January 31, 2012
The place of ‘the teacher’ in relation to open content
Jenny Mackness,
Jenny Connected, January 31, 2012.
We've had a cancellation and as a result are collectively catching our breath in #Change11, which is probably a good thing (it allows me to pause and catch my breath in CCK12, which also got off to a vigorous start). And Jenny Mackness gets at the central question we are trying to answer with MOOCs: "Sir John Daniel as long ago as 1996 warned that traditional universities cannot create enough supply. So the question that was raised is, how do we scale up teaching without simply throwing content at people." After more than three years working with MOOCs, I still think it's a good question. And I'm thinking about how we can improve the existing model to made them more engaging, interactive and supportive to learners.
Apple, iBooks Author, and Open Textbooks: RIP K-12 Publishers as We Know Them
David Wiley,
iterating toward openness, January 31, 2012.
David Wiley weighs in on the Apple iBooks announcement from the perspective of someone who has already dipped a toe (and both feet, and most of his body) into the world of online and open publishing. He describes the collapse of an entire industry in just a few paragraphs (which are so delicious they are worth reprinting in full):
"It’s fairly clear from the Jobs biography and the publishers’ behavior that the original plan was: (1) Apple would hire some rockstar PhDs who would write textbooks (2) Apple would own the textbooks, and (3) Apple would give away the books for free in order to sell more iPads.
"This apparently kindled a great fear in the publishers, who consequently agreed to create video- and multimedia-rich, moderately interactive textbooks and sell them for only $14.99.
Now, if video-based, multimedia-rich, interactive textbooks are only worth $14.99 to the big publishers, what are relatively static, text-based books with a few photos worth to them? Answer: The Apple event was the big publishers’ public announcement that they are ceding the traditional textbook market to OER creators and others."
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Open Educational Resources, Books, Apple Inc., Video, Open Access]
Open Textbook Challenge Wave I Winners Announced!!
Unattributed,
Saylor Journals, January 31, 2012.
Summarizing this press release the Saylor Foundation is announcing the release of three open access textbooks: Computer Networking: Principles, Protocols and Practice, by Olivier Bonaventure, as well as Elementary Linear Algebra and Linear Algebra, both by Kenneth Kuttler. More here. Each author received $20,000 for the contribution (Bonaventure opted to donated his earnings to transfer the money to the Fondation Louvain, a non-profit foundation that is managed by Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) where he works). Image.
This newsletter is sent only at the request of subscribers. If you would like to unsubscribe, Click here.
Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you received this issue from a friend and would like a free subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list. Click here to subscribe.