FYI - we need to talk to these people.
Global Text Project
* The goal is to create a free library of 1,000 electronic textbooks for students in the developing world * The library will cover the range of topics typically encountered in the first two years of a university's undergraduate programs * The global academic community and global corporations will be engaged in creating and sponsoring this library
The project will create open content electronic textbooks that will be freely available from a Web site. Distribution will also be possible via paper, CD, or DVD. Our goal initially is to focus on content development and Web distribution, and we will work with relevant authorities to facilitate dissemination by other means when bandwidth is unavailable or inadequate. Thus, while the goal, educating the disadvantaged, is the same as that of the $100 laptop project, we are not tied to a particular device or medium.
We have experience with developing a free textbook, XML: Managing Data Exchange. This project started in January 2004 when a graduate class at the University of Georgia wrote the first version of the book. Subsequent graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Georgia and elsewhere have improved and extended the book. It has been used as the XML text in a variety of classes, and in each case the class has been required to leave the book in better shape that they received it at the beginning of the term.
Experience with this project and the success of WikiBooks has convinced us that we can further develop the idea of free and open content books to increase the value of these books to students, particularly those who cannot afford paper-based textbooks. We want to add several innovations to improve the quality of the books.
Erik Moeller wrote:
FYI - we need to talk to these people.
Global Text Project
- The goal is to create a free library of 1,000 electronic
textbooks for students in the developing world
- The library will cover the range of topics typically encountered
in the first two years of a university's undergraduate programs
- The global academic community and global corporations will be
engaged in creating and sponsoring this library
The project will create open content electronic textbooks that will be freely available from a Web site. Distribution will also be possible via paper, CD, or DVD. Our goal initially is to focus on content development and Web distribution, and we will work with relevant authorities to facilitate dissemination by other means when bandwidth is unavailable or inadequate. Thus, while the goal, educating the disadvantaged, is the same as that of the $100 laptop project, we are not tied to a particular device or medium.
We have experience with developing a free textbook, XML: Managing Data Exchange. This project started in January 2004 when a graduate class at the University of Georgia wrote the first version of the book. Subsequent graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Georgia and elsewhere have improved and extended the book. It has been used as the XML text in a variety of classes, and in each case the class has been required to leave the book in better shape that they received it at the beginning of the term.
Experience with this project and the success of WikiBooks has convinced us that we can further develop the idea of free and open content books to increase the value of these books to students, particularly those who cannot afford paper-based textbooks. We want to add several innovations to improve the quality of the books.
This is a wonderful project and effort. I will visit the site and start translations into several target languages.
Jeff
The Global Text project has been getting some press lately:
Story from the New Scientist: http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9906-wikistyle-textbooks-to-aid-po... Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060911/full/060911-13.html (which talks about Wikibooks) Ars Technica (which mentions Wikiversity) http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060905-7662.html
Apparently, the project's innovation is editorial control -- the Nature story quotes the project manager, who is from the Universty of Georgia, as saying "Anyone will be able to contribute to the new textbooks, true — but unlike wikipedia, the online, user-made encyclopedia, only an editor will be able to approve contributions. "
They don't seem to have gotten very far yet; their biggest example text (about XML) is actually hosted on en.wikibooks.
wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org