David Wiley: Digital Textbooks Call for New Business Models

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=3870&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

Open Educational Resources – Opportunities and Challenges for Higher Education

OER Briefing Paper

Free: The New Price?

The new book from Wired Magazines Editor-in-chief, Chris Anderson: Free: The Future of a Radical Price -- has already sparked many thoughtful discussions.

For a good overview and links to other blog posts and free copies of the new book, read this Read/Write article: Free: It Works, It Cries, It Bites

College Lectures Should Be Free Online, Argues 'Wired Magazine' Editor in New Book (Chronicle)

We Rent Movies, So Why Not Textbooks?

Open Textbooks and course packs made up of open educational resources and existing library materials are great solutions for reducing students' educational costs.

But when you want a commercial textbook, renting may be a good option:

• Textbook Lending Grows in Popularity (Chronicle)
• We Rent Movies, So Why Not Textbooks? (New York Times)
• (one) Textbook Rental Company (Chegg)
  
  Others include: Campus Book Rentals, College Book Renter and Book Renter.com

Many college bookstores are also starting to get into the rental business too.

While disruptive digital, networked solutions will continue to upset existing business models…. we need to keep our eye on the ball and keep asking: “What is good for students?” “How do we increase student access to higher education and reduce student costs?”

Now in Session: The Library of Congress on iTunes U

Now in Session: The Library of Congress on iTunes U

In an ongoing effort to make its digital educational, historical and cultural resources available to web users across a broad spectrum of platforms, the Library of Congress today launched "The Library of Congress on iTunes U."