One of my goals with The Free Textbook List is to share with you only those learning resources and free online textbooks that can be freely access by anyone. It’s rare that I make exceptions but Life on Earth is one of them. The material is offered for free via iTunes which unfortunately means it is only viewable to folks with Apple equipment, i.e. an iPad or Mac.
If I were building educational materials to study the vast array of plant and animal life on this Earth, it would look a lot like this. Photographs and embedded videos, of the sort often seen on a National Geographic special, are used to teach students about the world around us.
Edward O. Wilson, a well-known sociobiologist, conservationist and the author of the only professional science work to win a Pulitzer Prize has brought together an extensive team of professionals to create Life on Earth. Educators, writers, textbook professionals, multimedia artists and 3D animators trained in science and cinema have all contributed to this major work in the study of biology.
The material is divided into 7 units with a total of 41 chapters.
The Foundation website explains that Life on Earth is a gift for students, families and concerned individuals. At the time I added it to The Free Textbook List it was available for free in 151 countries. It is considered a high-school level, introductory biology course and textbook.
Life on Earth Section Titles
- Unity & Diversity of Life on Earth
- Guided Tour of the Living Cell
- Genetics
- Animal Physiology
- Plant Physiology
- Guided Tour of Biodiversity
- Guided Tour of Ecosystems
Added note: these files are huge. If you have a lousy AT&T or other slow Internet connection, plan on waiting a while for each section to download. Trust me when I say it was totally worth the wait.
View this Free Online Material at the source:
Life on Earth
