It goes without saying that undertaking the authoring of a text can be fairly intimidating, but I guess I just said that anyway. As an author, you want to just write about what you are interested in, however you need to worry about formatting, editing, technical content review, image creation, distribution, printing; the list can go on and on and can leave you starting to think twice about the idea of writing any text.
Fear not, the GTP has a host of services that will assist you and let you focus on content development. The GTP will:
* Provide a general style guide that is useful for document formatting
* Assist in the text layout
* Assist in image and table layout
* Coordinate the generation of your master document/final product
* Provide editors for the non-technical content
* Post your final project onto Lulu.com for you
* Publicize your texts on Facebook, Twitter, and the GTP Google group.
...and much more I am probably forgetting
In fact, I'd say the most important thing to remember is not to be afraid to ask for help. Marisa Drexel, the Associate Editor for the GTP team was a HUGE help for me with all of the things I mentioned above.
The GTP team allowed me to concentrate on the technical content which took a tremendous burden off of my shoulders. So fear not, don't let yourself be intimidated from taking that first step and starting your text, the GTP is there for you!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Dr. Jim Feher, GTP textbook author, talks about working with Global Text Project to create and publish an open textbook
Associate Editor: Tell us your perspective on creating your textbook, Digital Logic with Laboratory Exercises, with Global Text Project.
Dr. Jim Feher: What can I say, I may be biased, but I think the Global Text Project (GTP) is just a fantastic organization. I've always been a huge proponent of open source software and the free exchange of ideas that is made possible by using the Creative Commons License. So when I was thinking about writing a lab manual and came across the GTP, I was immediately excited about the possibility of working with them to release my manual.
When I contacted the GTP, I was impressed. Not only did I find an organization with an underlying philosophy of making materials freely available that I agreed with; I also found a group that had in infrastructure in place that was able to assist me in the development and distribution of my text. Because the helpful and knowledgeable staff at GTP was able to help in assembling of my materials, I was able to concentrate on writing the text and not get bogged down in so much of the formatting required for the project.
The entire process of writing my text was very rewarding and I look forward to the opportunity to enhance my current edition or starting a new text. I would strongly encourage anyone considering writing a text to look into working with the GTP. They will not only help provide valuable assistance in developing the text, you will also know that your efforts are more likely
to reach a vast audience that could not otherwise afford quality texts.
This is multi-part series, keep checking back! More to come from Dr. Jim Feher!
Dr. Feher teaches Computer Science at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, USA.
Dr. Jim Feher: What can I say, I may be biased, but I think the Global Text Project (GTP) is just a fantastic organization. I've always been a huge proponent of open source software and the free exchange of ideas that is made possible by using the Creative Commons License. So when I was thinking about writing a lab manual and came across the GTP, I was immediately excited about the possibility of working with them to release my manual.
When I contacted the GTP, I was impressed. Not only did I find an organization with an underlying philosophy of making materials freely available that I agreed with; I also found a group that had in infrastructure in place that was able to assist me in the development and distribution of my text. Because the helpful and knowledgeable staff at GTP was able to help in assembling of my materials, I was able to concentrate on writing the text and not get bogged down in so much of the formatting required for the project.
The entire process of writing my text was very rewarding and I look forward to the opportunity to enhance my current edition or starting a new text. I would strongly encourage anyone considering writing a text to look into working with the GTP. They will not only help provide valuable assistance in developing the text, you will also know that your efforts are more likely
to reach a vast audience that could not otherwise afford quality texts.
This is multi-part series, keep checking back! More to come from Dr. Jim Feher!
Dr. Feher teaches Computer Science at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, USA.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Frank W. Spencer PHD on GTP text Educational Psychology, a review
Posted August 13, on his blog (http://www.frankwspencer.com/)
"As part of the Global Text Project, Kelvin Seifert and Rosemary Sutton have written Educational Psychology: Second Edition. It is a textbook, covering such topics as student development, diversity, special needs, classroom management, instructional methods, assessment, and teaching thinking skills. It is written for teachers. I'll concentrate on the chapter, Facilitating Complex Thinking. The authors distinguish three types of thinking: critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving. Metacognition, or considering your own thinking, is seen as an important part of critical thinking. Creative thinking is discussed in terms of divergent thinking. Finally, problem solving is described through the use of the nine dot and four lines problem. Well-structured and ill-structured problems are distinguished, with ill-structured problems usually having more possible solutions, and requiring more creative thinking. Some strategies to teach for problem solving are problem analysis (breaking it down into parts), working backward from the final solution, and analogical thinking, or using the solutions to similar problems that you have solved in the past.
