Educating teachers in underveloped countries

My name is Whitney Wyatt and I am an intern for the Global Text Project. I knew that poverty was linked to the lack of education around the world, but I did not realize this is problem could be prevented. It was not until I began my internship with Global Text that I realized the importance of what we are attempting to accomplish by providing free textbooks for university students.

The need for higher education is a single part in an interrelated cycle within the primary educational system of underdeveloped countries. The more college educated teachers there are in the these countries, the more knowledge can be shared with younger generations. Global Text is trying to help make higher education more accessible and make education for everyone a reality.

Education in underdeveloped countries

Harsh facts:

• 75 million children primary school age are not receiving any education.
• More than half of these children are women.
• More than 70 per cent of these children are in South Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa.
• Enrollment in a university in underdeveloped countries was less than 20 per cent, compared to the 67 per cent of developed countries.
  
• Around USD 167 is spent per child in these struggling countries.

These are very frightening statistics. It is hard for children to receive an education in underdeveloped countries. Those who have receive primary education may not finish their schooling because of more pressing concerns such as acquiring food and helping to support their family. Receiving education is an uncommon luxury and rarely a priority.

Teaching in underdeveloped countries
In underdeveloped counties, the ratio of students to teachers can be as extreme as 100 to 1. Classrooms and schools are full in countries like Ghana, but their resources are sparse. One textbook may need to be shared with 4 or 5 students, and the classrooms may be large, holding 70 or more students at one time. Forty-eight per cent of children in Africa do not have access to textbooks. Families in the Philippines earn an average of USD 1.53 a day; this barely provides an evening meal. The families usually eat rice and casaba roots throughout the year; this leaves them hungry and nutritionally deprived.

Because of such poor conditions, many people are reluctant to go into the teaching profession. Wages are extremely low for such a demanding job. The population of elementary school age children increases every year at an extreme rate. Unfortunately, the growth rate of educators is not as high.

The need for resources

Global Text is working to provide university students with the resources they need to help educate themselves and teach others. Spreading such knowledge is pivotal to promoting schooling and changing attitudes toward education in developing economies. Teachers working in undeveloped economies need the most help engaging their students and exposing them to the importance of learning. These teachers are attempting to change their country's perception of education student by student.

We can all contribute a small part by helping Global Text provide these admirable educators with resources they need. Contributing to the GTP library continuously will not only promote the ability for university students to access material, but it will also help teachers and educators globally because it be one more resource available that can help improve their own work. Through open education, there are countless ways to help fellow educators, we just need to make the choice to help.

BUZZZZ about e-readers

Hi, it's Desiree, GTP Intern.

So, there’s a ton of buzz lately, especially since the introduction of the iPad, to the idea of eReaders. How can you even begin to try to understand the differences? The first eReaders were mostly black and white and solely capable of viewing text. The second generation was also capable of simple graphics and web connectivity. What’s happening now though?

Here’s the major eReaders available on the market and a brief synopsis on each:

1. The iPad – Produced by Apple and release April 3, is unique because it is technically a tablet computer capable of using applications as opposed to an eReader. This could very well be the push towards color images, video, etc in eBooks. It will feature the iBooks application and several large publishers (Penguin, Harper-Collins, Macmillan) have already committed to publishing books for it and several magazines (GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired) are planning to sell subscriptions for the iPad.
2. The Nook – Produced by Barnes and Noble, based on the Android platform and started sales in November 2009. Features a 6 inch display, a microSD slot for extra storage, and a user replaceable battery. Has a “LendMe” feature that allows users to share certain books once with other users for up to two weeks.
3. The Kindle – Produced by Amazon, uses e-ink and has 16 shades of grey scale. Doesn’t connect to computers and uses Amazon’s Whispernet instead for downloading. Estimated 1.5 million devices sold as of December 2009.
4. The Sony Reader – Uses e-ink and had 8 levels of grey scale, and is viewable even in direct sunlight. It requires no power to maintain a static image and can be used in portrait or landscape modes. DRM settings allow books on Sony Readers to be read on up to 6 devices, but not to be shared. As of December 2008, 300,000 units had been sold since the Reader’s launch in 2006.

Of the four, all but the Nook are scheduled to sell more than 2 million units in 2010. Psst, if you happen to want more info and to see comparisons of more than these four, I recommend that you give this page a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers

What about formats? One of the biggest problems with eReaders is that you can’t just put any book on any reader and expect it to work. They’re more complicated than different music files and music players in this regard. Here’s the breakdown on which reader supports which type:

• Apple iPad: EPUB, PDF, HTML, DOC (plus iPad Apps, which could include Kindle and Barnes & Noble readers)
• Amazon Kindle: Kindle (AZW, TPZ), TXT, MOBI, PRC and PDF natively; HTML and DOC through conversion
• Barnes & Noble Nook: EPUB, PDB, PDF
• Sony Reader: EPUB, PDF, TXT, RTF; DOC through conversion (Gizmodo.com)

EPUB is the most supported form for ebooks and will very likey be what most of GTP’s text books are styled in once we move to make our books available for eReaders.

