Teachers are storytellers. Recognizing the value of “teacher lore” (Schubert & Ayers, 1992) gives credence to expertise embedded in and resulting from experience (Schubert & Ayers, 1992). The City University of New York (CUNY) Teacher Education OER Hub foregrounds narratives of faculty who are committed to the CUNY mission of “expanding portals of opportunity” by making education more accessible and affordable (Connected University: CUNY Master Plan) through the use of open resources.
The Teacher Education OER Hub, while still in its infancy, is more than a collection of digital resources. In videotaped interviews, instructors and librarians tell their stories of successes, failures, and what has driven them to create OER. While the journey often started with a value proposition (Can I help to make education more affordable?), it moved into a space of critical consciousness (Is what I am teaching current? relevant? transformative?), morphed into a consideration of what voices are missing (Do my students see themselves in course materials?), and, for some, culminated in challenging students to become knowledge creators.
During the Lightening Talk session, the CUNY Teacher Education OER design team will provide a brief tour of the site and share a montage of video interview highlights. We will invite others to join us as users, authors, or reviewers as we build on what is admittedly a first step toward a robust site that showcases the work of teacher educators who are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusive practices through OER.
After participating in this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe the origin and current status of the CUNY Teacher Education OER Hub
- Identify with stories of teacher educators who reflect on their own successes, challenges, and next steps with OER
- List three types of opportunities to get involved in the next stage of CUNY Teacher Education Hub development
