The OERB is located at http://resources.elearningontario.ca
You'll need the GECDSB login/password combination in order to access the OERB. Your school's CIESC has that information.
So, log into the OERB. Note that there are restrictions on the use of the learning objects that are in the bank. You can't post them publically on the web but you certainly can use them in your classroom or send an assignment home with your students if they have internet access.
As noted in the presentation, you can do a search on a topic or go ahead and browse by expectation. In this case, I've decided to look at the resources available for the ICS 3M course. My path to drill to the resource is:
- Search for resources
- Browse by expectation
- English
- Grade 11
- ICS 3M
Clicking on the magnifying glass lets me browse all of the Learning Objects available for this course. (Note that I could have searched by strand as well)
So, I look my way through the pages of resources and find one that looks interesting.
It's an interactive activity that could be used towards the end of the unit about repetition structures. To view the Learning Object live, I click on the left icon, wait a bit, and the object opens in my web browser.
Now, let's say that I really like this object but I don't want to wait for it to download every time. It's also a Flash object which is really intriguing because the SMART Notebook software will play Flash objects directly.
So, I'm going to go back to the object and choose the right most icon.
Instead of playing the Learning Object in my browser, the OERB will bundle it together with a number of support files and will let me download it to my desktop. I now have it on MY computer to use within the rules of the OERB.
You'll need to open the archive (Windows does it directly or there are utilities like Filzip that you can download for free) and poke around inside the archive. There are a lot of support files there to enable the successful use of the Learning Object in the OERB. We're not interested in them! What we're looking for is the file with the .swf extension as that's the Flash file. (Note that this will only work when your Learning Object is a Flash file.)
When you find it, drag it to your desktop. You're almost there!
Open the SMART Notebook software and from the INSERT Menu, you will choose the option to insert a Flash file, and choose your Learning Object.
Lock it and away you go. You have the save functionality that you did inside the OERB but now you run it instantly from your computer!
There's a further advantage. The Learning Object is now resident on one page of a Notebook file. Add additional pages to create a complete lesson or even add other Learning Objects to this Notebook. When you're done, save them for use with multiple classes or in subsequent years.
It will take a bit to do it the first time but it's well worth the effort. You'll have a collection of resources that enhance both the OERB and the SMART Board in your classroom.
