When Books Break the Bank (via Stephen): “In the past two decades, the price of textbooks has soared. The price of educational books and supplies has risen 238 percent…But more and more, students are fighting back, finding ways to reduce the costs. They are sharing books, using library copies or going online to find cheap used copies.”
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One thing I’m seeing in my online courses is students grumbling about having to use textbooks at all. In my first four courses, only one prof required a textbook. It was badly written, dry and disconnected from anything I thought was relevant…all for one low price of $97. I think the instructor was too lazy to find good resources, and offloaded his laziness onto his students’ pocketbooks.
It seems like good online instructors are also great researchers and instructional designers, selecting and combining the best materials (preferably online and free) from multiple sources and perspectives. For them, instruction is about providing the best context and learning environment for their use. Students will start demanding this level of service because it’s cheaper and the learning is deeper.
I concur; Why books?
Use a wiki, or something like a wiki. Link to web sites. Hell, have students improve existing books on the Internet.
We don’t have to do the “First you must learn for 4 years, than you can collaborate and teach,” any more. I frequently contribute to my communities document pool by studying something, and then writing it up so that it’s easier for others. I learn, collaborate, and teach all at the same time. Why can’t we do that in School?
For my next trick, I will question the need for schools at all.