Company X shows interest in Moodle
Author: Shawn
I was recently queried through the email grapevine as to the following by Company X; “If we make Moodle content for our textbooks would you be interested?”
One of my bosses answered in a Reply All. “Not if we have to pay for it.”
I burst out laughing.
Moodle as open source carries with it a certain philosophy. I do hope that companies looking to develop on that platform will understand that and work with it. It is not an easy mind shift. Let me put it another way. Cost / Benefit. The cost to a publisher of making new materials for Moodle will be high. If the publisher expects to recoup the cost of hiring a materials creator, a tech supervisor, a manager, etc. etc. The project will become too expensive and will lose money. As you can see from the above comment, no one wants to pay for content on a open source system. Remember that Moodle itself is a core group of only about a dozen people. The rest is done basically on a volunteer basis by open source contributors. So then how is a publisher to make money here? If the company tries to use it for their own purposes …
Can a corporate publisher change its approach? is the real question. It requires quite a mind shift. Letting go control of the production of content and the process of production and learning to be the mediator, platform provider and let the teachers be the open source contributors that make the content for free. The publisher can and should of course product a small amount of core content to set the standard of provide an example. Just like Moodle itself. How this could be done would take me hours to lay down all my ideas – not suitable for email. (or blog)
But here is a simple version. A. The book (dead tree) is sold for profit. B.There may or may not also be a workbook (dead tree) and CD (audio or apps). C. There is then a 2nd “workbook” (the Moodle content) that the teachers are already creating themselves. D. There are mobile computing elements (coming soon, more later).
Now “D” is the important one here, the money maker. So Company X would be so very wise to get started on this now. When tablets and mobile devices take over (some of) the classroom content, if they have got this under their belt by that time, they could be a mile and a half ahead. (not miles – others WILL catch up fast).
Publishers have already spent millions hiring coders and developers to make unique computer CDROMS and websites – none of them are recouping the costs. It is WEB 1.0 all over again; 99% of websites failed by ’99. The “build it and they will come” error I call it. These are costly propositions not just in the initial faze, but to keep up to date as users (teachers and students) soon tire of the first iteration.
So how to keep that mile and a half ahead and not let it bankrupt you as a company? ”You” can’t – not as a “you” that has 100% control of the content because then “you” must continue to pay 100% of the cost. Simple realistic rule. 100% control = 100% cost.
Think of it this way. Not even Apple keeps 100% control. Most of the apps in the appstore are NOT apple apps. (Say that 10 times really fast) But THAT is why the iPad is 97% of tablets on the Internet and Samsung etc./ Google Android is 3%. They have apps created by “others” not them (read “you”).
Amazon just got in this game. They too know that the money is to be made in being the platform not the publisher.
So how does Company X make money and become a platform? Simple (well l am speaking in relative terms) … avoid the 100% cost. You do not have to be Apple or Amazon, it can be done on scale. Instructors are already making their own content. Let them make it, let them have it, let them … no, ask them to share their content back and join the 100s of others who use the same “workbook” (C) content. Set up a company sponsored Moodle as a place to tweak and share. Load it with simple content, quizzes and etc. to keep users coming in. Allow them to comment on it, add to it, critique it make it better. Then take it away with them.
Okay, at this point you think I am crazy. ”My boss will never go for this.” You are saying.
You may be right. Most publishers have rejected this model. Yours may too. Even if the boss say yes but tries to add a little “control” to it… remember the 100% rule. Collaboration is not something anyone can control.
The up side here is that the publishing company can start small. This can be done with say, one text, one workbook. Minimal cost and minimal repercussions if it fails to find an audience (with that book). But I hope even if that failed, a company would try a different book. So how to choose? Again, give up control and let the audience choose.
They are already making content. Start with that. Let them choose. Just open a platform for the book that people are already converting to Moodle use and support it. You can try to guess, but using the wisdom of the crowd or “crowd sourcing” will give you the answer much faster.
It will be a scary ride at first to see your cherished product torn apart in a forum. But what rises from the ashes … (will stop here).
The cost of doing a BETA run of this kind is minimal. The risk to reputation is minimal and even if it fails the reputation to your company for being the first to try will be “currency” that will carry it forward on the next try. The users themselves will make it (the 2nd “workbook”), it will cost you only to maintain a Moodle forum to support it and gain from it. The profit will come in the many hundreds more books and workbooks sold (dead trees).
And this does not even yet mention the future possibility of adding a charge/licence a student to “buy” or “join” in the use of the online content.
More on that later. It is not yet time for that. Do not want to give away all my secrets yet.
For more about public sharing. See Jeff Jarvis talking about his new book.
Bit.ly link for this posting http://bit.ly/mY46v5