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At the beginning of this video, David Wiley describes the textbook as the "imposed curriculum". Open textbooks, on the other hand, enable educators to improve the course as they see fit.

"Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut today announced a joint pilot program between the University System of Ohio and Flat World Knowledge, the largest publisher of free and open college textbooks for students worldwide. The program will allow 1,000 Ohio students to receive digital textbooks for free."

Here's a graph from a recent presentation by Anya Kamenetz about the price index of different components.

The reason is that the big publishers have rounded up the journals with the highest academic impact factors, in which publication is essential for researchers trying to secure grants and advance their careers. You can start reading open-access journals, but you can't stop reading the closed ones.

Virtual professional development for 21st Century educators, Online PD, Web 2.0 tools, free 21st Century curriculum

DIY professional development for K12 educators.

"Ohio Gov. John Kasich has ordered state universities to investigate ways for students to get a bachelor's degree in three years. The hope is that three-year degrees will help save students money and get them into the job market more quickly."

"I would consider it - although, given that one of my main goals right now is to get promoted to Full Professor, I need to focus on research that is published in academic journals rather than write a textbook. "