Why Open Textbooks Are Better

On My Mind...After being out of school for 13 years, I decided to go back to gain new programming skills.  When I registered for my classes, I looked up the textbooks the instructors assigned.  To my amazement, the cost of textbooks were astronomical.  Sure, textbooks were expensive over a decade ago, but I didn’t have to spend a whole paycheck on one book!

I have also had the unique experience of working in a college bookstore.  I would see students come into the store, look at the price of their books, and walk right out.  I have had parent of students yell at me about the expensive books, as if I actually set the prices.  I have also seen students or parents have their credit cards declined because they can’t afford the books.

The growing cost of tuition is difficult enough, but when you add in textbook costs, that can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.  Unfortunately, I have seen students drop out of classes because of book costs.  Then there are students who attempt to do the class without the textbook and end up failing the class.

Sometimes I would recommend that the parents or students try to find the book for cheaper online.  However, more than likely the cheaper books online are older editions, and usually the professor wants to use the most recent edition. You just can’t win here…

Why are textbooks so expensive?

  1. Monopoly – Technically five publishers in the United States have a monopoly on the $7 billion college textbook industry, so they can get away with setting higher prices.  According to Textbook Equity, “the top three parent publishers, Pearson, Cengage, and McGraw-Hill accounted for 74% of the textbooks sold, each with over a 20% share.  This is why they can get away with charging nearly $300 for a French book!
  2. Under the table – Some publishers “pay” professors under the table to use their textbooks in classes.  Compensation doesn’t necessarily mean money exchanged.  I had a professor tell me once that he was using a particular textbook because the publisher offered him discounts for a new laptop and credit on professional development certification.  It turns out that the textbook he used is not the best book on the market for teaching that particular subject, but it offered him incentives.  Maybe that’s great for the instructor, but not for the students.
  3. Unaware Professors –  Some professors are just unaware and are not in touch with their students’ financial limitations.  This is more true at expensive private schools where tuition is 50 or 60K a year and the professors are given a couple hundred thousand dollars in yearly tenured salary.  If a professor is “teaching” a class with a couple hundred students in the room, but their graduate assistants are doing all the teaching, they are most likely have no idea how much students are suffering financially.
  4. School Policy – A school might have a long-term contract with a particular publisher and is not willing to change policy.  This is seen especially at public colleges and universities.

So there is this growing movement to bring “open textbooks” to campus.  Open textbooks are are the same as commercial textbooks, but they have an open copyright license that can be accessed and shared by both students and professors.  You can either get the e-textbook for free online or purchase the hardcover for very little money.  They are written and reviewed by other professors.  Instructors can adapt it for their class, add or change material and remove unnecessary chapters that won’t be used in class.  According to Student PIRG, students save on average 80 percent on textbook costs when they use open materials.  A growing number of schools are going this route as an alternative to pricey textbooks.

Open textbooks also fits in perfectly with the larger open education community, which is being led by Khan Academy and MIT’s OpenCourseWare.

David Wiley is one of the most visible college professors leading the open education movement.  He gave an interesting talk on this subject at TED a few years ago.

It’s time to make education a priority, not money.

How To Better Manage Your Time

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wall clockWe all have busy lives.  I know I certainly do.  Between all the different media and GWA projects I’m dealing with, maneuvering family obligations, going back to school and trying to have something that resembles a social life, time management can be quite daunting sometimes.  My day usually starts at 4:30am with some type of exercise (jogging, yoga or cycling) and whines down around 10pm.

I was never really a very organized person until I started running a business, and quickly realized that I had to learn how to manage my time and resources better.  Over the last fifteen years, I have tried different techniques that have worked well for me, and I would like to share with you.

