I’ve been writing the 2nd edition of my OER ancillary (don’t call it a textbook) for about a year. I’ve completed a Preface, a Prologue, an Introduction, seven chapters for the first part of US History and four chapters for the second part of US History.
The reason for the OER project is to create a free resource that provides a basic understanding of US history under one roof. Currently, I use a series of links from varies sources to provide my students with that understanding of US History. The problem with a series of hyperlinks is that some students have reported difficulty finding the starting point of some of the readings, such as Building the American Republic.
I’m interested in what people think about OER in general and my OER project in particular. https://ourstory.pressbooks.com/
The OER is a very interesting concept. I have not had a professor use this type of reference for any class and I think it is very interesting. I do understand your statement that some students find it hard to find a starting point of some of the readings. I read the Prologue and it does seem a little scattered although the events, issues, and topics presented were presented in a very interesting way. I could see how one could just find it hard to get from point A to point B with all the politicians, musicians, events, etc. thrown in randomly. Well, at least to me, it seems very random.
ReplyDeleteI do get your reasons wherein you stated that you are looking to present the events about US History and how it came to be with the following themes: Immigration, Religion, Race/Ethnicity, Patriotism, Press/Media, Women/Gender, Foreign Policy. I do see how those topics would eventually encourage readers to look at the topic in a very different way relating to society, culture and the political climate of the period being tackled. It may just prove to be a challenge because learners like me have been taught history in a very different way. Chronological events help us remember, the people, locations, and the reasoning of why events came about the way they did.
It takes some serious getting used to because it is such a new way to learn history. To be completely honest, I found myself a little lost in the Prologue. But as I read it after the third time, I felt I was having a little more understanding of the point of the whole thing. The Prologue, in my opinion, bring readers to the whole issue of: Is it normal? With my limited knowledge of history, I feel that I could say that the Manifest Destiny messed us all up. The ideology that the United States having sole destiny of being great by expanding its control over the lands of the Americas and currently over the world, gave people the wrong impression that to realize Manifest Destiny massacres were justified, eliminating the people that existed before settlers, therefore eliminating their rich cultures were just a part of the plan. Certain immoral decisions that were made to make Manifest Destiny the ultimate goal trickled down to the perpetuation of the normalcy of racism. The ideology that Americans are better than most other nations seems to have become the norm.
I did not read the whole ancillary, but I asked myself to search for anything witchcraft related. As soon as my eyes focused on “the darker side of Puritanism,” I knew that is where I would find information on the topic – and I did. Maybe because we have covered some subjects in class, I can understand the OER better than someone who does not know what you’ve taught or any of the information in the ancillary. It does require more work on the student’s part. As a student who was been very comfortable just using Google and using any link that seems to be reliable, having to work harder for more accurate information has been a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI found the OER to be quite easy to read and to navigate. If further information is required on the subject, being able to easily access the links at the bottom of the page is very handy. It is another source that can be used without the fear of it being a prohibited source. With some knowledge of a topic, a person can easily find where a reading starts or at least find information that is needed. If I am looking for something to write about “Building the American Republic,” I will start in your chapter “Towards Independence” since that has information on what led to the Declaration of Independence and speaks a little about the document towards the end. I tried the links from this chapter and both “earthlink” weblinks did not work.
It is a significantly new experience of doing an OER project. In my opinion, an OER project is an effective way to approach US history file. It helps us to study those readings more proactive. It is true that some of the readings are difficult to find the starting and the main points, but it asks us to research the sources more careful, combine with highlighting phrases and clearly noting. Without much helping from guider or professor, we have to find the main point of the reading by ourselves, to find out what aspect of US history the reading is about.
ReplyDeleteBy contrast, learning history in the old method seems not work effectively (listen to what professors say about the readings, follow ready descriptions and remember it). I used to study history by using old method and it is also the main method in my country. It was easy to complete the history test but after the test, I totally forgot what I had learned about history. It affects badly to student’s thinking about history. They think that history is a very difficult subject, without knowing that their method of learning history maybe not correct. By OER project, we can remember the sources and main idea much longer because we are researching it by ourselves. I extremely hope that OER project could be one of new keys that leads us to better methods of learning history, especially US history.
