OER Commons is the first comprehensive network for Open Education Resources combining high-quality content with extensive social networking. Go to www.oercommons.org to find a wide range of educational resources, from complete courses to learning modules to library documents, and from algebra to zoology, all in one place. Use the site's tags, ratings, reviews, and social networking to help other educators find the best teaching and learning materials and to encourage them to share their ratings and reviews - for the benefit of all.

Content on OER Commons is being developed by instructors and faculty at colleges and universities around the globe (including Carnegie Mellon, Foothill DeAnza Community College, George Mason, Harvard, MIT, Open University-UK, and UC-Berkeley) and by other trusted content providers (NASA Kids Science News Network, Science Education Resource Center, and WGBH). With its growing base of user-created content, OER Commons offers a portal to the best ideas in education and the ability to enhance them through the shared experiences of educators, colleagues, and students. The site is created by a recognized leader in educational research and practice - the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) (www.iskme.org).

"OER Commons offers new ways to engage with teaching and learning materials," says Lisa Petrides, president of ISKME, which developed the online network with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. "When educators share their knowledge on the site, they pass along their best thinking to their colleagues around the globe. In the process, content providers can begin to see the impact that users bring to their materials."

"OER Commons is a great place to locate teaching and learning resources and make them your own," says Richard Baraniuk of Connexions at Rice University, which is a content partner with OER Commons. "By providing an easy link to resources such as those found in Connexions, OER Commons offers unique and innovative opportunities to learn and helps open the door to teacher-to-teacher collaboration."

Membership in OER Commons is free. In addition to educational materials, there are discussion forums, reviews of course materials, and user-generated tags to help you quickly find what you are looking for. You can read and comment on blog entries about the "how and why" of open content, and try out a collaborative wiki project.

OER Commons allows you to join peers who share common goals about improving the classroom experience for all educators and students. By seeing what works for other content providers, educators, and researchers, OER Commons can be the starting point for sharing the best strategies for teaching, learning, and professional development.

With your leadership, we can expand the power and reach of Open Educational Resources for all users.

Please visit us at OER Commons and see what you might find and how you can contribute your best ideas.