EPUB has become the most common format for digital publishing because it is free and openstandard, as well as being based in open specifications. This means that, like OpenOffice, anyone can use it and it can be changed to suit a variety of uses. EPUB is maintained by the International Digital Publishing Forum, which consists of everyone from HarperCollins and McGraw-Hill to Adobe and HP in its membership. EPUB is such a flexible format that it was selected by Google to use for the Google Books project.

It’s XML based, so it’s great for storing information and offers some great benefits against other standards, like PDF, because of reflowable text and a page layout that can adjust to a device’s screen size. EPUB is also capable of using style sheets, embedded fonts, color images, SVG graphics, interactive elements, and video.

Sources:
http://gizmodo.com/5478842/giz-explains-how-youre-gonna-get-screwed-by-ebook-formats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Reader
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nook
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad

Today at the GTP office...

Hello all. My name is Kala and I am an intern for the Spring 2010 semester with the Global Text Project at the University of Georgia.

***

Ed-it (-verb): to revise or correct, as a manuscript. Ed-i-tor (-noun): a person having managerial and sometimes policy-making responsibility for the editorial part of a publishing firm or of a newspaper, magazine, or other publication. The ed-it-ing proc-ess (-challenge): [see quotes].

Quotes*
1. “This feels like elementary school again, looking through this like, 'How did I miss that?'” - Desiree (intern), looking through “finished” chapters
“I know – welcome to the world of proofreading.” - Marisa (Associate Editor), in response
2. “...and – poof – it becomes an electronic text, but that's not how it happens.” - Marisa

*Collected over a mere ten minutes in the office.

Today in the GTP office – A representative sample of a typical day as a GTP intern:

The day started with uploading the pictures from my chapter in Tourism the International Business. This probably doesn't sound too bad – until you hear the (brief) biography of these pictures:
The pictures were created. The pictures were used. The pictures malfunctioned, causing mass read-errors throughout the textbook. Many an attempt at fixing the problem were made. Finally, one was discovered: only 17 easy steps to a perfect picture! All pictures in entire textbook were replaced. [see quote 2]

Our next task was to review the famous GTP Style Guide as a closing act to finishing up Tourism. This was to refresh our memories as to all of those little things that go into internationally standardizing any GTP chapter. For instance: normally in the US, we would write a doctor's title as “Dr. John,” GTP format would read “Dr John.” Not that we are bad interns, but there were multiple things we all needed reminding of concerning formatting and proofing in regard to GTP. Then again, as Marisa also said: “Copy editing skills will always need improvement.” Looking over the Style Guide was also accompanied by reviews of the Tourism chapters to see what we missed and what we still need work on [see quote 1] – basically proofreading our proofreading, which then gets proofread.

After that, I took care of some non-textbook related business. This included contributing some opinions on formulating a response to an article that ran in The Red & Black (UGA newspaper) about the need for textbooks to go digital (which is obviously a very good opportunity for some publicity). We also contributed to suggestions to further the specifications and clarity of the Style Guide.

Then, finally, I started working on our second book project, Managing for Productivity in the Hospitality Industry. I got through chapter one, remembering to apply all of the formatting and proofreading lessons that I reviewed (I hope), and tomorrow, I will go through chapter two. The first stage is always my favourite part, because there are such tangible results. Once a PDF goes through an OCR conversion, the interns get to work on formatting the text. Re-creating the textbook format using GTP standards is quite satisfying in a nerdy, proofreading-loving way.

The weeks following the initial formatting are a proofreading circus for interns in training. In the first week, each intern takes on an equal number of chapters (usually two or three, depending on the size of the book) and proofreads them on their own. Then the next week, we all, in a sense, switch chapters and re-proofread them. This happens two more times as well, so that we have all essentially looked over all of the chapters [see quote 2] and learned as much as about formatting as humanly possible. These chapters are then complied into a Master Document (which I got to see the workings of today) and looked over by Marisa. After this comes my special job.

My individual project for the GTP internship is publishing the final editions of our textbooks on a self-publishing and print-on-demand website called Lulu.com. As of now we have three books in both colour and black-and-white editions; we even ordered a copy of one. I go through the stages of publishing on Lulu with our final, Master PDF. This includes filling out all the information about the book, uploading the PDF, and creating covers for the books so that anyone can purchase printed copies. There are still some things I need to work out, however, such as how to get our books onto CDs and how to customize our storefront (which is up and running at http://stores.lulu.com/globaltextproject). Overall, I would put it as me being the icing on the textbook cake.

At the end of the, we had our weekly intern meeting at Transmetropolitan (Italian/pizza place downtown). We talked about all the developments that were/are/will be going on, such as ways we can get the word out about GTP, and T-shirts (buy one!), our upcoming projects, and evaluations. We, of course, ate pizza as well, which was a nice ending to a day of interning for The Global Text Project.

E-Texbooks Gaining Popularity in the United States

In the U.S., textbook companies and universities are taking initiatives to cut their textbook expenses as well as their environmental impact. Statistics from an article from Epoch Times show that 65% of educators plan to phase out traditional textbooks and replace them with electronic textbooks in the very near future. California is the first state to attempt an all-electronic textbook initiative, which began in 2009.