I am with you in this new method o learning history. It actually encourages the curiosity of each and everyone of us, letting us search through the site for topics that interests us and letting us have full reign of learning. It is such an "old-school' way of learning it the way we did, (I studied up to high school in the Philippines). It has to change in order to apply more to how we now gain access to information. OER's like this is helpful in instilling the information in us longer which you mentioned. The challenge is in navigating and finding topics; of course that is what the search bar is for, which helped me find my topic for the project.
DeleteIm going to start by saying that I had the privilege to be in your last semester class for History 1301 and it was an amazing experience. I love how you being our teacher try to help us out in any way you can I truly appreciate that because not all teachers do that for their students. When you first talk to us about OER I was a bit lost because I didn’t know what it really was and also it took me a while to figure it out since other teachers have never done that, like I said but also it was my first hearing about OER. I didn’t think I was going to really use your OER project because I didn’t think it was going to help me but I was totally wrong it helped me do my essays that first semester and fully understand what I needed to talk about without putting information from other cites that I was not sure if they were right. OER is so simple to navigate and read you don’t have to be making accounts to be able to read or pay which is something us student really appreciate. It gives more readings that we know the information is right and also it might not give you everything clearly is more like you read take notes and with that you start like adding everything up. We have all the information we are looking for we just need to learn how to summarize it and it makes us students think a little bit more deep to be able to understand the reading.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I think your doing an amazing job as a teacher because your not just teaching us but also helping us with what we really need help with which is our work but your not also just handing everything to us the easy way.Yes, we have the OER but we still have to dig a little bit deeper and think. I can say we have to put a little puzzle together but knowing we have plenty of information and the most important the correct one we are good. I love your OER project and I think its something other teachers should start doing too.
It takes events like Tropical Storm Imelda for us to appreciate the things we have. Many did not expect to see their house slowly vanish. Others did not expect to suddenly get a call from their child’s school to pick up their child. Others dreaded watching their car disappear under the water. The worst part of it all is many have experienced these tragedies twice since Hurricane Harvey. Having a teacher like you should make us all feel special. Rarely do students have a teacher who is willing to make adjustments or come up with a plan B. Losing a house or a car can be devastating, especially to worry about one’s own life. Those who are working full time and paying for college on their own may start over again and work their way up again to get a new place and/or car. Sometimes, that person may not even have family members who they can reach out to for advice, and this may lead to stress and the mindset of wanting to quit. It is devastating to have one’s favorite aunt call them to let them know that their house has once again been flooded. My aunt’s house was completely flooded during Hurricane Harvey. She had barely been half way done fixing her house after Harvey, when all of a sudden Imelda hit. I can only be thankful enough for the safety of my family and me during Tropical Storm Imelda.
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ReplyDeleteThe fact you are taking your time to write and continue to add upon this OER shows how much you care for this subject.It is a well written piece of History. while i was reading through some of the chapters, the flow of events seemed natural. as they should be of course. too many times we see in historical based books a boring flow-less history. Dr.Ross takes the key elements of eventful and meaningful parts of a certain time period and makes it as interesting as possible. what stood out to me specifically was the Differing religions all seemingly having the same fundamental origin. From Christianity to the Sioux creation myth, to Greek mythology.all share common stories and structures throughout their mythos and all seem to be linked to each other when closely examined. Not only does this make one look intrinsically into ones beliefs, but one appreciates how similar these cultures and religions are. Most if not all center around a moral code that is meant to in one way or another shape society. Helping see the bigger picture and ultimately understand why things happen and have happened throughout history.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you and all 21st century educators that have or considering turning their backs on the traditional textbook. Student experience with college learning via the textbook is no longer doing the job. The future depends on updated material, but most times textbooks are outdated. Eighty percent of students are of the internet age and have been from elementary through high school. Information is gained through the search engine and the touch of a key on an electronic device. A lot of publishers try to make the textbook engaging by digital versions, but the book remains boring and expensive.The Open Educational Resource is the best thing for the upcoming future with many positive advantages, since it can be accesses anywhere at any time.The OER provides different learning styles,for example:texts, images and videos while studying only relevant course material. Most important it saves money!
