Open Textbooks

David WileyInstructional Psychology & Technology

Brigham Young University

What Does “Open” Mean?

Why should we care?

How will it benefit our students?

1. Education Is Sharing

the core argument

Teachers Share With Students

Knowledge and skillsFeedback and criticism

Encouragement

Students Share With Teachers

QuestionsAssignments

Tests

If There Is No Sharing

There is no education

Successful Educators

Share most compeltelywith the most students

Knowledge is Magical

Can be given without being given away

Physical Expressions Are Not

To give a book you must give it away

Expressions Are Different

To give a book you must give it away

When Expressions Are Digital

They also become magical

An Indescribable Advance

The first time in human history

Both Knowledge and Expressions

Can be given without giving away

Unprecedented Capacity

We can share as never before

Unprecedented Capacity

We can educate as never before

What Does “Share” Mean?

Online it means copy and distribute

Cost of “Copy”

For one 250 page book:

• Copy by hand - $1,000

• Copy by print on demand - $4.50

• Copy by computer - $0.00084

Cost of “Distribute”

For one 250 page book:

• Distribute by mail - $5.20

• Distribute by internet - $0.00072

Copy and Distribute are “Free”

This changes everything

Educational Sharing

Also means adapting or editing

Sense-making, Meaning-making

Connecting to prior knowledgeRelating to past experience

(In an appropriate language)

Digital Makes Editing “Free”

Editing a printed book or magazine is difficult and expensive

Free Copy, Distribute, Edit

We can share as never before

Free Copy, Distribute, Edit

We can educate as never before

Except We Can’t

© forbids copying, distributing, and editing

© Cancels the Possibilities

Of digital media and the internet

InternetEnables

What to do?

CopyrightForbids

Use copyright to enforce sharing

The 4Rs

Reuse – copy verbatimRedistribute – share with others

Revise – adapt and editRemix – combine with others

Over 400 Million Items

Using CC licenses at end of 2010

The “Open” in OER

Free permission to do the 4Rs

InternetEnables

OERAllows

Sharing and educating at unprecedented scale

2. The $5 Textbook

the financial argument

Postsecondary Students

Pay $35 instead of $150 per book300,000 students have saved $39M+

Postsecondary Students

Pay $35 instead of $150 per book300,000 students have saved $39M+

Project Kaleidoscope (NGLC)

Preliminary research results

“How would you rate the quality of the texts used for this course?”

Answer Response %WORSE than… 4 3%About the SAME AS… 67 56%BETTER than… 49 41%

“Imagine a future course you are required to take. If two different

sections were offered…”

Answer Response %I would enroll in the section with TRADITIONAL PUBLISHED TEXTS

17 13%

I would enroll in the section with TEXTS LIKE THOSE OFFERED IN THIS COURSE

93 74%

I would have no preference 16 13%

Utah HS Science Classes

Teachers adapted CK12 books for print or digital use

http://opencontent.org/calculator

High Schools

Pay $5 instead of $80 per book

2700 Students in 2011-2012

1200 students in 2010-2011

Statewide Secondary in 2012

Math 9, Science 9-12, Language Arts 6-12

Potentially 275,000+ students

Cost of Traditional Books Over Cycle $65,000,000

Cost of Open Books Over Cycle $25,000,000

Potential Savings Over Entire Cycle $40,000,000

Potential Savings Per Year $5,500,000

Back of the Envelope

Impact on Learning?

Simple substitution makes no difference

Impact on Learning?

With PD we will move the outcomes needle

Pedagogy and OER

Highlighting, annotating, taking notes

Text Marking Strategies

Adapted fromhttp://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/609.htm

Any text marking strategy / system must make sense to the person using it.

• Read a passage through• Go back and underline/highlight words or

phrases that best summarize passage• Limit amount of underlining/highlighting• Requires conscious evaluation

– What is most valuable?– What is not as valuable?

1. Read first then underline or highlight selectively.

• Transitions:– First,…Second,…Third,– Next,– Finally,– For example,

• Number lists of information imbedded in text– Transition words are good indicators

2. Box transitions and number important ideas.

• Look up definitions.• Write brief meanings in margins.

3. Circle specialized vocabulary.

• “What was most of that passage about?”• Summarize concisely (5-10 words)• Especially useful for short, dense passages

4. Jot down main ideas in the margin.

Use m

argin

for key co

ncepts

• Identify main idea being exemplified• Note in-text definitions

5. Label examples and definitions.

Ex: note taking strategies

Def.

• Connections to other passages, class discussions, or assignments

• Use top or bottom of page• Requires active reading and critical thinking• Will make study more interesting and useful

6. Write own ideas in [square brackets].

• Questions help you think, relate to new material, and wonder about implications and applications

• Active questioning can improve learning and retention

7. Write questions as you read.

How can writing questions

help me learn from my text?

• Summarize AFTER reading – Don’t read and write at the same time

• Use brief phrases• Use whitespace• “What was this section (or chapter) about?”• Use own words, not quotes from the text

8. Summarize larger sections and chapters.

Use whitespace to summarize sections or chapters in my own words.

• Visual diagram showing relationships between concepts– Isolate and organize main ideas

• Use in addition to OR in place of summaries

9. Map sections or chapters.

Map

Chapters

Sections

• Isolate opinions of the author from factual statements

• Evaluate importance of opinions• Use multiple check-marks for more important

opinions

10. Check-mark important opinions.✔✔