Free Online Textbooks for Education Majors

While in many ways teaching hasn't changed for thousands of years, the past few decades have seen advances in technology that have revolutionized the way many teachers teach.

Educators now have to not only be well-versed in their subject areas but also on how to incorporate technology into their classrooms. Online Degree Discussion is dedicated to online learning, the latest in a long-line of changes taking place in classrooms around the world.

I hope to continually add more free online textbooks for education majors to this list. It doesn't surprise me that most of the online textbooks for educators that I've found related to using technology in the classroom.

I do hope future educators, who make use of sites like mine, embrace the open textbook revolution and opt to select course materials for their own students that can be obtained online for free or significantly lower costs than traditional printed materials.

A Guide to Promising Practices in Educational Partnerships

Free online educational textbook on educational partnerships sponsored by Educational Partnerships Program Office of Educational Research and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. The work was written by Jacqueline Danzberger and Cristina Bodinger-deUriarte of the Southwest Regional Laboratory and Michele Clark from the Institute for Educational Leadership. Published April 1996.

Last Verified: (Nov 15, 2011)

Accessible Elements: Teaching Science Online and at a Distance

Science is one of those disciplines that some consider among the most challenging to offer online. This textbook for science educators is a guide for delivering "laboratory coursework, the requisite administrative and institutional aspects of online and distance teaching, and the relevant educational theory." Work was edited by Dietmar Kennepohl and Lawton Shaw, both on the faculty of Athabasca University.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Education for an Information Age

This online education textbook written by Bernard John Poole, MSIS, PGCE University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Johnstown, PA, USA and Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain, MLS Least Tern, Georgetown, ME, USA, is intended for the K-12 education major or in-service teacher. It is designed to help K-12 educators utilize computers in their classrooms and become a more effective teacher. It is presented as a series of PDF files.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology

This online textbook is edited by Michael Orey of the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia. The text covers topics on how people learn and think as well as theories that focus on the learner and the role of instruction in changing a learner's mind.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Facilitating Online

While I'm not sure what would be different for African educational institutions than others, this textbook was written with the Anglophone Africa facilitator in mind. This online text is set up as a five week course designed for students to develop the tools needed to utilize online discussion forums, chat rooms, wikis and blogs.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Implementing Schoolwide Projects, an Idea Book

Written in May 1994, this online textbook-style report discusses 21 successful schoolwide projects. The projects and schools represent a wide diversity of students across the country. The text was prepared for the US Department of Education by Policy Studies Associates.

Last Verified: (Nov 15, 2011)

Learning Spaces

From the site, "Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments: faculty, learning technologists, librarians, and administrators. Information technology has brought unique capabilities to learning spaces, whether stimulating greater interaction through the use of collaborative tools, videoconferencing with international experts, or opening virtual worlds for exploration." Along with this textbook for educators, the site offers case studies. Printed copies are available for purchase.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Open Educational Resources Educator Handbook

David Wiley, PhD Associate Director of the Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling at Brigham Young University is the principle author and editor of this open textbook for educators. It is designed to help educators design their own open educational resources.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education

Online textbook that was created as part of an education course, ECI 301, at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. It was written by undergraduate education majors and each chapter was researched, developed and peer-reviewed by the students.

Last Verified: (Sep 8, 2011)

Teaching in the Switched On Classroom

Kent L. Norman from the University of Maryland is most well-know for his studies in the field of cyberpsychology. He's a member of the university's Department of Psychology and wrote this book in the late 1990s to help educators decide which technologies can provide the best results when introduced into the classroom. Do keep in mind, that this book predates YouTube, social media, live video and a number of other major changes in how we use the Internet.

Last Verified: (Sep 4, 2011)

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