e-Textbooks for free

Written by Nathan Smith on June 8, 2016. Posted in Education, Internet Resources, Website.

e-Textbooks are becoming more popular. The CK-12 site below has them for free. e-textbooks can immerse the student more deeply than a regular textbook can, by adding video, simulations, motion graphics, interactive quizzes, and more. If you'd like to experience a great set of e-textbooks for free – these work in iBooks on Macs and iOS devices – try Edward O. Wilson's Life on Earth series.

Below are a few suggestions of other technologies that could be used as models and simulations to explore complex systems and processes.

CK-12 is committed to providing free access to open-source content (often called Open Education Resources or OER) and technology tools that empower students as well as teachers to enhance and experiment with different learning styles, resources, levels of competence, and circumstances. Here is a link to their vision statement – it's worth skimming through it.

CK-12's collection of resources include PLIX textbooks. These are interactive, and contain many simulations. Explore this a little. How could a technology resource such as this help your classroom?

Article: 106,000 free teacher-created digital textbooks hit the web – eSchoolNews.

If you'd like more information about Open Education Resources, visit my OER website, Creative Commons, M.I.T OpenCourseWare, YouTube Education, and the OpenCourseWare Consortium!

Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is Director of Technology for the College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. In that role, he also directs The Adele & Dale Young Education Technology Center (The YETC) located in room 170 of the Education Building on Utah State University's Logan campus. The YETC is a combination student openaccess computer facility, a K12 curriculum materials library, a NASA Educator Resource Center for Utah, and a technology training center. Nathan served eight years (20042012) on the Board of Directors for the Utah Coalition for Education Technology (UCET) He was reelected in 2014 to serve another two year term on the board. A former elementary school teacher, Nathan has taught students every age from young children to senior citizens. He has had the opportunity beginning in 2011 to train international high school teachers from all over the world about technology in education, through the U.S. State