Posts tagged open
4/15/11: Another big week in the Rebellion!
Hey Textbook Rebels!
Big week—let’s review it, shall we?
The Oregon State Legislature’s session came to an end last week without legislators approving a task force to study ways to lower textbook prices. The failure to make progress on the bill was yet another sign that students need to take this movement into their own hands, showing legislators and administrators that high textbook prices are a vital issue and that we need solutions now!
Digital textbook publisher Kno received a $30 dollar investment from Intel, but bloggers from around the web speculated on the repercussions, with many asserting that this meant the end of Kno’s attempts to build an iPad competitor and a likely focus on apps for smartphones.
eCampusNews posted a fascinating analysis on how the decision in the Google Books settlement case could affect the textbook market as well as the digitization of books as a whole.
And Mississippi State University’s student newspaper, The Reflector, wrote an insightful piece on all of the ways students there are looking to duck high textbook prices.
OH—and we’re heading to OHIO very soon. Viva la Rebellion!Until next week—The Rebel Team
About a year ago I started periodically donating what for me is spare pocket change to Vittana every so often; I can do without some sodas and junk food for a month here and there. Vittana is a microfinance organization that gives small student loans to kids in the “last mile” of education in developing countries - helping them complete degrees.
When students graduate, they repay loans quickly. In my experience, they start repayment before they have to and pay more quickly than scheduled.
As students repay their loans, you can find new students to loan repaid funds to - paying it forward again.
Open textbooks offer some of the same advantages - you are giving more people access to affordable education. Open textbook licensing and electronic delivery at a base price of free expands the pool of high-quality course materials available to learners everywhere. Open textbooks also offer the freedom to be translated as needed.
With education, people are better equipped to solve their own problems. A little hand up makes a difference in both an individual’s life today and their family’s life tomorrow. A free textbook is affordable.
Part of being a rebel is having a cause. Open textbooks are an amazing cause. Be a rebel - sign the petition today. Together, we all win. http://www.textbookrebellion.org/petition
