Continuing to Learn about the Cloud

Here is a short video on the history of cloud computing that has some interesting information.

 


In order to continue to understand cloud computing, we must move beyond the definition and history of cloud computing.  It is now time to turn our attention to what makes cloud computing possible.  I will also share with you some of the advantages and disadvantages of using this service.

Software and Hardware Requirements

So, you want to connect to a cloud system.  In order to do that, there are some minimum requirements that are necessary. In order to connect to a cloud you need to have the following:

• A computing device (desktop, laptop, iPad, tablet, etc…) that has the ability to hook up and access the Internet or Web.
• A working internet or network connection
• A server that is connected to an infrastructure where the Cloud based application is stored. (Bohrer, 2012).

Advantages, Disadvantages, and an Issue That Can Occur with Cloud Use

According to the article, What is Cloud Computing and How Does It Work?-Definition and Overview, by Isabel Eva Bohrer, she outlined some of the advantages of cloud computing.  Some advantages to cloud computing are:

• Worldwide Access - From businesses to educators, individuals have access to their work from many mobile devices.  They can work on the documents from anywhere, as long as they have a connection to the internet.  It increases productivity and allows for faster exchange of information.  

• More Storage - Cloud computing provides an increased amount of storage for your documents.  In the past, you would be limited to the amount of memory you had based on each of your devices.  If you ran out of memory, you would have to use some other device like a USB drive or external hard drive to save your information to.

• Easy Set-up - Setting up a cloud computing system can be done in a short period of time.  You can change individual settings and which device you are using, just as quickly.  Once you have connected and set-up this information, you can quickly start using the resources, software or other materials you are trying to view or use.

• Automatic Updates - The provider of the cloud system is responsible for making sure that updates are available.  All you have to do is download them when they become available.  You will automatically be notified about the update and given directions to complete the update. This saves the user time and you do not have to lose time bringing your device to a professional to fix.

• Reduced Cost - Since the software for the program you are using is already installed online, there is no need to install it on you device.  There are numerous cloud applications that are available for FREE! Some of them can provide more storage, but that will cost you.  Many of the the extra costs can be paid as a monthly or yearly fee. (Bohrer, 2012).

In another article, 11 Pro and Cons of Cloud Computing Everyone Should Know, Umesh Singh, discusses some more advantages.  They include:

• Data Centralization - The information for multiple projects can be stored in one central location and accessed and adjusted from remote locations.

• Data Recovery - Cloud computing offers automatic data backup. When a hard drive crashes, it is sometimes impossible to retrieve the lost data or it can be a very expensive and time consuming.

Thank goodness for this one. Interestingly enough as I was completing this blog, I inadvertently closed the tab and was worried that I had lost all of what I had written.  I was concerned for the simple fact that I know I did not physically save the document by pressing the save button.  Well, I was completely surprised, when I opened up the document to find it had "saved" itself and I had not lost my work. 

• Sharing Capabilities - All of your documents can emailed and shared whenever or with whomever you like. (Singh, 2015).

Every list of advantages has to be followed with some disadvantages. Bohrer describes some of these disadvantages.

• Privacy - There is always the risk that an unauthorized person might get your information.  To help prevent this, cloud providers offer password protection and have data centers with encryption technology.

• Loss of Control - The user in controlled by the provider.  The provider dictates what can be stored, how much to charge, and where it can be accessed from, to name a few.  Unfortunately, if the provider suddenly shuts down, you loss all of the information that was saved with them.

• Internet Reliance - If you find yourself in a location that does not have the internet, you will not be able to access your information.  Having a poor or weak internet connection or signal will also effect your ability to complete your work. (Bohrer, 2012).

Singh also added some disadvantages.  

• Affected Quality - The quality of cloud computing can be affected when there are many users on the same internet connection.   Other data heavy operations that can affect users are listening to music, watching videos, printing files, and downloading or uploading large files.

• Security -  The cloud provider keeps is responsible for keeping our data safe on the cloud.  But, the issue arises with your protection at home or with your business protecting you.

• No Hard Drive - Some of the programs needed to complete tasks are not available via the cloud.  Instead of being able to access information on a portable device, you may need to work at a particular workstation that has the program.

• Lack of Full Support - Not all of the cloud providers have a support team for the customers to contact.  They may not be available through email or phone and they expect users to use the FAQ section to assist with problems.

• Incompatibility - There are problems with software not working on certain devices.  Some applications, tools, and software connect to personal computers.

• Minimal Flexibility - Users have minimal control over the functions of the software and sometimes the hardware.  Because some applications and services run on remote servers, none of them could be used on a local server. (Singh, 2015).

One of the main issues that has been discussed in many of the resources I viewed is the issue of privacy. As noted in the Horizon Report 2014, there was and continues to be a concern “that many low-cost public cloud services may not meet national privacy and data protection standards and requirements for schools and students”.  (NMC, 2014). What seems like a very minor concern poses a much larger concern because all student information should be kept confidential.   One thing you should consider before using and saving information on a cloud is if you are not comfortable sharing the information with others, then you should not be saving the information to a cloud.  As the technology of cloud computing continues to grow, cloud services will continue to improve on this feature.  

Common Cloud Examples

This task about learning about cloud computing would not be complete unless I mentioned a few of the more common cloud examples.  Cloud computing can easily be described as a means of storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drives. (Griffith, 2015). 

Here is a small list of examples of cloud services.  If you would like further information on them, just click on the names and it will redirect you to the site where they are available. 

Microsoft OneDrive - OneDrive includes Web and mobile interfaces, music streaming, shared desktop-folder syncing, real-time coauthoring in Office, notifications of others' edits, and full-document searching in shared files.

