August 1, 2006

Free Math Textbooks – This is Where the Internet Could Change Our Lives

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A new website is offering a free math textbook online at Totally Free Math.

Here’s why they are giving the textbooks away free:

We are a group of authors who have had a long and successful career in education and publishing. We feel it is time to give something back to the educational community for its commitment to using our textbooks for over 20 years. Several million students have purchased at least one of our textbooks, but you will now be able to start using those same textbooks along with the teacher’s resource material for free.

I think this is one of the nicest and best ideas I’ve found on the web recently. I think Google with their skills in streaming video and online books should get together with some retired book writers and teachers and put together an entire curiculum for elementary kids. Why doesn’t the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation hop on board this ride to be able to make educational materials and textbooks free for all students?

This idea could be one of the most revolutionizing concepts in education that’s possible. Why should we keep printing math textbooks. The concepts don’t continue to change. The lessons are still pretty much the same. Luckily, internet browsers don’t cost anything to update.

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