February 2009

Textbooks – the next evolution?

Posted by karen on February 27, 2009 in Uncategorized

I have long ranted about the massive amount of money that is spent in K-12 for textbooks that are ineffective. In the many of the most engaging classrooms I visit, those textbooks are on a shelf in the back of the room, seldom if ever used.

And yet, millions and millions of dollars are poured into these resources. In many states, the spending on these books is all but mandated. There is a huge bureaucracy (what I call the educational-industrial complex) made up of state textbook committees, textbook publishers, and associations like AAP, BMI, and NASTA, that together rally to keep this system thriving, and thrive it does.

Now, it seems, some states are thinking about making some changes to the system. Most notably, Indiana recently issued “An Open Letter to Indiana Educators about Textbooks, Computers and Instructional Materials” (really worth a read if you haven’t already) that said essentially that textbooks are not effective or engaging. It went on to encourage schools to pursue technology-based or other instructional materials in lieu of textbooks and to request waivers to use textbook funding for this purpose. They even specifically mention “content-loaded mini-laptops,” something I and other have been suggesting for years.

This is a very bold and laudable step. The question is will others follow?

In an article for THE Journal called “Signs of a Significant Disruption in the Traditional Textbook Model,” Geoff Flecther speculates that the system is “breaking,” and that change is afoot.

Let’s hope so. But in order to change, there will need to be new leadership, new business models, and new ways of doing things. I, for one, think that a model that involves open content could be a significant and valuable part of this. It will not be an easy process, but it is one that will benefit our entire society if it is successful.

Tags: textbooks
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Open Ed in Portland

Posted by karen on February 23, 2009 in Uncategorized

I was very gratified to have about 200 people attend my session on Open Ed at NCCE in Portland, OR. Clearly, there is a lot of interest in this important area.

As often the case at ed tech conferences, I had a well-informed and participative crowd, and I learned some thing too. Here are a few to share:

Thanks for those useful tips and for your interest in Open Ed. Don’t forget to help spread the word.

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I hate “royalty free” or “Free” is not open (redux)

Posted by karen on February 13, 2009 in Uncategorized

I hate the words “royalty free.” Most sites who advertise this way are not free at all. Despite this, droves of people flock to them to get clip art, photos, and music. The hard-to-discover ways these sites make money range from simply charging large up-front fees (not a royalty, after all) to much more devious things like restricting how you can use the content (such as not being able to use it in contests or not being able to use it online) to installing spyware on your computer as a part of their little gift to you (with your implicit permission, of course). Read the terms of use before you use these sites’ content, people!

Free does not mean open.

If you really want a free lunch of resources, look for content and software that is open licensed.

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We are making progress!

Posted by karen on February 6, 2009 in Uncategorized

The open dictionary has reached a milestone of having 15% of its words defined.

One thing that has helped move it along is the glossary  builder, which many people have expressed an interest in. Research demonstrates that explicit instruction in vocabulary is worthwhile and provides students with skills for success. The glossary builder tool lets you create a custom glossary that can then be exported in a variety of formats (text, rtf, wikitext, PPT, ebook) and used as a part of a classroom unit, online course, web site, book, etc.

If all the words in your glossary aren’t defined, you can add definitions for the ones you need. You can also email us your word list,  and we’ll prioritize getting them defined.

Before too long, we’ll have enough of  a critical mass that we can start thinking about outputting a whole dictionary. :)

Tags: dictionary | glossary | vocabulary
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How long will it take for formal educational institutions to be outmoded?

Posted by karen on February 4, 2009 in Uncategorized

This is an interesting article about a group putting together social networking with open courseware to “global, tuition-free Internet university,” University of the People. They say they will apply for accreditation as soon as possible. Whether or not they are successful in getting it will speak volumes about the future of higher ed.

This kind of leveraging of open resources and collaboration is a subject we talked about a lot as a part of Dr. Wiley’s open ed course. What is the future of open education? How relevant is a traditional higher ed degree in the modern world?

I’m wondering if anyone’s looking at opening a charter/home/alternative K-12 school based on open resources? The new Open High School in Utah is one example. I hope that they will be successful and that they won’t be crushed by the forces of the educational-industrial complex.

Tags: oer | open courseware | university
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