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Expensive Textbooks Are Still A Problem. Will Higher Quality OER Help?

Edsurge

These days low-cost alternatives known as Open Educational Resources, or OER, are getting a boost as a potential solution. Last week, for example, Lumen Learning, a company that sells low-cost OER textbooks and courseware, announced it received a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Pearson Bets on Adaptive Learning (Again) With $25M Acquisition of Smart Sparrow

Edsurge

Already, the Sydney, Australia-based company has pulled back on its social media presence. 31, 2020 , and the platform will likely shutter before then, says Ben-Naim, who adds that he and a small staff will help customers transition and move their content to another platform. In 2014, the Gates Foundation awarded the company a $4.5

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Open Up Resources Takes A Digital Leap Through Kiddom Partnership

Edsurge

Founded in 2013, the company has raised $21.5 A license to Open Up Resources’ curriculum on Kiddom will range from $10 to $50 per student, depending on the district size, implementation needs, and other support services that the company provides. Both executives said more specific pricing will be finalized in 2020.

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The Pin that Popped the Textbook Bubble: Open (Notes for my 2015 #sxswedu talk)

Iterating Toward Openness

The major publishers are publicly traded companies with growth and earnings expectations they have to meet. However, should it turn out that some of this company’s products are effective (or more effective than their competitors’ offerings), what do you suppose will happen to pricing? And that’s terrific.

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Advocacy Group to DOJ: Cengage-McGraw Hill Merger Could Create a ‘Platform Monopoly’ in Education

Edsurge

This week’s filing was made by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, or SPARC, and it says that in the short run, allowing the marriage of the companies would create a duopoly in the textbook market, with the new combined publisher rivaled in size only by Pearson.

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Keep Calm and Read On

The Daring Librarian

Since our schools closed down last Friday companies have been very generous and forthcoming to provide FREE resources for our quarantined or grounded kiddos. A post shared by @GwynethJones (@thedaringlibrarian) on Mar 13, 2020 at 8:36am PDT Here's an example from one of my favorite authors! ? Seems like more are coming out every day.

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OER: Some Questions and Answers

Iterating Toward Openness

Earlier this week I read an op-ed – sponsored by Pearson – titled “If OER is the answer, what is the question?” OER often shine in their variety and ability to deepen resources for niche topics. ” The article poses three questions and answers them. Below I share some thoughts prompted by the article.

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