Wikibooks

Wikibooks is a digital library of free Wikipedia-style ebooks and textbooks that can be edited by anyone, similar to Wikiversity and Wiktionary. Founded in 2003 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, Wikibooks is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts Wikinews, Wikiquote, and Wikispecies. The project is supported by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, and has sister projects such as Wikidata and Wikivoyage. Wikibooks is available in many languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Chinese.

Introduction

Wikibooks is an online collection of open-content textbooks and ebooks that can be freely used, modified, and distributed by anyone, similar to Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive. The project aims to provide a wide range of educational materials, including textbooks, study guides, and language learning resources, such as Duolingo and Rosetta Stone. Wikibooks is based on the wiki model, which allows users to create and edit content using a web browser, similar to MediaWiki and WikiBase. The project is supported by a community of volunteers, including Richard Stallman, Lawrence Lessig, and Tim Berners-Lee, who contribute to the development and maintenance of the site.

History

The history of Wikibooks dates back to 2003, when it was launched as a separate project from Wikipedia by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. The first book published on Wikibooks was a mathematics textbook, which was created by a group of volunteers, including Donald Knuth and Andrew Wiles. Since then, the project has grown rapidly, with thousands of books and textbooks being created and edited by users from around the world, including Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wikibooks has also been supported by organizations such as UNESCO, World Bank, and European Union, which have contributed to the development of educational resources on the site.

Content

The content on Wikibooks is diverse and includes a wide range of subjects, such as physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science, with notable contributors including Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Bill Gates. The site also hosts a collection of language learning resources, including textbooks and study guides for languages such as English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese, with partnerships with BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera. Additionally, Wikibooks has a large collection of cookbooks and recipes, with contributions from Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, and Anthony Bourdain. The content on Wikibooks is licensed under the Creative Commons license, which allows users to freely use, modify, and distribute the materials, similar to OpenStreetMap and Linux.

Features

Wikibooks has several features that make it a useful resource for learners and educators, including WikiEducator and Open Education Consortium. The site allows users to create and edit content using a web browser, and also provides tools for tracking changes and discussing content, similar to GitHub and Stack Overflow. Wikibooks also has a feature called "modules", which allows users to create and organize content into smaller, reusable units, similar to Coursera and edX. The site also provides a range of templates and tools to help users create and format content, including LaTeX and Markdown. Additionally, Wikibooks has a mobile app, which allows users to access and edit content on-the-go, similar to Wikipedia Mobile and Duolingo.

Community

The Wikibooks community is made up of volunteers from around the world, including Wikipedia editors, Wikimedia Commons contributors, and Wikidata developers. The community is supported by a range of wiki tools and resources, including MediaWiki and WikiBase. The community also has a range of policies and guidelines that govern the creation and editing of content, similar to Wikipedia:Verifiability and Wikipedia:Neutral point of view. The community is also supported by a range of organizations, including Wikimedia Foundation, Creative Commons, and Open Knowledge Foundation, with partnerships with Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Usage

Wikibooks is used by a wide range of people, including students, teachers, and researchers, from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The site is also used by organizations and businesses, such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google, which use the content to support their training and education programs, similar to Coursera and edX. Additionally, Wikibooks is used by language learning platforms, such as Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, which use the content to support their language learning courses, with contributions from BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera. The site is also used by developers and programmers, who use the content to support their software development and programming projects, similar to GitHub and Stack Overflow. Overall, Wikibooks is a valuable resource for anyone looking for free and open educational content, with support from UNESCO, World Bank, and European Union. Category:Online education