tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post3147971453211514833..comments2024-02-01T12:31:52.518-05:00Comments on Personanondata: I'll Be Back: With Free TextbooksMChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121709548793388116noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post-3657272852638935292009-09-02T14:12:02.739-04:002009-09-02T14:12:02.739-04:00Tracy has hit the nail on the head. I appreciate t...Tracy has hit the nail on the head. I appreciate the efforts of groups like CK-12 to come up w/ innovative, free educational materials, which in the case of CK-12 are supported by a nonprofit foundation. There is no doubt that an effort needs to be made to both reign in textbook costs and modernize the textbook format for the needs of today's students. But I'm not sure where this leaves the many educational publishing professionals who are already hurting as publishers continue to make cuts, as CA has basically said, "Give us what you gave us before, but this time for free." <br /><br />My understanding is that publishers are still free to charge for supplementary content, but not the core materials, and I imagine Pearson submitted materials to keep their hat in the ring, but I wonder if they really have any idea where this will lead. And while CA has had some success on this trial, is this really scalable? Are there enough skilled people willing to produce high-quality content for free that a state like CA could afford to do away w/ paid textbooks by major publishers altogether? I seriously doubt it. I know some districts in Arizona are also experimenting w/ textbook-free education (http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/06/01/free-at-last.aspx), and I think they're doing amazing things and empowering teachers. But again, how many districts will this approach ever be feasible for? I suppose only time will tell.NThttp://twitter.com/ntardiffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28278131.post-75495016426864759002009-09-02T10:32:25.566-04:002009-09-02T10:32:25.566-04:00The question that has yet to be answered is how al...The question that has yet to be answered is how all of this "free" content is to be paid for. The cost of producing quality textbooks is not just the printing, binding, and distribution of traditional hardbound books. All of the professionals involved in the creation of quality textbooks--writers, editors, designers, and others--deserve to be paid for their work. Indeed, they must be paid for their work, or they will have to move on to other ways of making a living.Tracyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04328118062272985453noreply@blogger.com