I feel like I spent the majority of my time rethinking the scope of my project. I would rather do something small and do it really well (at least to start) than try to do something too large and have it be unmanageable or unsuccessful. I found it incredibly useful having a discussion with classmates about our intended audiences. My website is aimed at teachers, and, upon further reflection, a fairly select group. Teachers who are well-established in their routines, who are using old textbooks and other resources that they’re comfortable with, may not see a need for developing a library of free online educational resources linked to BC curriculum standards. Even if they are interested in the resources themselves, a larger part of my goal is to convince teachers that it is our responsibility to create and share resources in areas where there exists a gap. I’m likely looking at more “innovative” teachers (at least those who are willing to experiment), and likely those who are newer to the field of teaching.
I also spent some time checking out what other educators have done with student-created textbooks. I’m not sure that a “textbook” is necessarily the best resource to have students create and share, but I like the idea and would like to include this option on my site.
What I am thinking is that teachers can become producers of the learning resources they need to teach BC curriculum and beyond. Every class is different and requires a teacher’s touch to modify learning activities and learning content to ensure the best chances for student success. The fact is that there is going to be a need for evolving knowledge resources for teaching. What we taught last year may be out of date with new information in the following year. Teachers and students could be collaborating to create a knowledge base that is in a state of continual upgrade, as new information comes to light. Then, participants in creating the knowledge can collaborate on innovative ways to teach with, or about, it.