10 III G. Creating OER: Tools for Authoring and Publishing
10 III G. Creating OER: Tools for Authoring and Publishing
There are dozens of tools available for authoring, publishing, and sharing your OER. Consider the following questions when selecting a tool:
- What technology platforms am I already comfortable using? Do I want to learn to use a new tool as I author my OER?
- What technology platforms are my audience most comfortable using? Will authoring or publishing in a particular platform require them to learn a new tool?
- If someone wants to reuse or adapt my content, will it be simple for them to do that with the format(s) I’ve made available?
- Do I have budget to pay for access to a tool or for advanced features in an otherwise free tool?
Authors usually select an authoring tool based on experience and comfort. For example, many writers use Microsoft Word because they know it well and their institution provides them with it.
An authoring tool may also be a publishing tool. Certainly many tools work to meet both needs. In addition, there are new tools currently in development that aim to robustly support authoring and publishing functions in one. For now, there are often tradeoffs between the two, and many authors write using one tool then publish using another.
Google Docs and MS Word
Arguably the two most popular authoring tools for writing textbooks are Google Docs and MS Word.
Google Docs is free and online. It allows for multiple authors and editing, which can work well for groups writing together. Collaborators can @ each other with comments, make suggestions and track revisions. You can also upload existing files to Google Docs, and export to both PDF and EPUB.
Microsoft Word is a tool available for purchase and installation on a personal computer. Most people have access to it through their institution. Users have to deliver the file to others in order for them to access it, usually via email or online file sharing. It is possible to track changes and ask others to leave comments and suggestions. You can save a Word file as a PDF.
If you are a Word user who seeks the collaborative aspects of Google Docs, consider Office 2016 or using OneDrive, using these options, users can “Save to Cloud” and then invite collaborators to work together in real time.
Pressbooks
In addition, especially for authors familiar with WordPress, Pressbooks is another popular authoring tool. “Pressbooks is simple book production software. Write your own book on Pressbooks, or import your manuscript, choose a book design theme, and export into all the file formats you need to publish your books:
- MOBI format (for Kindle ebooks)
- EPUB format (for all other ebookstores)
- designed PDF (for print-on-demand)
- more exotic XML formats
Pressbooks is used by authors and publishers around the world.” (From https://pressbooks.com/about/)
Canvas and Commons
If your institution uses the Learning Management Software titled Canvas, you can openly share that content via the Canvas Commons. You may have already authored course c