Even publishers like Macmillan announced that it will publish their textbooks in an all-new electronic format, as well. The new format is called DynamicBooks, and it allows teachers and professors to customize the textbook for the purposes of their classes. They will also be available for download on Apple's iPad, which will launch on April 3rd, 2010.

From an environmental standpoint, 12 trees are cut down for one ton of paper for textbooks, and only 5% of paper is recycled. Economically, California expects to save $2 million for going electronic.

This news that California is leading the movement in transtioning to electronic textbooks is good news for The Global Text Project. Recently, the Red and Black reported that UGA is planning to incorporate DynamicBooks in Fall of 2010. While the movement is still happening in the U.S., the more accessible electronic textbooks are here, the easier it will be for the Global Text Project to provide textbooks absolutely free of cost to developing countries and to put our mission into action.

Some questions for our readers:

How would using an electronic textbook be different from a traditional textbook for you? What advantages and disadvantages would you predict to find? Further, do any of you already use an e-Book reader, and which kind?

Students for Students

All of a sudden it is the beginning of March and we are rapidly nearing our first book deadline. It's amazing to see all the work that the interns have been able to accomplish thus far, especially since we have only been on board the project since the beginning of this year. Big things are beginning to happen in the world of open education.

Open Educational Resources says it best: "In a brave new world of learning, OER content is made free to use or share, and in some cases, to change and share again, made possible through licensing, so that both teachers and learners can share what they know," and that is exactly what we have been trying to do at Global Text.

This semester we have five student interns from the University of Georgia (UGA) working to make textbooks available to students around the world. The most amazing part of this collaboration is the fact that we have students working for the benefit of other students. The Global Text Project office on campus at UGA is a place where students work together to learn more about the process open education. We are in the midst of a learning curve that will create ripples around the world.

The children of the world today are quite literally our future, and as students ourselves it is amazing to think that we are helping pave the way for generations to come. In America we are blessed with the ability to go to school every day - but other people our age are not as fortunate. Every day in the office is one more step to impacting a fellow student's life.

Global Text Project is more than your average internship. Yes, we have set hours to be in the office and are gaining incredible resume boosters, but we are doing so much more. We are creating a link - a bond - between students around the globe that will last years after we have graduated and will enable the children of today to become the leaders of tomorrow.

United Nations Meeting Addresses Education Goals

At the United Nations meeting on January 19th, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the issue of unequal global education. Ban pointed out that less than 55% of children in developing countries attend secondary school. Although there has been some progress, the recent UNESCO report indicated that countries not only need to increase efforts to reach out to children who are not achieving the UN's education goals, but also need to increase aid efforts. Ban encourages all countries to increase their aid for education so that the UN may meet their Millennium Development Goal for universal education, which states that all children everywhere will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015.

The UNESCO report on Deprivation and Marginalization in Education (DME) focuses on education poverty (or the proportion of those aged 17 to 22 with fewer than 4 years of education) in developing countries. You can also select specific countries, regions, and economies to compare on the chart. It also points out the issues of education disparities in these countries due to wealth, location, ethnic group, and language groups.

For example, in Niger, the education poverty is 76.04% for the whole country. That means that 76.04% of people between 17 and 22 have fewer than 4 years of education. UNESCO divides the data up into the wealthier class and the poorer class. You then find that the wealthier class in Niger only has 33.9% education poverty, whereas the poorer class has 91.7%. In Niger, the poorest 20% have had on average less than 1 year of education. The richest 20% have had on average 5.5 years of education. The disparities here are too striking not to address.

Thinking about Ban's statements and the UNESCO report, it is apparent that universal education is an issue that needs serious attention. Ban stated that education is "a fundamental human right." The Global Text Project wants to pursue that goal. Growing our open education system can help education move from an "accident of circumstance", as Ban put it, to that fundamental right.

More information on the UN meeting can be found here.

What Do Our Followers Think?
Do you think, with the help of organizations like Global Text Project, that the Millennium Development Goal for universal education will be achieved by 2015?

What other countries did you research on the UNESCO report charts?

Global Text Project Teams Up With Creative Consultants

The Global Text Project has reached out to the Public Relations Student Society of America at the University of Georgia to assist us with our PR campaign. Creative Consultants, a student-run PR firm, has paired us with a group of PR students: Staci Dale, Account Executive; Koby Kelsey, Junior Account Executive; Mamie Cargile; Cassidy Hoffman; Deena Lipson; and Christine Sawyer. During the Fall 2009 semester, our Creative Consultants group helped us with our logo redesign, our press releases, and other PR materials. They also organized an internship info session, which resulted in four GTP interns!

This semester, our Creative Consultants team has a social media campaign in store, so be sure to keep up with our Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger! Keep an eye out for videos, too! We look forward to engaging with our supporters through our social networks!

What Do Our Followers Think?

Do any of you rely on social media to keep in touch with other nonprofit organizations? If so, which ones do you think are using social media successfully? We'd love to hear your thoughts!