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    adapting open textbooks workshop

    Adapting Open Textbooks Workshop

    Twitter hashtag: #bcotb

    Facilitator: Clint Lalonde, Manager, Open Education, BCcampus

    February 10-21, 2014

    Overview

    In this 2 week workshop, we'll look at some of the technical challenges of adapting an existing open textbook.

    Specifically, we will examine the following topics:

    • Why you would want to modify an open textbook?
    • What you can change in an open textbook?
    • What are the different technologies used to create and use open textbooks?
    • What kinds of file formats are commonly used in open textbooks?
    • How do I work with Creative Commons licenses?
    • What is PressBooks and how can it be used to adapt an open textbook?

    Timeline

    Week 1: Planning to Adapt

    In week one we will take a look at what you need to consider when tackling an open textbook adaptation. We'll look at the common types of open textbook adaptaions, the scope of an open textbook project, some of the technologies and file formats you may work with, and a review of Creative Commons licenses. By the end of week 1, you will also create an account at PressBooks.com, a website that gives individuals the ability to self-publish a book. We will use PressBooks as an editing platform for week 2 of the workshop.

    Week 2: Adapting

    In week 2 we'll take a deeper dive into one of the technologies you can use to modify an open textbook - a tool called PressBooks.

    Scope of this workshop

    While this 2 week workshop will be of interest to anyone wishing to learn more about adapting an open textbook, it will draw from examples and situations specific to the British Columbia Open Textbook project.

  • Week 1: Planning to adapt an open textbook

    Adapting an open textbook is not a homogenous process. Each textbook possess unique challenges and opportunities, and requires a degree of resourcefulness and flexibility. Before you begin down the path of adapting an open textbook, what do you need to consider?

    Activities

    • Reading: Where to Start?
    • Reading: Creative Commons Licencing.
    • Reading: Open Textbook Formats Explained
    • Video (10 min): Creating OER and Combining Licenses
    • Create an account on PressBooks.com, the tool we will use to adapt an open textbook.
    • Post an introduction in the discussion forum.

  • Week 2: Adapting open textbooks using PressBooks

    This week we are going to tackle a very simple adaptation project. We are going to adapt existing OER to create a new open textbook using PressBooks. You will need a free account on PressBooks to take part in the activities this week.

    The Project

    You are going to create a small, 2 chapter open textbook in PressBooks. To do this, you will take 1 chapter from the open textbook An Overview of Open Educational Resources and 1 chapter from the existing open textbook An Introduction to Open Educational Resources. Both of these resources are located in the Connexions open textbook repository (links below under Tasks).

    You will take 2 existing openly licensed, ePub documents, upload them into PressBooks and create a single textbook with 2 chapters.

    After that, you will export your finished book in ePub and PDF format.

    The Finished Product: An Example

    Here is an example of the final book we will be producing for you to refer to as you complete this weeks tasks http://clintlalonde.pressbooks.com/. There are also PDF and ePub version of the finished book for you to compare your book to. You can find these in the Additional Resources section below.

    Additionaly software

    You should not need any additional software other than a PressBooks account to complete this project. However, if you would like to view the final ePub and PDF documents, you will need a PDF and ePub reader.

    Tasks

    There are 5 tasks to complete this week.