$200 Textbook vs. Free. You Do the Math.
By ASHLEE VANCE
New York Times
July 31, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/technology/01ping.html

Over the last few years, groups nationwide have adopted
the open-source mantra of the software world and started
financing open-source books. Experts - often retired
teachers or groups of teachers - write these books and
allow anyone to distribute them in digital, printed or
audio formats. Schools can rearrange the contents of the
books to suit their needs and requirements.

But progress with these open-source texts has been slow.

California and Texas dominate the market for textbooks
used in kindergarten through high school, and publishers
do all they can to meet these states' requirements and
lock in their millions of students for years.

Both states have only recently established procedures
that will let open-source textbooks begin making their
way through the arduous approval process. Last year,
Texas passed a law promoting the use of open, digital
texts and is reviewing material that might be used in
schools.

[moderator: to view the entire article please use the
link below
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/technology/01ping.html]

_____________________________________________

Portside aims to provide material of interest
to people on the left that will help them to
interpret the world and to change it.

Submit via email: [log in to unmask]
Submit via the Web: portside.org/submit
Frequently asked questions: portside.org/faq
Subscribe: portside.org/subscribe
Unsubscribe: portside.org/unsubscribe
Account assistance: portside.org/contact
Search the archives: portside.org/archive