Arne Duncan: DITCH TRADITIONAL TEXTBOOKS FOR ‘OPENLY LICENSED DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES’- U.S. would mandate that all copyright materials developed with federal funds have open license

by e-mail from Fritzwire

Oct 30 2105  12:03 AM ::    Education Secretary Arne Duncan yesterday urged schools and districts to ditch the traditional textbooks and try openly licensed digital educational resources instead. He made his remarks at the Open Education Symposium in D.C. He'll also talk about federal efforts to ensure all students have access to such resources.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today the launch of #GoOpen, a campaign to encourage states, school districts and educators to use openly licensed educational materials. As part of the campaign, the Department is proposing a new regulation that would require all copy rightable intellectual property created with Department grant funds to have an open license.

"In order to ensure that all students - no matter their zip code - have access to high-quality learning resources, we are encouraging districts and states to move away from traditional textbooks and toward freely accessible, openly-licensed materials," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. "Districts across the country are transforming learning by using materials that can be constantly updated and adjusted to meet students' needs."

The announcements were made at an Open Education Symposium hosted by the Department and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for state and district superintendents and other educators from across the country committed to adopting openly licensed educational materials. They were joined by innovators from education technology companies and nonprofit organizations who have committed to working alongside these districts to create new tools that help educators find, adapt, create, and share resources.

With the proposed policy, the Department joins the U.S. Department of Labor, USAID, State, and other Federal agencies in leading the Administration's open government initiatives. After the proposed policy is published in the Federal Register, members of the public can submit comments for thirty days at regulations -- http://www.regulations.gov/#!home