupboard as my school implements new and improved resources and ideas.
I am not sure why more people have “bought into” this free educational resource. There is so much to offer and be a part of that allows for people to take ideas and points from others in a collaborative and open environment.
My last and final ponder on this topic is how do we actually and effectively get education to be accessible for all? What could this world be and turn into if we could get everyone in our world the truly acceptable and high quality education that everyone deserves.