Interestingly, Google Book Search comes up regularly in online searches – the next step was to see if this was a useful source of information, or maybe even an example of Open Source Text Books in action. The criteria for promoting the site states quite clearly that the role of Google Book Search is as the name suggests, a catalog of books. “We aim to help our users discover books, not read them online. In addition, copy, save and print functions are disabled. See the Programme Basics page for more information on how books are viewed.” Google Book Search Help Centre
However, in the practice, the Google Book Search proved useful in providing information directly from books by reading the book online. It allowed me to read books that I would not normally have taken in for this research as the books were held overseas or were fare enough out of reach to make a small research task like this not worth the effort to produce.
The next avenue was Wikibooks, as described by Daniel Terdiman below in 2005:
“Open-source textbooks on any topic, in any language, available to anyone, anywhere, for free - this is the goal of Wikibooks, a project of the Wikimedia Project, the folks who brought you Wikipedia. Currently consisting of over 11.000 book modules from kindergarten to university-level, Wikibooks opens the door to publishing textbooks in the same way Wikipedia allowed anyone to define and redefine a word – allowing real worldwide, open-ended discourse to enter into the academic arena. This could equal negative implications for the publishing industry if instructors begin selecting Wikibooks as texts for classes, a viable option considering the rising costs of published academic texts. But if the project continues to grow it could also positively impact global education, as free textbooks could be utilized in developing nations that are unable to provide hard copy books for students.” By Daniel Terdiman Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: September 28, 2005, 4:00 AM PDT
This prompted a search through Wikibooks to gain an understanding of whether this was the intention when wikibooks.org was created. It seems that this was the case, but they identified Pacific limitations: “What Wikibooks includes: Wikibooks is for textbooks, annotated texts, instructional guides, and manuals. These materials can be used in a traditional classroom, an accredited or respected institution, a home-school environment, as part of a Wikiversity course or for self-learning. As a general rule only instructional books are suitable for inclusion. Most types of books, both fiction and non-fiction, are not allowed on Wikibooks, unless they are instructional. The use of literary elements, such as allegory or fables as instructional tools can be permitted in some situations.” http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:What_is_Wikibooks (January 2008).
I (and it seems the creators) also found it easier to describe wiki books by describing what it is not: “Wikibooks is not:
a dictionary, a free wiki host or webspace provider, an encyclopedia, a news service, a place to publish original works, a mirror or a repository for source texts, a soapbox, paper, for developing new Wikimedia projects, censored for the protection of minors and not for video game strategy guides” http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:What_is_Wikibooks
In a blog from another secondary teacher in a public school (other information is kept confidential) under the heading of: “Open Source Textbooks” He writes :
“We don’t have a calculus text, so I’m left to my own devices. Fortunately, there’s a number of open-source textbooks!
* A Slashdot thread: Five Free Calculus Books
Tell me that story again, Grandpa, about the times before the internets… how was it that people survived?” http://understanding.mindtangle.net/?p=105
It seems that many people are forced into the realm of Open Source Text books, for the same reason as this teacher – no access to a purchasable text – or maybe moreso, an inability to purchase a class set of texts.
This brings me to the California Open Source Textbook Project (COSTP). This project is designed to combat the large amount of money spent on text books by the State of California. In their words: “It has been created to address the high cost, content range, and consistent shortages of K-12 textbooks in California.” http://www.opensourcetext.org/ (2002). Their plan is to “...not replace printed textbooks; it simply makes them less expensive to produce; and, in doing so creates many additional benefits...” http://www.opensourcetext.org/ (2002)
Interestingly, as “All Roads Lead to Rome”, I was lead by COSTP back to WikiBooks, and that is where COSTP started (in 2006) and seemingly finished on this project...No links to Open Source Text from California Department of Education site ...
No comments:
Post a Comment