| While a majority of schoolteachers in the United States have adequate access to the Internet to search out, select and use Open Educational Resources (OER); actual reuse is limited and little is known broadly as to how these resources are typically used. Two research questions guided the study, "What practices are typically engaged in when using OER?" and, "Do differences exist between groups of teachers when using OER?" This study describes the development of a survey instrument that determines general use practices among K-12 teachers and differences among them. Results from the field test are presented and discussed, followed by recommendations for policy, teacher education and professional development.;The design of the instrument involved a series of drafts that began with a literature review and then required the input of the proposed audience, educational technology experts, and an adherence to a systematic survey design methodology. The input, collected through interviews and expert review, contributed to the validity of the instrument. The resulting instrument was field tested with a sample of educators affiliated with educational technology professional organizations. The results provided data for analysis of the reliability of the instrument as well as answers to the research questions. Ten uses were identified as being prevalent OER uses through frequency data. They included interactions where teachers used OER for inspiration, planning, providing a richer selection of materials, and to support online learning. Evidence of the most widely used open educational practices of technology proficient teachers informed recommendations for appropriate instructional strategies for professional development and teacher education geared towards the adoption of OER in planning, classroom use, and personal educational needs of current and future teachers. |
