Category Archives: Open textbooks

OERs: Why Commercial Electronic Textbooks Are No Bargain

Posted on January 19, 2012 by geoffcain

Earlier this month, there was a posting at the California State Library blog that said that, according to a Dayton College study, the savings for students using electronic textbooks was only a dollar: “Despite the promise that digital textbooks can … Continue reading →

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OER Books & Journals: Don’t forget Europe!

Posted on January 5, 2012 by geoffcain

Image via WikipediaI came across a great site in my morning reading: OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) which “is a collaborative initiative to develop and implement a sustainable Open Access publication model for academic books in the Humanities … Continue reading →

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WA Open Course Library saves students millions

Posted on October 31, 2011 by geoffcain

Image via Wikipedia GROUNDBREAKING STATE-SPONSORED PROGRAM CREATES FREE COURSE MATERIALS THAT WILL SAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS MILLIONS OLYMPIA, Wash. – Today during a telephone press conference, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) announced the launch of the … Continue reading →

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Open Ed Conference: Are commercial publishers friend or foe of open education?

Posted on October 25, 2011 by geoffcain

Image by matthileo via FlickrSpeakers: Eric Frank and Nicole Allen Are commercial publishers friend or foe of open education? This session will challenge five common assumptions about the role of commercial publishers in the open education movement. The presenter will … Continue reading →

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Time says commercial textbooks are a boondoggle

Posted on August 20, 2011 by geoffcain

They did not use the word “boondoggle” but in the list of 12 Things You Should Just Stop Buying that also included homeopathic remedies for the flu was new commercial textbooks. The article suggests that you shop online for used … Continue reading →

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OERs and the Next Stage of Open Textbooks

Posted on July 8, 2011 by geoffcain

By rubyblossom. via FlickrThere are some exciting things happening in the world of open education resources and open textbooks. I have worked in the recent past on projects that create or find open education resources, participated in presentations on open textbooks, … Continue reading →

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OERs and Money: The revolution will happen without you.

Posted on April 20, 2011 by geoffcain

Image via Wikipedia“On the one hand, information wants to be expensive because it’s so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free because the cost of getting … Continue reading →

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OER, Open Textbooks, and Innovation

Posted on January 22, 2011 by geoffcain

Image via WikipediaIn a recent blog posting from Cable Green, he posted a note on the new grant from the Dept. of Labor which is requiring an open license on all materials built for the grant, which means that the … Continue reading →

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How Open Source Changes Business Models

Posted on August 19, 2010 by geoffcain

Image via WikipediaOne great thing that open source does is change how businesses work. Open textbooks are a great example. The publishers are doing a little too late in their attempt to fix the financial issues around textbook costs and … Continue reading →

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Good Teaching is Accessible and Open

Posted on August 13, 2010 by geoffcain

Image via WikipediaI don’t think Dave Arnold planned on being an innovator in education. The way I understand his work is that he had problems to solve with his math department and they are using every tool at their disposal … Continue reading →

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