California Open Source Textbook Project

I was listening to Wikinomics this past week, while cross-crossing WA, and stumbled upon the California Open Source Textbook Project. I like their bold purpose statement:

COSTP benefits will be 1) the complete elimination of the current $400M+ line item for California's K-12 textbooks; 2) a significant increase in the range of content afforded to California's K-12 textbooks; 3) a permanent end to California's textbook shortages; and 4) creation of fully portable content holdings database that scales with classroom technologies as they are introduced.

Thus, COSTP will provide a new model for textbook creation in the State of California by 1) leveraging free, already-existing, and widely available K-12 educational content in the public domain; 2) better leveraging the substantial curriculum-based intellectual capital of California's best K-12 teachers; and 3) using innovative copyright tools to secure new and dormant K-12 textbook content that would not otherwise be made available.

Yes!