XplanaZine

Online books may ease students’ money woes
A coalition of students and professors from more than 100 campuses across the nation have concluded that textbook prices have become a barrier to affordable education. Surveys conducted by the University of California System, the California Student Public Interest Research Group and the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group found that the average student now pays approximately $900 a year for textbooks, which is nearly a fifth of the total tuition and fees at most four-year public institutions. The rising costs and aggressive tactics of publishers have caused many education and research organizations to unite, leading to the formation of the Make Textbooks Affordable Campaign and The Open Textbook Campaign. Open Textbooks are online, open-access, digital textbooks that can be downloaded, printed and recreated without expressed permission from the author. The Make Text Books Affordable website currently lists more than 70 Open Textbooks that have been published and used at a variety of universities. The textbooks range in price from $30 to free. — The Rebel Yell (University of Nevada)

Outsell, Inc. Issues Trio of Reports Analyzing Markets for Education Content, Technology, and Related Services
Outsell, Inc. has published three significant reports as part of its recently expanded education coverage. The reports examine what educators are doing with information, identifying what those at the forefront are using, and where they are investing: K-12 Education Market 2007: Key Trends and Dynamics, Mainstreaming K-12 Special Needs Students: Impact on Products and Services, and Digital Content: Analyzing Demand in the Postsecondary Education Market. — BusinessWire

Study: Teens See Disconnect Between Personal and School Writing
Students see a distinction between the writing they do for school and the writing they do in their personal lives. While the vast majority of 12- to 17-year-olds (85 percent) engage in some form of electronic writing–IM, e-mail, blog posts, text messages, etc.–most (60 percent) don’t consider this actual writing. That’s one of the findings from a study released last week by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools and Colleges.However, 64 percent admitted that conventions from their informal writing do creep into their formal writing occasionally (such as the use of emoticons and common abbreviations, like LOL). The study, Writing, Technology and Teens, involved 700 students aged 12 to 17 and their parents. — The Journal

More than scores, the quality of education is what matters: study
As the center of gravity of technology development and innovation shifts to emerging economies, developed nations have begun taking stock of their science and math education, believed to be determinants of a country’s place in the new global economy. But two articles in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature say caution is needed so that we do not create policies that overstock the science and technology workforce. The authors dispel some of the myths associated with international science and math testing scores, and also point out how school teaching has lagged even in continental Europe. — LiveMint

Study challenges stereotype of tech entrepreneurs
Twenty-somethings with dreams of starting technology companies shouldn’t worry about competing with each other. It’s their parents they need to watch out for. Twice as many U.S.-born tech entrepreneur start ventures in their 50s as do in their early 20s, according to a study released on May 1 by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Results challenge the stereotype of the typical tech entrepreneur as college-age whiz kids. — Kansas City Business Journal