Open+Textbooks-What+Does+the+Future+Hold?

== **Open Textbooks: What Does the Future Hold?** == reported by Lydia Shipley

http://www.k12opened.com/wiki/index.php/Open_textbooks

Facilitator: Karen Fasimpaur, OpenEd.com Panelists: Dr. Geoff Fletcher, SETDA Brian Bridges, CLRN Dr. Myk Garn, SREB

This was a panel discussion revolving around Open Educational Resources (OER).

OERs are distinguished from other digital or free resources because they can be modified and redistributed freely by anyone.

State Initiatives are listed in the handout, //OER Backgrounder//, listed on the website. Texas legislation is fairly new. There have not been any state-accepted "open source textbooks" yet.

Textbook adoption process is greatly speeded up if using OERs.

California has OERs that have been adopted by the state and meet all the state standards. http://www.clrn.org/

One panel member (Dr. Myk Garn) describes OERs as "free, like a puppy."

The biggest problem with OERs right now is that they threaten the status quo. Threatens the current business model of how instructional materials are produced, distributed, and used.

Will soon move from a push model to a pull model.

How is open content best delivered (print vs electric, LMS platform, etc.) and what are the associated challenges? The more time and effort that has to be put into a resource (adding interactive, for instance) the less likely a resource will be licensed under Creative Commons.

Karen Kator said that crowdsourcing was the best way to review OERs, but a panel member disagrees.

"University professors are not normally known for their teaching ability, but more for their //opinion// of their teaching ability." Response to the ruling that university professors should be the ones writing OERs

There are too many textbooks sitting in warehouses. Teachers are using multiple resources.