Office Online - formally known as Web Apps. You have access to Word, Excel, Power Point, and One Note online.

Google Drive - 15GB of storage free! You have access to a Gmail Account (email), Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Calendar, and many more!

Apple iCloud - This cloud service is primarily used for online storage, backup, and synchronization of your mail, contacts, calendar, and more. 

Amazon Cloud Drive - Storage here is mainly for music, preferably MP3s that you purchase from Amazon, and images—if you have Amazon Prime, you get unlimited image storage. The Cloud Drive also holds anything you buy for the Kindle. It's essentially storage for anything digital you'd buy from Amazon.

Dropbox - Save any kind of file in Dropbox, from photos, videos, and music to Microsoft Office and Adobe files.  Sync files across all your devices, whether you use a PC, Mac, Android, iPad, iPhone, or Windows Phone.  Your files are available on your computer even when you’re offline, so you can work from anywhere.  Put any file in your Dropbox, then send it quickly with a simple link. Create a link to share any file in your Dropbox. Then send the link by email, chat, or even text message.  When you send someone a link to a file, they can preview and download a copy — even if they don’t have a Dropbox account.

It truly amazes me how far technology has come in my lifetime.  The fact that I can now access and complete work from just about anywhere with any device is amazing.  I am not sure what the future holds, but I can tell you that I am excited that we have so many opportunities.  I am sure that at some point and time we will all have our heads and hands in the cloud!

Resources:

Bohrer, I. E. (2012). What Is Cloud Computing and How Does It Work? – Definition & Overview. Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://www.moneycrashers.com/cloud-computing-basics/

Griffith, E. (2015, April 17). What Is Cloud Computing? Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp

NMC Horizon Report - 2014 K-12 Edition - Cloud Computing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2014-k-12-edition/

Singh, U. (2015, April 27). 11 Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing Everyone Should Know. Retrieved February 10, 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/11-pros-cons-cloud-computing-everyone-should-know-umesh-singh 

 

Understanding Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing 

According to the “2014 Horizon Report” (NMC, 2014), cloud computing is “expandable, on-demand services and tools that are served to the user via the internet from specialized data centers and consume almost no local processing or storage resources” (p. 36).  This statement explains that data, services, and/or tools are stored on a network instead of one single device and the information can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, on any device as long as you have a connection to the Internet.

History of Cloud Computing

There are multiple references that can used to determine who started or identified the term of cloud computing.  Based on the article, “A Brief History of Cloud Computing” by Maximilliano Destefani Neto (2014), cloud computing had three main stages in its creation before becoming what it is today.  Cloud computing was first created in the 1950’s with mainframe computing.  During this time, several users were able to access a single computer using different terminals.  The terminals’ only jobs were to access the mainframe.  This allowed more than one computer to access the same space, information, or resources.  Before this, applications and data had to be loaded and stored on the individual computers.  You had to use that computer to access the application and data you were looking for.

In 1970, the concept of virtual machines was developed.  This step allowed more than one operating system to be housed and running, at the same time, on one physical environment.  Businesses were now able to branch out because they were no longer bound to one operating system within their infrastructure. 

Finally, in the 1990’s, virtual private network connections began to be offered by phone companies, also known as telecommunications.  The access point for connecting to the internet was now phone lines.  Users were now able to share access and connect to the same infrastructure.  Today, it is known as cloud computing.  Individuals can now access information by using many different devices, connect to the Internet, share documents, and identify resources at any time.

Cloud computing has continued to change over the years as more technological advancements have been made.  In 1999, Salesforce.com, pioneered the concept of delivering enterprise applications via a simple website. This concept introduced a way for both specialist and mainstream software firms to deliver applications over the internet. Next in 2002, Amazon Web Service was developed. This service provided a suite of cloud-based services including storage, computation and even human intelligence through the Amazon Mechanical Turk. Then in 2006, Amazon launched a commercial web service called, Elastic Compute cloud (EC2).  This service allowed small companies and individuals to rent computers on which to run their own computer applications. Finally in 2009, Google and others started to offer browser-based enterprise applications, though services such as Google Apps.  This lead to the beginning of what is now identify as Web 2.0 technology.  (Mohamed, 2009).

Connecting Cloud Computing and Web 2.0

Web 2.0 technology can be defined as the ability of users to be able to socialize and collaborate with others in a virtual environment.   Cloud computing meets this criteria and can therefore be considered a form of Web 2.0 technology.  When individuals use these tools in the cloud, individuals are able to share information, communicate with others, and have the ability to collaborate on work, projects, and assignments from anywhere.  As a result, cloud computing is allowing Web 2.0 technology to be easily accessible by more individuals.  

As you can see by the infograph below, the use of cloud computing in both K-12 institutions and higher education institutions is increasing.  There are some very clear advantages and disadvantages for using this type of technology.  With the ever changing world of technology one can only imagine the possibilities of computing in the future. This type of computing will forever change the way that we teach and how our students will learn.

   

My district is in the second year of using Google as a platform for students and staff. It has been very interesting to say the least.  Both students and staff have had difficulty learning how to use and access the wealth of information and options from this program.  I can only hope that districts around the country and world will understand the vast possibilities and allow us to utilize them within our classroom.    

Resources: 
Mohamed, A. (2009). A history of cloud computing. Computer Weekly. Retrieved February 05, 2016, from http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/A-history-of-cloud-computing 

Neto, M. D. (2014, March 18). A brief history of cloud computing - Thoughts On Cloud. Retrieved February 05, 2016, from http://www.thoughtsoncloud.com/2014/03/a-brief-history-of-cloud-computing/ 

NMC Horizon Report - 2014 K-12 Edition - Cloud Computing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 05, 2016, from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2014-k-12-edition/