Open Source in Education: Open Source Teacher Materials
Classroom Toolkit is in the vanguard of Open Source Materials for teachers.
Other sites offer free materials, but few, if any offer world-class, new, creative materials for teachers.
Many sites want to charge for the individual materials, or charge a subscription fee to access the materials collection.
Some free sites are the posting of class projects: either public school, undergraduate, or graduate class projects. These sites offer great materials, but usually the offerings are discrete lessons or units.
The Classroom Toolkit Goal
Classroom Toolkit is different.We provide...
- A how-to for a unified, connected, total classroom planning and classroom management system.
- A focus upon teacher and student empowerment in a "Let's increase accountability as we take away resources and funding" world
- World-class, original materials that model efficient and effective instructional strategies
- A Newsletter and Blog that "Tell it like it is" about the challenges that teachers face
- News and commentary that reveal the truths and insights that teachers would speak for themselves if they weren't in danger of loosing their jobs if they did speak out
Creative Partners Needed
Classroom Toolkit is looking for teachers who want to share the materials that they create.
Please volunteer if you want to develop Open Source content for other teachers.
What is Open Source Content
Classroom Toolkit originated the Reciprocal Public Materials License concept.
Classroom Toolkit Reciprocal Public Materials License
This license is similar to how Open Source Software is licensed.
The rules for this license are quite simple:
- Anyone may use the materials with out charge, as long as they do not charge their students for the materials
- Anyone may add to and revise the materials
- Any additions, changes, revisions of the materials may be distributed with the original materials, but both components must be distributed without cost
- The copyright remains with the original author
- Anyone that creates additions, changes or revisions only holds the copyright for the portion that they create
How does this Benefit You?
Teachers everywhere get to use quality Classroom Toolkit materials without cost
Teachers save time in several ways:Classroom Toolkit materials are...
- ...modular and reusable
- ...adaptable to many kinds of lessons
- ...built on learner-centered, empowering principles
- ...built with a knowledge of how multisensory processing and a stress-free learning environment increases thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learner self-concept
- ...puts "teaching to the test" in its place of ignominious distinction
What Happens if I Volunteer
Unlike other Web sites, we insist that authors retain the copyright to their materials.
Of course, you have to give us written permission to publish your materials on our site. This permission covers only placing those materials on our site,and no other rights
You receive complete credit for the materials that you author.
By posting your materials, other teachers will use your materials. So why would you want to share your materials and still retain a copyright?
Here are some reasons:
- You can do your part in stemming the tide against over priced corporate content
- You can gain exposure for your ideas and skills if you are (or wish to become) a consultant
- You can list the materials you share as publications on your resume
- You can test whether other teachers like your materials, and if they do, collect your materials into a book or an eBook
- You can test whether there is enough interest in your materials for you to start a Web site of your own, or, to develop your own online business
Volunteering in the Classroom Toolkit Open Source Teacher Materials Project will not make you rich. But, you will become important to a lot of teachers and students.
And, if you do not want to publish your materials with Classroom Toolkit, but want to pursue your own Website and your own marketing, we will help you.
To volunteer, or to provide suggestions of any kind, please contact us at:
Mail: Joseph Chmielewski M.S., L.P.C. at Classroom Toolkit