ReplyDeleteI very much prefer your OER, to the typical history resources and readings that I have used in other history classes. I find the OER resources easier to understand, and interpret. I don't know if it is because they seem to have a more relaxed style of writing, or if it is because they are very 'to the point', but I feel like the information 'sticks' better. I think the OER does a good job of putting everything into an easily understandable format, and makes the information sound more relevant than other history resources. Maybe it is just due to my brains way of processing, but the OER ancillary seems to help me understand and follow history a lot better. I also think it has helped me in this class specifically, because I feel that the information is a lot more relevant, meaning, I am not reading a bunch of extra insignificant details like I would be in a normal history textbook.Traditional textbooks have a lot of content, but important details always seem to get lost within the text.
ReplyDeleteI also really appreciate your drive and dedication to writing an OER ancillary that your students have access to because many professors would not take the time, or do not have a personal interest in the subject the way you do. It is especially helpful because the things that you talk about in the OER, are similar to the things being talked about in our lectures, so I don't feel like I am being overloaded with details that I will never need to know. As you mentioned before, it is also a lot easier to use than scrolling through the various linked readings trying to find one that talks about what I am looking for. History has many bits and pieces that make it hard to navigate, but I think the OER ancillary makes it a lot easier and more student-friendly.
I think the OER is a good project/assignment to do because it allows for students to research and explain the why of history. History is told through Historians, so the OER allows us to analyze if the information is important. This is my second time taking history here at HCC and both times this has been easy and smooth. I feel more history classes should have OER so allow students to take learning into their own hands. I’ve read your OER project when I first trying to figure out what the OER is and did find some difficultly getting through it. But it did help me understand how to write my OER and kind of ask questions when writing. I think you should try to make it more organized to find the starting point, so it doesn’t feel like rambling. Besides that, I like the OER project because we don’t have to take a final, but more so write a paper which is better.
ReplyDeletePreviously all my other history teachers use books; in fact, I had no idea of what an OER was, I had to look it up now I know it stands for open educational resources. While traditional books are perfectly fine most students turn to the internet to find more information to use in homework and projects. The internet supplies students with more facts and data that the book might exclude. I am glad that professors give their students the opportunity to read and gather evidence from multiple sources through the internet. Also the fact that you actually write your own OER that students can use as additional information aside from the class Power Points is great and very useful to us. OER assignments are great because it uncovers more information on one topic and we get to see multiple points of views. Over all I think that OER is the future and that more professors should look into it.
ReplyDeleteI think the OER was a new learning experience that I never had in high school or in my other classes. I was never thought to do citation, so that was a big important thing I had to learn on my own. Another thing I had to learn was how to write a paper with multiple people in my group. I think it wasn’t the best group experience and I think the other people in my group had the same problem. I think for the second OER I hope my group and I can learn to split up the work evenly and share our progress. I’m sure by doing the OER will help me write and understand research papers. By doing this project, I learned something new by the research I was doing and felt I learned unknowingly just by doing the paper. I also prefer doing the OER than taking a final.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the OER was a new learning experience for me too because it made me develop new skills. For example, working with other scholars, communication skills, and managing our time. I can also relate about bad experiences with group assignments because either the group isn’t on the same page, a group member doesn’t want to complete their part, or they don’t show up for meetings with the group. Bad experiences are honestly good for us because it makes us learn, grow, and understand our budget for the project. I would agree with you on taking an OER instead of a final because it's a project that helps us understand more about the truth, events, religions, and significant individuals. In my opinion, it’s a great experience and I hope everyone would try because the assignment itself is interesting, straight-forward, and fun.
DeleteI think the OER is a good project because it helps scholars work together, managing their time, and gathering one another’s research. The OER helps scholars understand more about History by increasing their reading about the past and knowing the truth. For Example, scholars analyze significant events, leaders, and religions because of the impact it had on the society. One of the reasons I like this project is because the more I know about the past. The more I see the world differently and how lucky we are to have things we do in a daily basis. The second reason I like this OER is because you are given a budget on the amount of space for this project, establishing a good structure for your topic, making it sound interesting for the audience and backing up your research with hard evidence. This experience was amazing for me because it made me learn so much, helped me adapt to new work methods, and working with other scholars.
