May 2008 — Open Source
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Content, Anyone?
"I believe opening up the possibility to access that information is going to help formal learning evolve and adapt to the world that is changing much faster than education is."
But all agree, to make open source content truly effective, controls must be established to ensure the content is accurate and meets academic standards. Most wiki sites have reviewers that look at all the content and remove questionable posts; the next step is to attach a more formal process to the creation of that content, a role that textbook publishers might consider filling as they evolve their business models to recognize, and possibly embrace, the open source content model.
"Publishers have an opportunity, and some will see that better than others," Forte says. "There will always be an opportunity to leverage the delivery method-whatever it is-to sell stuff. Those who recognize it will surf that wave for revenue. Those who don't will fall by the wayside."
Charlene O'Hanlon is a freelance writer based in New York City.
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