UC Irvine launches free course lectures on new online TV channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKP4dfBC3EE

It's getting easier to make e-books now, thanks to easy-to-use tools. To make simple Word or PDF documents more attractive (e.g., add page-turning effects and zoom options), consider free services like  Issuu or Yudu. …

Jonathas Mello has designed a new OER logo on behalf of UNESCO. 

You can see it at right, and you can download it in several formats and languages…

http://technorati.com/business/article/changes-ebooks-are-bringing-to-the/#ixzz1n1RLM3wv

"One of the most relevant speeches of the TOC conference was given by Barbara Genco of Library Journal. Her keynote, titled Public Library Power Patrons Are Your Best Customers: Lessons from Patron Profiles, argued that publishers need libraries more than libraries need…

Building a textbook in 48 hours http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKnJe9VzXXY



UC Irvine provides outstanding open courseware http://bit.ly/AriZXr



Tony Kuphaldt's 7 videos on Active Learning: http://bit.ly/TonysVideos



Debut of 5 outstanding open textbooks…

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/temple-project-ditches-textbooks-for-homemade-digital-alternatives/35247

Temple used a pilot project to encourage faculty to design alternative textbooks and digital materials. “We provided a $1,000 grant to 11 faculty…

2//7/12 from INSIDE HIGHER ED

If ramen noodle sales spike at the start of every semester, here’s one possible reason: textbooks can cost as much as a class itself; materials for an introductory physics course can easily top $300.

Cost-conscious students can of course save money with used or online books and recoup some of their cash come buyback time. Still, it’s a steep price for most 18-year-olds.

But soon, introductory physics texts will have a new competitor,…

There's a nice article about this called "Open Textbook Authoring Tools Part 2 – WordPress and Pressbooks" posted Feb. 7. It…

In a new post by  David Wiley, Cable Green, and Louis Soares, you'll find a downloadable issues brief and a browser-accessible version. My eye was captured…

Why Pay for Intro Textbooks? Rice offers a free physics intro textbook through  OpenStax College. They'll offer free course materials for five introductory classes via Rice’s Connexions platform. 

Saylor Foundation has selected three college textbooks to be added to its lineup of free online courses through the Open Textbook Challenge. Each author will receive $20,000, and the textbooks are available through a creative commons license.

The texts are now available for use by students and instructors at…

Mentor Cloud and Open Doors Group / College Open Textbooks Partner to

Facilitate Sharing Best Practices 

New Community to Share Best Practices and Facilitate Mentoring in the Open Education Community…

Although criminal justice courses are popular and well-enrolled, especially in Community Colleges, there is a definite lack of OER resources in this area.  My frustration with the cost of textbooks and dearth of criminal justice open resources inspired me to join the College Open Textbooks Community.  It didn't take me long to notice Flat World Knowledge, one of the recognized publishers of college-level open textbooks.  After checking the Flat World Knowledge catalog, I adopted one of their…

Ellen Marie Murphy, Director of Online Curriculum from SUNY Empire State College is doing some research regarding the credentialing possibilities that exist for individuals who wish to receive credit

for learning they achieve using OpenCourseWare.



For those who are not familiar with OpenCourseWare, here is a link tothe OpenCourseWare Consortium.

Ellen would like you to take just a minute or so to answer…

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_19533735

Mercury News editorial: Valley should support online textbook movement

 The growing interest in Khan Academy, MOOCs and Stanford University’s online courses has made many in higher education realize that clear divides don’t exist any longer. The boundaries are blurring between real and virtual spaces, formal and informal learning, teachers and learners

Learning is changing, but what of education? A couple of blog posts this  week questioning the value of going to university at all are probably…

• Paper-based OER are useful in many situations.
  
  
  
  
• Reasonable fees for OER ensure quality and updates.…
  
  
  
  
  
  

While not open-licensed, these entertaining self-tests, quizzes, and multi-player games address Biochemistry, Bones, Histology, as well as the Cardiovascular, Digestive, Endocrine, Lymphatic, and Immune Systems, and much more. Thanks to University of Minnesota for a great resource site.

http://msjensen.cehd.umn.edu/Webanatomy/default.asp

The winners of the OPAL Awards for quality and innovation through open educational practices were announced at a ceremony at Online Educa Berlin in Berlin, Germany, on December 2. 

The overall aim of the OPAL Initiative is to support open educational practice leading to greater effectiveness of teaching and learning by enhancing the quantity and quality of open educational resources.

Each winner was awarded a grant to make a video film describing its practices. To access a link…

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/opinion/vedder-college-costs/index.html?hpt=hp_c1