  1. Do a time audit: I like doing a time audit at least once a month.  Write down all the activities you do on a regular basis at work, home, school etc in a chart.  Are there things you could do in less time or do you need to dedicate more time to that activity?  Are there certain activities that can be done in the evening or weekends?  Can you delegate it to someone else?  Putting your activities on paper and strategizing them will give you a better perspective of how your use your time.
  2. Create a daily to-do list: Everyday I write down a list of activities that I need to get done that day, with the most important items at the top of the list.  Again, I am better at getting things done when it is written down on paper.  It is almost like creating a contract for myself, because if I don’t do things on the list, I feel guilty at the end of the day.
  3. Do the most important activities first thing in the morning: If you have daily routines that are important for you to do, do it first thing in the morning.  This is why I do my exercises really early.  Also, while Global Wire Associates officially starts business operations at 8am ET, I like to get started on important, time-sensitive client work and administrative duties before I get deluged in phone calls and emails from clients and staff.
  4. Schedule appointments with yourself for high-priority actions: If I can’t do something in the morning, I block off time in my calendar for that activities.  Most of the time this is done for family obligations.
  5. Set reminders in the calendar: I set reminders in my calendar for when certain activities are due, like paying bills and doing client follow-up.
  6. It’s better to be early than late: I hate having to work on a close deadline; I get really stressed out and end up not doing my best work.  Instead, I strive to get projects done ahead of schedule.  No client has ever complained about a project getting done early.
  7. Don’t answer the phone at certain times: I tell my clients to only call between 8am and 7pm.  After 7pm, I turn my business phone off for the day.  Unless there is a highly unlikely emergency, it can wait until the next day.  If you allow yourself to be a slave to your phone, you will never get anything done.
  8. Block out time for emails, text, and social media: It is pretty standard today that we constantly look at our mobiles or tablets for incoming communications nonstop.  I find that I never get anything done when I am on Twitter, Facebook, the blogs and reading non-business related email and texts all day long.  I block out time to do this in the evening instead.
  9. Batch similar tasks together: If I have to update one website for a client, why not update all the client websites with that same procedure at the same time. Again, it better to do it now when you are thinking about than doing it later.
  10. Delegate your work: Are there home or work activities that you can delegate to an employee, spouse, friend or your kids? I know I do this often.  You should do this too.  With that said…
  11. It’s okay to say “no”: Sometimes you want to impress clients, or be a great friend or significant other, or do good by the people you care about in your life.  But the reality here is that there is only so much time in a day, and if you don’t have the time to do something, sometimes it is best to be honest with yourself and tell others “no.”
  12. Schedule time for breaks and interruptions: Sure, you should take a tea time and lunch because we are human and we need a break sometimes.  Also, because we are human, life happens and things can go left or right unexpectedly.  Sometimes you have to stop what you are doing to deal with a sick family member or fix a client’s problem.  We always have to be ready for life interrupted.

Sometimes even with the best of intentions, we still can’t get everything done when we need it done.  However, having a plan for dealing with time management can make life a little easier.

10 Tips and Resources for Small Business Owners

Small Business WeekIt’s National Small Business Week; a great time to recognize the contributions entrepreneurs make to the American economy.  In addition to running my own business, I also spend my time helping other small business owners in my area by volunteering on my local economic development committee.  I like sharing tips and resources that have helped me along the way that could be useful to others.  Some of them I wish I had known about when I first started out years ago.  So here we go:

