The first reading, “A guide to making open textbooks with students” provided ways to alleviate students’ financial barriers, which is Open Educational Resources (OERs). The author provided the idea that students should not affect their motivation to learn because of high textbook fees (Mays, 2017). I had the experience that many professors wanted to help students to alleviate their financial barriers, they provided free digital textbooks or decided not to use the textbook. However, students who cannot afford the fee of textbooks may find informal ways to get textbooks, which is against the purpose of education. Also, I bought several textbooks of my elective books, I only attend one class for my interest, and the course may only cover few chapters of the textbook.

OERs are characterized by 5 Rs, which are retain, revise, remix, reuse, and redistributed. I understood that Open learning is a process that reviews your learning outcomes and does some remix and revised. Part of the final portfolio of EDCI339 is to review our past work, and add some new thoughts, and combined them.

Altering reading “Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Space,” the development of the digital community plays an important role in the Learning process of Indigenous culture. I have taken a course on Indigenous. I learned that most of their culture is passed on orally in the past. However, with the open and distributed learning environment, they can better retain their own culture and accept culture from different groups.

The last reading: “Digital Redlining, Access, and Privacy” demonstrated the idea of digital redlining. It is my first time recognized the problem. Digital redlining may shape our perceptions of race and gender.

I have though about the question: Will expensive textbooks be cancelled in the future?

Reference:

Mays, E. (Ed.). (2017). A guide to making open textbooks with students. Rebus Community.

Gilliard, C., & Culik, H. (2016, May 24). Digital Redlining, Access, and Privacy. Common Sense Education.

Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.