GoOpen

ASCD Is Part of the #GoOpen Campaign

#GoOpen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education, ASCD, and other nonprofits and companies that aims to create an open education ecosystem that makes learning materials, data, and educational opportunities available without restrictions imposed by copyright laws, access barriers, or exclusive proprietary systems that lack interoperability and limit the free exchange of information.

OER benefit schools in a number of ways:

• Empowering Teachers—OER empower teachers as creative professionals by giving them the ability to adapt and customize learning materials to meet the needs of their students without breaking copyright laws.
• Increasing Equity—All students have access to high quality learning materials that have the most up-to-date and relevant content because OER can be freely distributed to anyone.
• Keeping Content Relevant and High Quality—Many traditional textbooks are perpetually outdated, forcing districts to reinvest significant portions of their budgets to replace them. The terms of use of OER allow educators to maintain the quality and relevance of their materials with continuous updates.

ASCD continues to support the #GoOpen schools by providing ongoing professional development, documenting lessons learned, compiling relevant research, and convening educators with an interest in adapting OER.

For more information, visit the U.S.  Department of Education's Open Education page or check out #GoOpen on Twitter.