A1. | What are open textbooks? |
Open textbooks (OTB) are a kind of Open Educational Resources (OER). They originate from the open learning movement and are believed to be a response to the restriction imposed by traditional copyright on the full utilization of enormous online resources in the digital age. Adopting an open license, OER are digital resources granting users the rights to use, reuse, remix, and share; explicit permission from the original author is not required. For some licenses, users can further adapt and modify the content to their own needs, and redistribute the modified (often improved) content. In other words, by abiding to the license terms, users can use the content, and share the content with others. In short, OER are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media which can be used for teaching, learning and assessment. OTB are structured and coherent, and are often written in accordance to a specific curriculum or course. OTB allow teachers to tailor the content to their course in a way that caters for the students’ needs. Teachers can add supplementary materials, remove unwanted content, update information, etc. freely and easily. With such knowledge exchange and creation among peers, teachers can map out their pedagogical strategies. |
A2. | What is a Creative Commons License? |
A Creative Commons (CC) License is a copyright license that defines the spectrum of permissions for use between full copyright (all rights reserved) and the public domain (no rights reserved). The licenses protect authors’ rights while inviting certain uses of their work. In other words, it is a ‘some rights reserved’ copyright license. There are six types of CC licenses stating permissions of use to different extent. All licenses require that users acknowledge original authors’ contribution.
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A3. | What are the differences between open textbooks and traditional textbooks? |
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A4. | What are the differences between open textbooks and e-textbooks produced by publishers? |
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A5. | Is the quality of the open textbooks on this website comparable to the published textbooks currently used by schools? |
It is our firm belief that the quality of the open textbooks on this website is at least comparable, if not better, than that of commercial textbooks. This belief is proven since the open textbooks for Hong Kong primary and secondary schools, Open English, have been submitted for review and approved by the Education Bureau for inclusion in the ‘Recommended Textbooks List’ similar to many other commercially published textbooks. To ensure the quality of the open textbooks on this website, we have used the same quality assurance procedure as that for the development of course materials for our university studies, i.e., we have used a development team made up of subject experts, editors and educational technologists; we also have monitored closed the development process of the open textbooks in order to ensure that each item admitted to the system is of the highest quality. |
B1. | Why should I, as a teacher, use open textbooks for teaching? |
Open textbooks offer the following benefits for teaching:
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B2. | How do I use open textbooks for my lessons / courses? |
There are many ways you can make use of the open textbooks.
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B3. | Can I make mass photocopies of the open textbooks for my students? |
Yes, you can always print our open textbooks, in whole or in part, for all your classes. |
B4. | Would training be provided if I use the open textbooks from your website? |
Yes. The open textbooks project will offer teacher training workshops on:
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B5. | Can I upload my own works (e.g. books, course materials, learning activity sheets) onto this website? |
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B6. | Why should I share my adapted open textbooks with other users? |
The value of open textbooks lies in the knowledge-sharing among peers. By exchanging experience and works you have developed:
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C1. | Why should students use open textbooks for learning? |
Open textbooks offer you many benefits:
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C2. | Can I turn the open textbooks into printed books? |
Yes, you can always print your own copies, whether in whole or in part. |
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