[FM Discuss] New booki for replacing textbooks with OER

[Edward Cherlin]

A number of factors have recently come together to support a
full-scale attack on the global education problem (and the poverty and
related ills that education can largely cure), not least among them
booki. Sugar Labs has set up a new trial booki instance for our
Replace Textbooks project, at

http://booki.treehouse.su/

We have some admin tasks to be completed before we can create books
there, and I will need help learning to be the admin.

I expect the production version to be hosted at sugarlabs.org. The
outline of the project is at

http://www.wsis-community.org/mod/groups/topicposts.php?topic=118512&group_guid=14358
OER Economics for a billion children

It is based on the fact that computers + OERs now cost much less than
printed textbooks, except in those countries that can't afford decent
textbooks to begin with.

Our first projects will be based on Don Cohen's Calculus by and for
Young People, and Caleb Gattegno's language and math teaching methods.
We would like to cover every topic for every course for every age,
preschool through high school, for students and teachers, and let
teachers and education authorities remix them as needed. Maybe for
parents and ministries of education, too.

Our next technical problem will be integrating our OERs with Sugar
education software. There are several possible approaches that I
intend to discuss with those who may be able to help realize them.

Accomplishing all of this will depend on recruiting a lot of
volunteers, and perhaps attracting some funding. Let me know if you
are interested.

I have begin to outline a textbook on economics for OER instructional
designers, following a suggestion by Maria Droujkova on the
MathFutures list. The idea is to tell the truth about the limitations
of conventional economics, and to explore the economics of Free
Software and OERs for a billion children at a time, as in my
UNESCO/WSIS post.

-- 
Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://www.earthtreasury.org/