The document discusses the benefits and challenges of open educational resources (OER) as written by Billy Merck. It outlines 5 key benefits of OER including low cost, the ability to improve technology literacy, opportunities for collaboration, improved access, and the flexibility to cater to different learning styles. The document also lists 5 challenges to OER such as their unconventional nature which can make them harder to find, the initial time investment required to prepare, working within existing textbook policies, and that OER require stepping away from traditional brick and mortar educational models.