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NoTiG
August 30th, 2005, 01:25 PM
What is needed, I think are wikitexts... sort of like wikipedia where the community contributes. A collaborative compendium of knowledge would help education, and elminate those who sap off the system, as in, make a profit from learning. Right now in my college for instance, every year or few years the texts are slightly changed or altered... so that the books can be resold anew for profit. This is entirely pointless and inimical to students who try to learn. The basic premise is that subjects do not really change much over time... think of algebra.. it's rules are in the public domain... shouldn't more subjects be in the public domain as well? Of course there are probably some situations (like in an evolving field) where it might not be as suitable.

I have always thought myself that books were the best teachers, and in fact I have never really had to ask a teacher a question because the answer could always be found in the book we were using. In the future with really cheap electronic displays (foldable OLED screens), really cheap storage devices ( whole libraries will fit in drives just inches in scale, and free software to run the backbone (ubuntu) ... what is needed is Wikitexts i think.

wirebrain
August 30th, 2005, 01:33 PM
like wikibooks.org ?

NoTiG
August 30th, 2005, 01:43 PM
yes exactly :P

UbuWu
August 30th, 2005, 01:50 PM
The basic premise is that subjects do not really change much over time... think of algebra..

Wiki's are especially good for fast-changing subjects because they don't get out-of-date like books do. I could use a 10 year old algebra book these days, but for something like medicine that is not possible. That is one of the things wiki's excel in.

Lord Illidan
August 30th, 2005, 01:53 PM
Aye, I agree.

Though most of the content of the wikibooks is not good enough, to be called a book. Sometimes it seems that the author gave up half-way...

I know, it is a volunteership effort, but sometimes, nothing can beat a real book...

NoTiG
August 30th, 2005, 02:04 PM
Wiki's are especially good for fast-changing subjects because they don't get out-of-date like books do. I could use a 10 year old algebra book these days, but for something like medicine that is not possible. That is one of the things wiki's excel in.

Good points. What i meant though was that once a subject was written, if it didn't change then eventually it shouldn't be to hard to keep it up to date, since after all its a volunteer effort.

Also, after looking at the wikibook site, it doesn't look like its close to being ready for education yet. But after all it only started 2003. Maybe once more people know about it, then it will accelerate.....

or maybe what can happen are older books, which are past their copyright (is it 70 years?) can be subsituted in, then changed as time goes on. That way they won't have to start from scratch.

Lord Illidan
August 30th, 2005, 02:06 PM
About the older books, it would be great to have an online e-archive. Imagine that!

UbuWu
August 30th, 2005, 05:03 PM
About the older books, it would be great to have an online e-archive. Imagine that!

Like Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/) ?