Later on in the chapter, Seifert and Sutton give a good example of using concept maps. They present a concept map of child development as drawn by a teacher and one as drawn by a professor at a university. The maps themselves and the differences between the maps are interesting illustrations of how we use connections between ideas to understand. Madeline Hunter's effective teaching model is presented, consisting of (1) prepare students, (2) present information, (3) check for understanding, (4) give guided practice, and (5) provide for independent practice. This educator (Hunter) is an interesting person to learn about. Near the end of the chapter, inquiry learning and cooperative learning are discussed. Some strategies for encouraging cooperative learning are presented. This chapter is good to read, even if you don't have time to read the whole book, and the price is right. Overall, the book gives a good introduction to the use of psychological information in the teaching process."
For more from Frank W. Spencer, a school psychologist and private practitioner, please check out his blog (http://www.frankwspencer.com/).
"As part of the Global Text Project, Kelvin Seifert and Rosemary Sutton have written Educational Psychology: Second Edition. It is a textbook, covering such topics as student development, diversity, special needs, classroom management, instructional methods, assessment, and teaching thinking skills. It is written for teachers. I'll concentrate on the chapter, Facilitating Complex Thinking. The authors distinguish three types of thinking: critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving. Metacognition, or considering your own thinking, is seen as an important part of critical thinking. Creative thinking is discussed in terms of divergent thinking. Finally, problem solving is described through the use of the nine dot and four lines problem. Well-structured and ill-structured problems are distinguished, with ill-structured problems usually having more possible solutions, and requiring more creative thinking. Some strategies to teach for problem solving are problem analysis (breaking it down into parts), working backward from the final solution, and analogical thinking, or using the solutions to similar problems that you have solved in the past.
Later on in the chapter, Seifert and Sutton give a good example of using concept maps. They present a concept map of child development as drawn by a teacher and one as drawn by a professor at a university. The maps themselves and the differences between the maps are interesting illustrations of how we use connections between ideas to understand. Madeline Hunter's effective teaching model is presented, consisting of (1) prepare students, (2) present information, (3) check for understanding, (4) give guided practice, and (5) provide for independent practice. This educator (Hunter) is an interesting person to learn about. Near the end of the chapter, inquiry learning and cooperative learning are discussed. Some strategies for encouraging cooperative learning are presented. This chapter is good to read, even if you don't have time to read the whole book, and the price is right. Overall, the book gives a good introduction to the use of psychological information in the teaching process."
For more from Frank W. Spencer, a school psychologist and private practitioner, please check out his blog (http://www.frankwspencer.com/).
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
First Global Text events in Phnom Penh!
Our continuous efforts in Cambodia have resulted in 3 informational seminars in University of Puthisastra and Pannasastra University of Cambodia. The first 2 events were catered for students while the third one was organized especially for professors, lecturers and librarians.
22nd May 2010 marked our first Global Text event ever in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The seminar served as a first step to introduce the school community to Global Text in particular and OERs in general. Our goal was to promote awareness on how students and professors can utilize resources on the internet to enrich their study, teaching, and research.
It was a successful and fruitful event with over 70 students from different schools in Phnom Penh attended. Most of the questions raised were on how to find books on particular subjects like psychology, IT, agriculture, etc.
(22nd May 2010, University of Puthisastra)
3rd June 2010 was second seminar at Pannasastra University of Cambodia. Over 50 students from PUC have attended with enthusiastic response.
(3rd June 2010, Pannasastra University of Cambodia)
4th June 2010 was the session for lecturers and librarians at University of Puthisastra. We have made important forges with the professors and a professor have plans to incorporate our Business Fundamentals book into his entrepreneurship teaching curriculum.
This is a wonderful progress and we hope to further extend it to other schools with Sander, our new intern who is coming on board from 25th June.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Distribution Initiative in Cambodia
Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia!
This is Natalie Le, project manager for the first joint effort between AIESEC and Global Text to promote free open textbooks to developing countries. It is quite ironic that everybody on the web knows how to download textbooks for free but the ones who need those most are totally oblivious to the amount of knowledge and resources that they can obtain at no cost. I’m talking, of course, about students in countries like Cambodia where there is such a thirst for knowledge but the local bookstores are not able to deliver.
To bridge this gap, we have decided to launch a pilot initiative to work with universities here in Cambodia to create awareness among professors and students alike. We are working with universities to organize seminars to demonstrate to the school community how they can do research, find materials for courses, and further enrich their learning experiences by accessing Open Educational Resources in general and Global Text in particular. Simultaneously, we work with professors to integrate these free textbooks into the curriculum and work with librarians to link the resources into the school’s web system.
It’s wonderful to have acquired all these free textbooks and we are on our way to better make full use of them by developing an effective distribution system.
