As part of Connexions participation in the College Open Textbook collaborative (COT), two previously copyrighted textbooks are being converted into Connexions frictionless-remix format: Fundamentals of Mathematics by Denny Burzynski and Wade Ellis, and Principles of Microeconomics by Larry Reynolds. Both books serve in the top-30 highest enrolled community college courses and have been recommended by faculty reviewers on the COT website (reviews). They will be available for adoption and adaptation later this year.
Fundamentals of Mathematics is a pre-Algebra basic math textbook that reinforces concepts that some students may never have mastered prior to college, but that are critical for college level math study. The original PDF-only format of the book can be seen here (original PDF-only) and modularized chapters will begin appearing shortly. Bill Buxton (COT), Una Daly (COT) and David Lippman (mathematics faculty at Pierce College) are organizing a group of mathematics faculty that will be included as editors on the book to help keep it fresh and maintained. They would welcome volunteer community college faculty interested in joining as editors. You can help edit a chapter, a few pages, or the whole book, depending on your time and interest. To volunteer, contact Una Daly (UnaDaly at COT ), the Associate Director of the College Open Textbooks collaborative.
Principles of Microeconomics is a basic economics textbook with an extensive set of ancillaries including class slides, excel worksheets with economic models, and homework sets. The author agreed to license his textbook and ancillaries using a CC-BY license. The original material can be found here - original econ textbook. The author, Larry Reynolds plans to be actively involved in the upkeep of his Connexions book and will be trained in Connexions authoring as part of the conversion project.
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wow, one more way to save money on those highpriced textbooks. I recommend you also look at http://rentatextbook.com where you find still more savings ideas.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know that there are professionals who help students acquire books at a lower price.
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But yes, same with Michael, you've got to try the idea of renting college textbooks as an alternative to high-priced textbooks. This can help your students/followers save more on books.
These books are really great. I find it interesting because it will prepare the students for their college studies. I prefer Fundamentals of Mathematics because it will educate me the concepts of analyzing problems and providing the right solution.
ReplyDeleteThe initial time is spent in brushing through the fundamentals. The major part of the time is spent in solving problems. This time can be spread over a year or crammed into the last two months. Spreading it over year helps you take help for subjects that you are not confident about.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like the concept of sharing a textbook like Fundamentals of Mathematics online. The reason for my belief is because I know so many students that struggle with basic math concepts. People are struggling with understand a subject like math nice extra support. Sometimes, extra support can be expensive. The online textbook allows for cheaper support for students who need the support
ReplyDeleteI think sharing a math book like this not only helps those that need the extra help at a lower cost but it also helps students and teachers explore different ways of learning and teaching mathematics by using a variety of online resources. How great this is!
ReplyDeleteThe original PDF-only format of the book can be seen here (original PDF-only) and modularized chapters will begin appearing shortly.
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Rapid Share looks pretty interesting since students could download textbooks for free. However, that looks legally questionable as you pointed out. I wonder how it will get shut down.
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