1. Open Textbooks
David Wiley
Instructional Psychology & Technology
Brigham Young University

2. What Does “Open” Mean?
Why should we care?
How will it benefit our students?

3. 1. Education Is Sharing
the core argument

4. Teachers Share With Students
Knowledge and skills
Feedback and criticism
Encouragement

5. Students Share With Teachers
Questions
Assignments
Tests

6. If There Is No Sharing
There is no education

7. Successful Educators
Share most compeltely
with the most students

8. Knowledge is Magical
Can be given without being given away

9. Physical Expressions Are Not
To give a book you must give it away

10. Expressions Are Different
To give a book you must give it away

11. When Expressions Are Digital
They also become magical

14. An Indescribable Advance
The first time in human history

15. Both Knowledge and Expressions
Can be given without giving away

16. Unprecedented Capacity
We can share as never before

17. Unprecedented Capacity
We can educate as never before

18. What Does “Share” Mean?
Online it means copy and distribute

19. Cost of “Copy”
For one 250 page book:
• Copy by hand - $1,000
• Copy by print on demand - $4.50
• Copy by computer - $0.00084

20. Cost of “Distribute”
For one 250 page book:
• Distribute by mail - $5.20
• Distribute by internet - $0.00072

21. Copy and Distribute are “Free”
This changes everything

22. Educational Sharing
Also means adapting or editing

23. Sense-making, Meaning-making
Connecting to prior knowledge
Relating to past experience
(In an appropriate language)

24. Digital Makes Editing “Free”
Editing a printed book or magazine
is difficult and expensive

25. Free Copy, Distribute, Edit
We can share as never before

26. Free Copy, Distribute, Edit
We can educate as never before

27. Except We Can’t
© forbids copying, distributing, and editing

28. © Cancels the Possibilities
Of digital media and the internet

29. Internet Copyright
Enables Forbids
What to do?

31. Use copyright to enforce sharing

32. The 4Rs
Reuse – copy verbatim
Redistribute – share with others
Revise – adapt and edit
Remix – combine with others

34. Over 400 Million Items
Using CC licenses at end of 2010

35. The “Open” in OER
Free permission to do the 4Rs

36. Internet OER
Enables Allows
Sharing and educating at
unprecedented scale

37. 2. The $5 Textbook
the financial argument

39. Postsecondary Students
Pay $35 instead of $150 per book
300,000 students have saved $39M+

40. Postsecondary Students
Pay $35 instead of $150 per book
300,000 students have saved $39M+

41. Project Kaleidoscope (NGLC)
Preliminary research results

42. “How would you rate the quality
of the texts used for this course?”
Answer Response %
WORSE than… 4 3%
About the SAME AS… 67 56%
BETTER than… 49 41%

43. “Imagine a future course you are
required to take. If two different
sections were offered…”
Answer Response %
I would enroll in the section with 17 13%
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHED TEXTS
I would enroll in the section with 93 74%
TEXTS LIKE THOSE OFFERED IN
THIS COURSE
I would have no preference 16 13%

45. Utah HS Science Classes
Teachers adapted CK12 books
for print or digital use

46. http://opencontent.org/calculator

47. High Schools
Pay $5 instead of $80 per book

48. 2700 Students in 2011-2012
1200 students in 2010-2011

49. Statewide Secondary in 2012
Math 9, Science 9-12, Language Arts 6-12
Potentially 275,000+ students

50. Back of the Envelope
Cost of Traditional Books Over Cycle $65,000,000
Cost of Open Books Over Cycle $25,000,000
Potential Savings Over Entire Cycle $40,000,000
Potential Savings Per Year $5,500,000

51. Impact on Learning?
Simple substitution makes no difference

52. Impact on Learning?
With PD we will
move the outcomes needle

53. Pedagogy and OER
Highlighting, annotating, taking notes

54. Text Marking Strategies
Adapted from
http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/609.htm

55. Any text marking strategy / system
must make sense to the person using it.

56. 1. Read first then underline or
highlight selectively.
• Read a passage through
• Go back and underline/highlight words or
phrases that best summarize passage
• Limit amount of underlining/highlighting
• Requires conscious evaluation
– What is most valuable?
– What is not as valuable?

57. 2. Box transitions and number
important ideas.
• Transitions:
– First,…Second,…Third,
– Next,
– Finally,
– For example,
• Number lists of information imbedded in text
– Transition words are good indicators

58. 3. Circle specialized vocabulary.
• Look up definitions.
• Write brief meanings in margins.

59. 4. Jot down main ideas in
the margin.
• “What was most of that passage about?”
• Summarize concisely (5-10 words)
• Especially useful for short, dense passages

60. 5. Label examples and
definitions.
• Identify main idea being exemplified
• Note in-text definitions

61. 6. Write own ideas in [square
brackets].
• Connections to other passages, class
discussions, or assignments
• Use top or bottom of page
• Requires active reading and critical thinking
• Will make study more interesting and useful

62. 7. Write questions as you read.
• Questions help you think, relate to new
material, and wonder about implications and
applications
• Active questioning can improve learning and
retention

63. 8. Summarize larger sections
and chapters.
• Summarize AFTER reading
– Don’t read and write at the same time
• Use brief phrases
• Use whitespace
• “What was this section (or chapter) about?”
• Use own words, not quotes from the text
Use whitespace to summarize
sections or chapters in my
own words.

64. 9. Map sections or chapters.
• Visual diagram showing relationships between
concepts
– Isolate and organize main ideas
• Use in addition to OR in place of summaries
Sections
Map
Chapters

65. 10. Check-mark important
opinions. ✔✔
• Isolate opinions of the author from factual
statements
• Evaluate importance of opinions
• Use multiple check-marks for more important
opinions