Emily Carr and Mozilla Launch Ebook on the Future of Learning

Editors Note: There is one photo associated with this press release.

In partnership with the Mozilla Foundation, Emily Carr University of Art + Design's Social and Interactive Media (SIM) Centre is pleased to announce the launch of the ebook - Learning, Freedom and the Web, by Anya Kamenetz and participants of the 2010 Mozilla Festival. Information on the launch can be found at http://bit.ly/LFWlaunch.

The book itself tackles crucial questions about the future of learning and this prompted Mozilla to think about the possibilities for publishing a book that went beyond the conventional codex. A book that discusses the implications of digital technology and open learning for the education system needed to reflect those developments in both its form and distribution. So it made sense to create not only a print book, but an ebook that could be read on a variety of devices - and not just read, but experienced in a whole new way.

Guided by design faculty Jonathan Aitken and Celeste Martin, along with SIM Director Alexandra Samuel, the project relied on the design and technical talents of four undergraduates: Briana Garelli, Justin Alm, Amy Wang and Danielle Hall. Working from the print book design by Chris Appleton, students created a digital text that related to the look and feel of the printed text, developing a navigation system that made the text both easy to browse and easy to search. Working with Vancouver-based development company Steamclock Software, the team recommended building the book in HTML5, Javascript and CSS. The students created animated illustrations, embedded videos, and did the majority of the hands-on coding to bring the book to life.

The ebook development project turned out to be such a good example of the kind of learning strategies described in LFW that it made its way into the final title as its own how-to. How to create an ebook walks readers through the steps they can take to build a book just like the one they are reading, including access to the source code itself.

The resulting book went online in late 2011, and will have its official online launch and discussion event January 25, 2012. Says SIM Centre Director Alexandra Samuel, "For Mozilla, the ebook was a chance to publish in a way that reflected the core concerns of the book by creating a title that was web-based, built on open standards, and most of all, just the kind of hands-on learning the book advocates."

Join us for an exciting conversation January 25, 9am-12pm Pacific Time (12-3pm EST) at http://mozilla.bigbluebutton.org. (For "room", choose "Mozilla", and for a "password", enter "mozilla". Enter whatever username you like.) Or join us in the IDS classroom (room 285, North building) to meet some of the folks who are participating in the chat - come by between 10-11am PST if you'd like to meet the faculty & student team behind the ebook.

About Emily Carr University of Art + Design

Emily Carr University of Art + Design, established in 1925, is a world leader in education and research. Encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media and technology, our learning community merges research, critical theory and studio practice in an interdisciplinary environment. Alumni and faculty are internationally recognized as award-winning creators and thought leaders who have enormous impact on both the cultural sector and economy. We engage students, industry, and society to continuously explore and think differently about creativity and how it shapes our world. Find out more at ecuad.ca.

To view a photo of how the ebook appears on a tablet, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20120124-emilycarr-0124-800.jpg .

Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Roxanne Toronto
Communications Officer
604.844.3075
roxanne@ecuad.ca
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Alexandra Samuel
Director, SIM Centre
604.726.5445
awsamuel@ecuad.ca
www.ecuad.ca

Mozilla's ebook, "Learning, Freedom and the Web", (written by Anya Kamenetz and participants of the 2010 Mozilla Festival), designed by Emily Carr University of Art + Design students.