  1. Create and Update Your Business Plan: Yes, every business should have one.  Taking the time to write up a business plan will guide you on financial and marketing matters and strategic planning. It will also force you to think about the direction you want to take your business.  Have your trusted friends and family members look it over for you.  You will need one if you plan to ask for loans from banks or investors.  You should look over the plan at least once a year to make sure you are meeting expectations and update it with new strategies.
  2. Competition and Market Research: You always need to be checking in with what your competition is doing and how your customers are responding because that will affect your business.  Before putting together a business plan, do a competitive analysis and a market research study to set up more realistic goals.
  3. Find Mentors: It’s essential to find one or two people who you can lean on for business advice and guidance.  Mentors can be other business owners who also work in your industry, but this doesn’t always have to be the case.  Are their small business owners in your own neighborhood who seem successful and you would like to learn from?  I talk to the guy who owns the local dry cleaner about how to do better bookkeeping sometimes.  Sometimes free business advice is literally around the corner!
  4. Networking:  Sometimes, as entrepreneurs, we get so busy and entangled with our work that we feel like we are working in a vacuum.  It’s a great idea to go to networking receptions and conferences or join online meetups to find other like-minded entrepreneurs to share ideas and find potential business partners and clients.
  5. Always Have Business Cards: This should be obvious. But it always surprises me when I go to networking receptions, where the whole idea of the event is to make new potential business connections, and many attendees don’t have a business card to share.  You are always representing your business everywhere you go, and should always be ready to sell yourself no matter where you are by having business cards and a few fliers.  You should also have a short elevator speech ready to go if you have the opportunity to advertise yourself.  I got a new client once while standing in line at a hardware store! You never know where the next business opportunity will come from, so you might as well be ready when it happens.
  6. Cold Calling/Emailing: If you want to attract new customers, sometimes you have to go directly to them.  Yes, it is terrifying to cold call or email someone you don’t know and make a case for why they should give you their business.  Cold communications help you to build confidence in yourself and your business.  On average, when I cold communicate, I usually get one or two new clients out 20 calls a week.
  7. Utilize Your Local Business Development Resources: There are a lot of resources available for small business owners.  You should first check out your local SCORE office, the board of trade or Main Streets branch to find business advice and mentors.  You can also get free or inexpensive technical assistance at these places, like setting up a marketing plan or obtaining legal advice.  Speaking of which…
  8. Get Legal Assistance: I really want to stress the importance of seeking out a lawyer when setting up your business.  Lawyers can help you with your business legal structure (sole proprietorship, LLC, S Corp, etc.), get permits, create contracts, and set up quarterly tax payments.  Not many people like dealing with lawyers, but it is better to be safe than sorry later on when legal troubles do come up.
  9. Get Insurance: Yes, you need to ensure every aspect of your business.  When life happens, don’t allow your business to suffer because you didn’t have insurance to protect against a disaster. All of my computers are insured because if anything goes wrong, it won’t dramatically harm my business.
  10. Be Patient and Compassionate: Sometimes, as small business owners, we get so overwhelmed with our work that we forget why we became small business owners in the first place.  When you get to this place, take a step back for a moment.  With everything in life, sometimes things don’t always go the way you would like them to, so it is essential to not only be patient and compassionate with others but also with yourself.  Be resourceful and think of alternative solutions to a problem with tact and professionalism.

Time To Embrace Web Diversity

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images of different mobile phones and browser iconsSo it is kind of intentional that I have been writing about diversity as of late, whether it be intercultural, workplace or literature diversity.  As a web developer, I have to always be thinking about building websites that communicate to and are accessible to all people.  I recently went to a talk by Rob Larsen, a front-end developer and author of The Uncertain Web.  He made some really good points. Essentially he says that it is time to embrace web diversity.

By web diversity, he means identifying and embracing your online audience, no matter their technological know-how or access.  To do this, Larsen suggests focusing on website solutions that are optimized, not absolute.  With the rapid growth of mobile technology use, an optimized website should look good on a computer, mobile phone or tablet.  More than half of the world’s Internet traffic today comes from mobile devices.  Google just announced that its search engines will now give preference to mobile-friendly website.

Developers also have to create websites that look good on all browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and, yes, even Internet Explorer.  While Windows’ problematic browser is reviled among design professionals, Internet Explorer is still the most widely used browser in the world.

Sometimes designers and developers have so many tech bias that we forget that most of the world doesn’t use or have access to the latest, cutting edge technology.  MacBooks and iPhones are pretty awesome, but most people use PCs and Androids.  I personally use a PC and a Mac simulator to build websites and my mobile is a BlackBerry.  Yes, people still use BlackBerrys!  I use it because I need a real QWERTY keyboard for typing the dozens of emails and texts daily.  I am also a government contractor, and many of the agencies I do work for require that I use a BlackBerry for security purposes.

Most people are not that tech-savvy, so it is always better to design websites for functionality first, like the three-click rule, where users should be able to find anything on a website within three clicks.

Web diversity also means embracing all abilities and disabilities.  There are approximately one billion people with disabilities worldwide and websites need to address their needs appropriately.

For example, try using your website without a mouse and a keyboard.  If you are not able to use the site by only touching the screen, it is time to redesign the website to better accommodate those with motor disabilities.  You also have to take into consideration visual blindness, poor eyesight and color blindness when you use certain colors, text and images.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a good place to learn more about accessibility issues.  Embracing accessibility provides an added benefit for all users, regardless of ability.  For example, closed captioning was originally designed for hearing impaired users, but it also benefits those watching online videos in a noisy environment and people learning the language being spoken in the video and need to follow the transcription.

The Web should be as diverse as the people using it.

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