While utilizing open resources is not a new concept for me (at least my thought before the initial meeting), learning about how much more OER is, has been enlightening. So much more than (albeit still important) being no cost for students or students engaging with videos/websites, it is about being regenerative. Before now I hadn’t really thought about having students producing work/content for more than the current semester or having them take part in assignment development. Through our discussion and the information in the video, I am excited to view my work through a different lens and develop something that activates enhanced student participation.

A few ideas from our meeting (our conversations and the video interview with Prof. Jhangiani) that stay with me: that open resources work well when they are REGENERATIVE (as in, as people use them, they contribute and expand to the resource); and, that the true spirit of open resources includes collaboration and sharing. What I love about both of these ideas is how they embody what (I believe) to be what is necessary for a community of people to succeed and thrive. In theater, we talk all the time about how there is no one dominant force, there is no one important figure; there is the play, and we are…

I’m thinking of creating a CUNY-wide resource for Theatre Arts faculty teaching acting courses. This resource would be organized into three collection areas. Section 1: A directory of scenes and monologues that are either open resources, or from electronic versions of plays found within the CUNY library system. CUNY faculty would be invited to contribute favorite useful (open) scenes and monologues to this collection. Section 2: CUNY faculty will also be invited to share useful exercises and theater games–tools that can be utilized to reinforce the concepts explored within the scene study and monologue units (a collection of sorts of best practices for exploratory exercises). Section 3: As in sections…

For my OER project, I will be modifying my ART 2400 (Global Contemporary Art) syllabus. It is now a combination of a textbook and supplementary sources from Internet-based resources. It covers various contemporary artists. I hope to re-structure the current syllabus by incorporating critical theories and community-based practice. I am not sure if the combination of theory and practice can work for undergraduate students. But certainly, our students are sensitive to critical issues. My second project is to create a platform to teach the problems related to housing insecurity in art as an OER source with my work-study students.

I used to think the Open Education Resources were publicly available education resources. However, after attending the first seminar, I learned it is far more than that. It can mean academic freedom in teaching, the materials that can be modified to be more suitable for your class, or creating meaningful content. Since the 1970s, a new generation of scholars and activists critiqued institutionalized knowledge. I believe OER presents great possibilities to teach art history critically by questioning why artists from specific races and gender are excluded from mainstream art history or create new knowledge with students by researching artists from diverse background.

Implementing Digital Portfolios to Document the Writing Process Implementing digital portfolios to document the writing process offers students a way to curate an exhibit of their work.  The Google Sites application provides online spaces for students to upload permanent artifacts.  It is user friendly and provides a visual document of student growth over the course of a semester.  By publishing drafts and revisions, students are reminded of the progress they have made as writers. 2. Silent Film: A Visual Narrative for Developing Linguistic Competence Abstract Visual narratives in silent films are an effective method for developing linguistic competence in English language education. They are equally constructive in developing critical thinking…

My open assignments are connected efforts with the ultimate goal of having groups of students produce either an online exhibit or some other type of educational resource. Each assignment is one of three scaffolded phases. The first aims to familiarize students with selecting appropriate sources. The students will work in groups for this assignment to foster a sense of community and discussion. The second focuses on individuals conducting visual and historical analysis of an artwork. And the third is an opportunity for groups of students to reflect on the ways one can connect historical and visual analysis of an artwork with contemporary viewers’ interests and issues and create a resource…

During the last session, I shared two possible assignments that I would like to do with my students. The first one was based on the idea of having students create a “Languages of New York” resource in which they write a short guide for educators about the home languages that their students bring to their classrooms.  Based on the feedback from colleagues and students, I revised that assignment, adding a few resources to help guide students and a section on how it will be assessed. One new resource that I will provide to students for example is NY state: http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/ell_home_languages_2017.pdf The second assignment was for students to write reviews of children’s books…

In a few of the education courses that I teach, the students write lesson plans based on a read aloud.  Reading to children requires a set of strategies to make sure that the audience is engaged.  They also need to help children make connections between the text, their experiences, other texts, and the world. Reading aloud provides a foundation for literacy development by demonstrating fluency and developing the children’s interest in books and the desire to be readers.  For the education students, it is important to be able to observe strategies that a reader can use during a read aloud.   Two resources that I think are promising for teaching read alouds are the NY…

The feedback that I received for my assignments led me to explore different types of videos and histology sites for anatomy and physiology. My three assignments were focused on the lab portion of anatomy and physiology rather than the lecture. One of the main skills that we implement in the lab portion of the course is using microscopes to properly view slides and to analyze different histological slides. This is something I want to further explore of how to properly implement. What I plan to do is to find better sources for histology and analyze the slides with the students in person.