Title: Free Online Materials Could Save Schools Billions
Date: November 6, 2007
Source: USAtoday.com
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-06-freereading_N.htm
This is an interesting article for me on several levels.
USAtoday reports on a Brooklyn teacher who has been using a website, they say could "one day rock the foundation of how schools do business"
Free-Reading.net is, according to the article, a new type of instruction program that allows users to download, copy and share lessons with each other. Users can modify any of the available lessons to suit their own needs, and post their modifications online so others can see how adaptions have been made for the benefit of certain student demographics and environments.
Additionally, and the selling point for me, users can see the lessons being taught through links to YouTube videos.
An open-source material, this would appear to take the notion of collaborative tools for educators to new levels.
The interest in Free-Reading is increasing, and one of the largest textbook markets (Florida)has made significant strides to implement the program, so much so that the state education commissioner should be approving it within just a few weeks.
The fact that that one of the largest purchasers of textbooks is considering a move to open-source, FREE materials statewide, signifies the huge possibilities for educators and developers of these resources. Given that "$4.4 billion was spent on textbooks" for this academic year alone, imagine the money that could be saved. Aside from that, think of the level of interactivity and collaboration to come out of such resources.
So, of course, with any new initiative follows similar materials and more and more resources are becoming available.
Following in the footsteps of Free-Reading, hippocampus.org offers free materials linked to high school textbooks, and will soon have the full K-12 range.
The buzz around this is big, and rightly so in my opinion. As a technology specialist I can absolutely see how these resources could, with adequate support and the right implementation structures, revolutionize how information is accessed, used, and shared.
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2 comments:
Thats great. Its about time there are some alternatives. Just think of all the trees that could be saved if we utilize computers more for reading.
The textbook companies have too much control over what goes on in education. Textbooks end up in storage closets after a few years anyway. If educators can have more control over what goes into their students reading material perhaps we can as you said revolutionize
the way students learn.
Great find. I'll keep this information and link as a resource for future classes. This is another example of how the Internet is expanding information and resources easily and readily accessible to everyone. The way of publishers and producers of media "is-a changin"!
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