ReplyDeleteI particularly incline toward your OER, to the regular history assets and readings that I have utilized in other history classes. I discover the OER assets more clear, and decipher. I don't have the foggiest idea whether it is on the grounds that they appear to have an increasingly loosened up style of composing, or in the event that it is on the grounds that they are very 'to the point', yet I feel like the data 'sticks' better. I figure the OER works admirably of putting everything into an effectively reasonable arrangement, and makes the data sound more important than other history assets. Perhaps it is only because of my cerebrums method for preparing, yet the OER subordinate appears to assist me with comprehension and pursue history significantly better. I additionally think it has helped me in this class explicitly, on the grounds that I feel that the data is much increasingly pertinent, which means, I am not perusing a lot of extra immaterial subtleties like I would be in a typical history textbook.Traditional course books have a ton of substance, yet significant subtleties consistently appear to get lost inside the content.
ReplyDeleteI additionally truly value your drive and commitment to composing an OER subordinate that your understudies approach on the grounds that numerous educators would not take the time, or don't have an individual enthusiasm for the subject the manner in which you do. It is particularly useful on the grounds that the things that you talk about in the OER, are like the things being discussed in our talks, so I don't feel like I am being over-burden with subtleties that I will never need to know. As you referenced previously, it is likewise significantly simpler to use than looking through the different connected readings attempting to discover one that discussions about what I am searching for. History has numerous odds and ends that make it difficult to explore, however I think the OER subordinate makes it much simpler and more understudy benevolent.
I think the OER is a good idea, because as students we are used to buying and carrying around a textbook. And simply because you add on the OER what is needed and we can actually still use it in many ways and forms. I am fortunate enough to have had you for 1301 so I now know what exactly an OER is, at first I was a little confused as in why you created it and what was the purpose of it but as I started writing essays in your class I realized I needed more than I had anticipated. You made the OER very simple to go through and not just only that but we did not have to pay or access it just for a few weeks, we have it full time. And lastly I enjoy it the most because it provides different text, images and videos all while going through the material that we actually need.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is a great tool for students who are currently taking this U.S. History class and for those who are thinking of taking it. I do not seem to have problems accessing the OER nor finding some of the readings. It is sometimes hard to find a specific topic among all the readings, however, once you start looking closely at the OER, it is easier to find what you need for your research paper. It is a unique guide that allows the students to find everything in one place as all the information needed is in the OER. It is easy to understand, organized per period, and make remarks about important events that have occurred over the years. For an international student like me, who did not have any previous knowledge about U.S. History, the OER has made things much easier.
ReplyDeleteThe topics presented in this guide are very complete, although I struggled to find information about Marian Anderson (my OER assignment). After submitting my research paper, I was glad to read a message sent by the professor telling me that part of the OER assignment paper was going to be included in the guide. It will give future students the possibility of locating the information faster. They will have more topics covered and won’t be required to use secondary sources since everything they need would be in the guide.
When I was in high school, history seems boring subjects. I was faced with some history events that the teacher provided and I needed to be studied. I have never understood that why I took a history class. Memorization and testing are the coping methods that I and all students in my country go through. Not only does it not help us improve the knowledge, it also makes us lazy when reading. However, OER is not such a method, it helps me to be more proactive in readings. Until I know that OER project is a new method that help me can approach with some history events easily. Through finding main information by myself, I can research the facts so that I can know that history is not too boring, it is very wide and I need to take a long time to achieve some achievements in today. So, OER is a best method for me to study in history, especially the US history. I will share this method with my friends to they know that the history is an excited subject, and the US history is a basic stepping to international history.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the fact that you even considered to take time out of your busy life to create an OER for college students. Many students need basic understanding. I know for myself in particular, I would rather read a book with the facts all in one place instead of reading around just to find the one thing I was looking for. Many students dread the fact that they have to read many chapters or books just to get on important piece of information. With your OER this will give us a break and actually enjoy reading History facts. It will help students enjoy History more.
