Slide Rule for Copyright Advice .. OR .. maybe we should all use CC

This Chronicle article highlights a great tool .. and the information it yields emphasizes why Creative Commons is SO important.

Online 'textbooks' see college doors opening

From USA Today:

"Bob Stewart, a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M University, refused offers to have his Introduction to Physical Oceanography published the traditional way in favor of writing an open textbook.

Stewart writes in his preface that the book is "a gift … to the students of the world." It is distributed through the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Students in China are using it to learn oceanography and English; translations are in the works, including Italian and Portuguese editions."

MERLOT Open Textbooks Project

The Student PIRGs and MERLOT have formed a strategic alliance promote use of open textbooks with the new Open Textbooks Project. Visitors to MERLOT can now find open textbooks using the Textbook category under Advanced Search. See open textbooks listed at MERLOT. MERLOT members are encourage to provide evaluation and commentary on the listed open textbooks. *(from CCC OER)

Does Creative Commons Work?

Check Out the New Case Studies Database

Feds & OER

The Feds are getting into OER with: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence