This video is the result of a collaboration between Blue Ridge PBS and the Virginia Department of Education. It's designed to help educators take the next step from just using the resources of Go Open Virginia to becoming contributors of resources including videos, lesson plans, and utilization plans for ALL teachers. #GoOpenVA is a collaborative initiative that enables educational entities throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations. #GoOpenVA encourages all Virginia educators and learners to create, share, and use digital resources with the end goals of providing equitable access to great learning materials throughout the state, and supporting new approaches to learning and teaching for all Virginians.

Video training on how to find and use resources on Go Open VA. This video is also available on the Blue Ridge PBS ECHO streaming channel at https://youtu.be/61In3-szFAM.This video was created to help new and existing users understand how to get the most out of their #GoOPenVA experience. #GoOpenVA is a collaborative initiative that enables educational entities throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources).OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations. #GoOpenVA encourages all Virginia educators and learners to create, share, and use digital resources with the end goals of providing equitable access to great learning materials throughout the state, and supporting new approaches to learning and teaching for all Virginians. 

The growing body of online educational resources is helping to create universal access to language education. This is a good thing. Use this introductory guide to find open resources for your classroom. The OER ecosystem works best when everybody contributes content. Consider sharing your own. Educators often supplement foreign language textbooks. Perhaps your students need more grammar, authentic L2 materials, or listening practice exercises. Go to an open content search page. For example, Creative Commons offers a system of open licensing which enables resource sharing. Their CC search page is a great place to start. However, finding openly licensed educational resources (OER) - which can be edited, built upon, and shared without copyright restrictions - isn't always easy.