Dr. Kaitlyn Watson and Dr. Anna Rogrigues from Ontario Tech University presented on “Reading Guide OER for “Moon on the Crusted Snow”: A Collaborative Story” as part of Open Ed 2021. They began their presentation with a land acknowledgment that was personalized and connected to their roles and activities on the land. Rodrigues is an instructional designer and Watson is a faculty developer. Their presentation described the collaborative approach taken to create an OER to identify and share indigenous resources. They introduced the dystopian novel “moon on the Crusted Snow” written by Waubgeshig Rice, from Wasauksing First Nation. The presenters spoke about creating an OER with the author to help others understand the themes and significance of the book. They collaborated with the author and others made use of the guide. The story starts in 2018 with the first conversation and in 2019 the publication of OER… with the pandemic, they revisited the OER and transferred it to Pressbooks. They developed and included introductions, curriculum connections, reading lists, and themes! Each theme has a Creative Commons image, quotes from the author, and discussion questions. They even embedded videos and included additional readings divided by youth and adult readings. I didn’t know that there are mandatory indigenous readings as part of post-secondary classrooms in Ontario. This collaborative book could be a great framework for discussions about open and inclusion as part of a semester-long course. I now want to find the site and learn more!