Free textbooks can free the world
In today's economy, people must be picky when figuring out where to spend their money. For average American college students, the price of college tuition already causes them to feel the strain. Any extra expenses, like textbooks, are put on the chopping block when students realize the outrageous prices and question if they are really necessary to success. Each semester, students need to decide whether they will sacrifice their bank account or their grade report. Students like me. My name is Kristyna Mauch and I am a senior at the University of Georgia (UGA). Currently, I am an intern at the Global Text Project held by the Terry College of Business at UGA and I am working for a better tomorrow when it comes to college textbooks.
The average textbook can cost anywhere from USD 50 to USD 200. Now multiply that by four to six classes with some classes requiring multiple books depending on your major. It all adds up to be a lot of money. College students that are working to support themselves or depending on federal loans cannot necessarily afford both textbooks and the essentials for life, like food and rent for their apartment. In these circumstances, making an economic decision to not purchase textbooks can negatively affect your grades but at least you will be able to buy enough Ramen noodles to get through the week. It all comes down to students ability to manage money, time and priorities.
Everyday students make these decisions of one or the other, but what if you could have both without sacrificing anything? That is what Global Text Project is working to do by making textbooks available online at no cost. Imagine, instead of standing in long lines to buy expensive, overpriced books, with a click of a button you can upload the necessary texts for your classes for free. There are so many advantages to this situation. With the extra money you saved by not spending it on textbooks, you can buy a month's worth of food. You will undoubtedly do better in your classes if you actually have the required books for the class and you do not have to worry about how your going to pay next month's rent because of purchasing textbooks.
Internationally, a textbook is a lot more outrageously priced when compared to their average daily expenses. According to Anup Shah in a report from globalissues.org, about 80 per cent of humanity live under USD 10 a day. In other words, It would take 10 days of work in order to buy one textbook for USD 100 in parts of the world that live in poverty or have poor economies. I believe this is a causing factor to the 121 million children out of education that Shah reports. By making textbooks free, like Global Text is trying to do, we can work to help educate those children. It may seem like something that would not be a problem in this day and age but according to Shah, a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their name. This is definitely a real problem. Through Global Text Project, people can learn without an expense. This makes life a little bit easier financially and opens up the entire world through education. The benefits of education are unmeasurable but they are undoubtedly positive.
Making textbooks available online for free opens up all sorts of possibilities for university students around the world. This is why we, as interns at Global Text, do what we do. We believe in a cause that will help educate the many without interfering with the way they live. Just like an average American college student will not have to worry about paying for rent because of the cost of textbooks, an international student will not have to worry about paying for food or other vital necessities for life. Having access to free textbooks, gives us a new choice. Instead of choosing between the cost of living and the cost of learning, we get to choose the freedom of education. As interns, we want to give others this choice too.
The average textbook can cost anywhere from USD 50 to USD 200. Now multiply that by four to six classes with some classes requiring multiple books depending on your major. It all adds up to be a lot of money. College students that are working to support themselves or depending on federal loans cannot necessarily afford both textbooks and the essentials for life, like food and rent for their apartment. In these circumstances, making an economic decision to not purchase textbooks can negatively affect your grades but at least you will be able to buy enough Ramen noodles to get through the week. It all comes down to students ability to manage money, time and priorities.
Everyday students make these decisions of one or the other, but what if you could have both without sacrificing anything? That is what Global Text Project is working to do by making textbooks available online at no cost. Imagine, instead of standing in long lines to buy expensive, overpriced books, with a click of a button you can upload the necessary texts for your classes for free. There are so many advantages to this situation. With the extra money you saved by not spending it on textbooks, you can buy a month's worth of food. You will undoubtedly do better in your classes if you actually have the required books for the class and you do not have to worry about how your going to pay next month's rent because of purchasing textbooks.
Internationally, a textbook is a lot more outrageously priced when compared to their average daily expenses. According to Anup Shah in a report from globalissues.org, about 80 per cent of humanity live under USD 10 a day. In other words, It would take 10 days of work in order to buy one textbook for USD 100 in parts of the world that live in poverty or have poor economies. I believe this is a causing factor to the 121 million children out of education that Shah reports. By making textbooks free, like Global Text is trying to do, we can work to help educate those children. It may seem like something that would not be a problem in this day and age but according to Shah, a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their name. This is definitely a real problem. Through Global Text Project, people can learn without an expense. This makes life a little bit easier financially and opens up the entire world through education. The benefits of education are unmeasurable but they are undoubtedly positive.
Making textbooks available online for free opens up all sorts of possibilities for university students around the world. This is why we, as interns at Global Text, do what we do. We believe in a cause that will help educate the many without interfering with the way they live. Just like an average American college student will not have to worry about paying for rent because of the cost of textbooks, an international student will not have to worry about paying for food or other vital necessities for life. Having access to free textbooks, gives us a new choice. Instead of choosing between the cost of living and the cost of learning, we get to choose the freedom of education. As interns, we want to give others this choice too.
Friday, April 16, 2010
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
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.
The need for resources
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)