Digital Resources
The world of digital media has introduced immense possibilities for resources to incorporate into our instruction and the mediums which students can use to demonstrate their understanding. Join us for discussions about the values, challenges, and ethics of using freely available digital resources in our classrooms.
- How can we find the best/freely available digital resources for our courses?
- How can we engage students in discussions about digital primary sources?
- How do digital projects compare to more traditional research papers and what tools are available for these unique projects?
- How can we model appropriate accreditation of our digital resources for our students?
For contact information for presenters, search Find a Librarian via the Library website.
Presentation 1
Open Educational Resources: Wherever, Whenever, Forever
Stephanie Western & Savannah Brown
USU's Open Educational Resources Team invites educators, librarians, and media specialist to spend 30 minutes with us learning about new developments in the exciting world of OER. We will demonstrate how to locate high-quality, relevant OER for learners at all levels. Session participants will be encouraged to share how they and their students have interacted with OER, so that we better understand what incoming students' experiences have been. Ideally, we hope to see K-12 educators from the local community engaging with OER and sharing them with their students. In this way, incoming students will already know about the diversity of OER and the benefit they have for saving students money and improving their educational outcomes. With this knowledge, they can be intentional about registering for classes that utilize OER and can advocate effectively for wider OER adoption at USU.
Discussion Questions
- Do you and/or your students know what makes something an OER vs another free resource?
- What has your experience been with using and/or teaching with OER?
- What kind of feedback have you received from students about OER?
Presentation 2
Using Omeka to Create Student Historical Digital Exhibits
Brittany Bertazon & Daniel Davis
The Merrill-Cazier Library at Utah State University regularly partners with USU faculty to create course-based digital exhibits using primary sources from the Special Collections and Archives department. For many of these classes, the digital exhibit was constructed in lieu of a traditional research paper. Open-source web-publishing platforms like Omeka enable students and instructors alike to create dynamic online exhibits that highlight unique archival content, showcasing collections of digital images, text, and other multi-media formats.
Pedagogic feedback from the participants in these courses indicates that students increased their primary source literacy through the discovery and interpretation of archival sources. As well they improved digital literacy skills essential to future employers through engagement with freely available digital tools, performing digital curation, writing to a public audience, and generating creative outputs for historical projects.
Designing digital exhibits also yields online products for students to include in a digital portfolio or resume when applying for jobs. That said, the workflow process can seem daunting and convoluted at first. In this presentation, staff from Special Collections, as well as Digital Initiatives, will discuss the challenges and successes of working with archival collections, collaborating with relevant partners, and optimizing Omeka to create historical digital exhibits.
Discussion Questions
- How do you define student success with a digital exhibit versus with a research paper?
- Where would you find primary sources for your students with a digital exhibit?
- In terms of analyzing and interpreting primary sources, what are the advantages and disadvantages of a research paper versus a digital student exhibit?
Presentation 3
Media Moguls: Finding and Using Creative Commons Media in the Classroom
Erica Finch
Pictures, videos, music, and other types of media can help engage your class, but how do we find and use media in a way that sets a good example for students? As students navigate the confusing landscapes of copyright, citation, and media use in their course work, can we help them chart a path to success by engaging in practices they can emulate?
Creative Commons licenses make it easy to use media with confidence and avoid copyright pitfalls. This session will explore what Creative Commons licenses are, how they work, and how to find Creative Commons media. Come ready to talk about how you’re using media, how your students are using it, and explore the ways Creative Commons media can be integrated into your classroom.
Discussion Questions
- What types of media do you use in your classroom?
- Where and how do you search for media to use in your classroom?
- How do you credit the media you use?
