Activity: Create a Digital Media Checklist

 

Directions: This week we covered the open movement, Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creative Commons licenses. We reviewed freeware, shareware, Creative Commons licensing, and models for evaluating OER.   As you can see there is a lot of information and different criteria to consider when reviewing Open Educational Resources in your design projects.    For our Week 1 activity you are going to create a Digital Media Checklist to help you evaluate an OER or digital media prior to use. Do not worry, this is your 'draft' and as you progress through the course and in your expertise, you'll continue to update, edit and improve this document!  This activity has two parts:

Part 1: Develop Your Criteria.  You are going to consolidate this information into your checklist of criteria you would use when evaluating digital content.  The checklist should include criteria you feel are required to make sure you have the 'right' to use the resource in the manner you intend to enhance learning.  Meaning, what elements, ideas, and criteria will you apply to determine if the OER or content you create will support a learning objective?  Content connections?  Will you consider point of view or bias?  Open license?  Quality of materials?   These are great ideas to think about as you work through our first assignment.  Here is an example for you to think about.  You can create your checklist in MS Word, as a Google Doc, Google Sheet, Excel Spreadsheet or other tool you feel allows you to present and use your checklist.

Part II: Apply your Checklist.  After you have created the checklist, conduct an Internet search and locate an Open Education Resource that you could use for a learning experience you define.  Apply your checklist to evaluate your identified OER for use in a learning experience.  Post your checklist to the forum and include an executive summary of your evaluation.  Be sure you include the URL of the digital media you used for your checklist.   Post your blank checklist and completed review checklist, with the URL for the online content, to the Week 1 Digital Media Checklist discussion.  Add a short, no more than 300-word comment about your checklist, key aspects, and lessons learned during the design and use process.

Looking Ahead: If you have not reviewed the signature assignment for this course, be sure to do so now. One component of that assignment is to apply your digital checklist to other elements you will create during this course. Therefore, as you work through Part II of this assignment, if you find your checklist needs editing, either to add or eliminate or clarity items, do so this week.