This link will forward you to an interesting link from David Warlick considering the future of textbooks. It offers a nice summary and deserves attention. I know that many of these ideas are shared and some clearly believe such ideas are our inevitable future. I like many of these ideas, but I still find them idealistic.
I don’t really want to spend a lot of time right now (hence a post on my blurts blog), but here are some points to consider:
- An author provides an integrated consideration of a topic. The “big picture” is important and is not present in links here and there.
- I wonder what proportion of educators will see it their responsibilities to review available resources and fashion a curriculum. This would be one more time commitment and I just don’t see it as a path many will follow.
- I really like the concept of “participatory” and agree that educators and students have much to contribute. I personally haven’t had a lot of luck making this happen so far. Creating content others will use is easy enough if you have some time. What is difficult to generate is the sharing that bring resources back in the opposite direction. I don’t intend this comment to seem judgmental – it is what I would describe as an observation of what is typical.