Open-Content

FWK is conducting a survey in Facebook about college students’ feelings toward textbooks and potentially open textbooks. Students just go to http://apps.facebook.com/fwksurvey/ and all of the information that they need is there, including info about how we’re compensating students for taking the survey: The first 1,000 responders are guaranteed a $15 Amazon Gift Card; Every responder is entered to win $1k; For each Friend you “Tell” in Facebook you get one entry in a drawing to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card. Please pass along to any students you know. Thanks!

In addition to being the author of some of my all-time favorite books, the eight-book Ender’s Game cycle, Orson Scott Card just plain gets it. His most recent piece criticizes J. K. Rowling for the ridiculous lawsuit she is currently engaged in. ...

Since the discussion last week throughout the media generated so much interest (especially the story from Ben - who I respect a great deal - on Slashdot), some words on the FWK licensing model seem appropriate. ...

The New York Times ran a piece today on the outrageous cost of textbooks, That Books Costs How Much? that mentions Flat World Knowledge. It’s currently the second most blogged piece in the Opinion section! I’ll have another post coming on Monday explaining more about the FWK business model for those of you who are interested.

This is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a very long time. The cute yellow warning box says it as well as anyone could… Click through for a legibly large image from the Wikipedia entry on Learning Objects.

Marc has recently done a great essay called Philanthropy on the Commons. Quoting part of the article: The funny thing is, Michael Edwards seems to think that the commons and business are at odds. “The problem is that these approaches are absent from the philanthrocapitalist menu”, he says. The facts say otherwise. Who are the top funders of Wikipedia? Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla and Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite. Who funds the creative commons? Sun, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Yahoo, Facebook as well as a number of foundations created with newly minted high-tech wealth. The commons is clearly on the philanthrocapitalist menu. ...

In commenting on my recent post about Flat World Knowledge, Stephen asks: I can’t help wondering whether there’s any link between Wiley’s participation in this commercial venture and his advocacy regarding the commercial production and use of open educational resources. The answer is yes, there is a link. Specifically, I don’t have a problem with the commercial production of open educational resources, I don’t have a problem with the commercial use of open educational resources, and I see responsible corporate participation in the OER world as a critically important to the long-term sustainability of the field. Therefore, I am extremely excited about the contribution FWK is going to make to OER and am thrilled to be a part of it.

Flat World Knowledge, the start-up company I am involved with, is officially out in the open now. We were featured on NPR’s Marketplace this evening. Program audio is also available. Flat World Knowledge is a company dedicated to open textbooks. The videos on the website tell the story really well. I look forward to your feedback on what we’re doing! UPDATE: Also see the Professors Gone Paperless article at Inside Higher Ed, and 1,000 Professors Sign Statement for Affordable Textbooks at Make Textbooks Affordable.

The University of Cape Town has, fittingly, become the first university to sign the Cape Town Open Education Declaration. Here’s to hoping that more universities will follow suit! More info on the Cape Town Open Education Declaration is available.

A few updates on my post from yesterday… Gavin provides his personal experience with the professor in question, including news that “the professor is not a plaintiff but says he supports the suit.” He links to a cartoon in the student paper, and provides this invitation in his comment: David, I think you and I should take a world tour, to bash academics in the head with frying pans until they understand this point. ...