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The idea of open source textbooks is not a new one, this wiki is a result of a quick blog post and conversation on twitter. The easiest way to get this started is to copy my original blog post:

//"I've been spending some time recently writing up a book of notes for Standard Grade Craft and Design. There is a booklet of notes that have been in every school I’ve been in. I think they were originally written by a teacher at Penicuik High School, but I’m not sure.// //They are a pretty comprehensive set of notes and I use them a lot, however nobody seems to know about where they came from or what the copyright issues are for sharing them about. So, I’ve been writing up my own booklet based quite closely on these existing notes, with the intention of releasing them freely under a Creative Commons license so people can change them to suit their own needs. I’ve done about 45 pages so far.//

//Then I got thinking though, after reading We-Think by Charles Leadbetter, if I should be doing this all myself or if I would be better to try and get them written collaboratively, in a more open source sort of way. I’m not sure how if would work but I envisage some place - like a wiki but with more control over the layout - where people can contribute, edit, discuss, and importantly take, the content.//

//Does anyone know of something like this happening for a school book already? Or of an online environment that would allow for this easily?// //Does anyone think it could work?// //And the big question: Does anyone want to help? Or would I end up writing it all myself anyway?"//

//Source:// []

After writing this a lot of people got back to me and were on the whole positive, and so this wiki is born. I am a little apprehensive at publishing what I've written straight away so I thought this wiki could be a place to explore how it would work in practice. Below are three 'rules' that I think might be key to anything produced under what I've currently termed //OpenSource Textbooks//. The name could of course change, and so could these rules. I don't want to be the owner of this, I want it to be an organic self-governing system. I've also added into the discussion of this page my reasonging for these proposed rules, it would be great to see som responses there, as they are just initial ideas and nothing is fixed in place yet.

Rules of OpenSource Textbooks

 * 1) Creative Commons Licensing. Free to use, share, modify, but : no commercial use, and crucially share alike.
 * 2) Anything contributed must be made available to be edited - it must be open source.
 * 3) There must be some sort of quality control. Even if it just a message saying 'this isn't finished yet.'

What do you think? What could be produced in this way? How could we organise such a way of working? Do you know a suitable [|CVS] ? Ian Stuart suggested using [|Live Mesh].

Logo Image Attribution: [|Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls: 5/9f] by [|Pedro_qtc] The image in the rough logo at the top is of some Castellers in Tarragona, I've never witnessed these in person, but I've always thought the image would suit perfectly some sort of online project where sharing and collaboration is key.