California Embraces Open Source Digital Textbooks. California schools have cracked the spine on open source, free digital textbooks in an attempt to save money and to make educational resources easier to access and update. The cash-strapped state launched the nation's first open source digital textbook initiative last May, asking content providers to submit high school-level math and science texts for free. The state reviewed 16 digital textbooks, available as PDF files (downloadable at the California Learning Resource Network), scored by how well they align with state standards.
Teachers began accessing the texts online last fall. Some of these texts look just like scans of traditional hardbacks, while others are clearly formatted or written for the digital age, featuring dozens of links to supplemental reading sources. Teachers can print out the materials for students or display them overhead via projectors or interactive whiteboards. "There's desperation with the budget in California right now," Bridges says. Some Assembly Required. Wikibooks. Future of the Book. Smarthistory: a multimedia web-book about art and art history.
Digital Textbook Playbook.