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ReplyDeleteBeing a college student, My personal opinion over OER style courses are very supportive. Most college courses require to purchase materials and textbooks; however, OER style courses are free, and most importantly easily accessible to anyone registered in the course. More specifically, Dr. Jim Ross-Nazzal’s project is very creative because, other college students are contributing their work and ideas into one book, which students are being credited for. Moreover, anyone will be able to access this specific book which will benefit anyone in need of help. Under this project, there are a series of links which provide students and researches the proper understanding of U.S History along with background education to gain a general and overall understanding. Overall, I personally think that OER style courses and educational resources are a very generous and is a supportive concept that many college students, and researches would appreciate. I would always choose an OER style course over having to purchase textbooks or materials to succeed in a course.
I have to say that you are the very first professor offers me using the OER. I have not had any experience about it before I am in your class. For me, OER is a very helpful method of reading and researching for students. Most of college course required to purchase textbooks, e-book or materials go with classes for homework and information, but OER is all free and easy to access as long as you are registered for that class. In addition, OER will take you to them main point or thesis statement directly. Students have no longer sit down and read all around useless informations to get the point. It totally saves time and money. In your project, I think it is creative by the ideas you based on, other students could contribute the idea and their work in only one book. It also a good idea for leaning from peers. OER is a good method for both professor and students for learning and gaining their knowledge by the time.
ReplyDeleteOER style in my opinion is rather unique.Until I had gotten to this class I don't even think I knew what OER really was or that it could even benefit me.OER encourages research on interesting topics while keeping the student focused on the main points.I will say that OER has helped me gain a better understanding on how to research the facts and presenting new information I did not know before.Overall I do think OER is very useful to students and professors and should be used more often since it seems to help everyone save time and money.
ReplyDeleteOERs are an effective way to learn class material without having to pay hundreds of dollars for one textbook. It is easier having information that is recently dated because they are made so that students of today can easily interpret the context. Resources such as Khan Academy, for example, make it so that popular events such as the Civil War or Lincolns inaugural address are briefly explained so that students can understand the overall importance of these events. OERs are also considered efficient alternatives because all resources can be found on laptops which can often be carried anywhere you may go. Having to carry textbooks can be such a hassle it is easier to have all of the information in one thing and take it anywhere and everywhere. Also according to the University of Georgia, statistics have shown that college students who were given free course materials showed an increase in academic results versus those who had to pay for their materials. Out of 21,822 students, 11,681 bought their textbooks and 10,141 used free digital textbooks and results showed that students who switched from physical textbooks to OERs showed an academic increase of 5.50 percent and 7.73 percent for students that made A’s and A minuses. Overall OERs have made an effective change to students by being more efficient than the average textbook.
ReplyDeleteI believe the OER ancillary is very useful for various reasons such as being a money saver, reliable and relatable. Most professors require a book to be purchased. Purchasing a book or many books can be an issue for many students. They aren’t cheap either and most times we don’t even use the books to their full extent, sometimes they aren’t even used. Studies found that 85% of 1000 students delayed the purchase of books and of that 91% citied cost being the reason. Considering the ancillary being free means we can use it wherever, whenever and however we’d like. I personally like to use it on my tablet at home rather than the big screen. You could use it at home, school, work, literally anywhere! It becomes relatable being that students wrote it and phrased it into their own words helps us get a better understanding of the history concepts. As well as some of us are writers of the ancillary. Today we use a lot of technology, and social media so we learn how to navigate through sites. From the previous study stated before studies also found that 88% of the 1000 students reported using digital items. Therefore the ancillary comes in very handy.
ReplyDeleteThe OER was a very interesting assignment. Not only is it possible to use many different sources for information, you get to speak your mind on what you think of the topic. In class, people sharing their thoughts on their own topic sparks a lot of opinions being shared by students. Most of the knowledge would usually come from the assigned text book for the class, but with the OER, you have the option to negate the book completely, and rely on the internet for your research. This is my first encounter with having an OER as an assignment, and to be honest, it's far more easier learning things for yourself when it comes to looking up the topic in depth; trying to prove and get the most out what you can get online rather than in a single book. Overall, the OER was new to me, and I liked the way it worked. Being able to look for your own sources.
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