While reading the Article: "Computing in the Clouds" I was unsure what cloud computing meant. It means that you can do the same work on a computer offline then with a computer that can go online.
The author was talking about having a cheap computer that was off line that was just as good a fancy computer that could do it all online. He weighed that pros and cons about both computers and even traded in his fancy computer for a cheap one that was only offline and showed us that it can do virtually the same thing but much cheaper. He went to free websites or went to word docs and did his work. He showed us how school could save money by getting the cheap computers and staying off line, not having to buy the most updated and expensive software and we would not even have to buy a flash drive to save it.(I would, got to make sure there is a back-up)At the end he stated that it was a great idea, but we have to decide.
I really like the idea of the cheap computers that stay off line and pretty much do the same thing as those that can go online.Doug, the author, showed us that we could save money by going to free websites instead of paying to use the sites.Another good thing about the cheap computer is that if they forget their computer, they can access their work from any computer. Also, if there is no internet access, they can work offline and it will sync up when it comes back online and everything will be saved. And since it does not save it on the hard drive, that means the computer can work a little fast(We all hate slow computers).
The author does bring up a great point about saving data, is it going to be saved? Will it be shared? Can I erase it? How long will it be saved? That is something that all websites work on...(at this point I deffinatly would save it on a flash drive).
One thing I didn't like about the cheap computers, is that you can't use CD's or DVD's. I guess we will have to rely on the fancy computers and internet for some things:)
Schools are now doing everything on computers but unfortunatly they can't afford them and neither can the parents.The cheap computers that are offline are a fantastic alternative. Yes, they are very basic and may be a little different from the computers and software that are most popular, but they pretty much do the same thing and every student could have one. The parents may be able to afford it and the school could have some computers that the students could borrow.In the next few years when I become a teacher I hope that every child has acess to a computer. If we can save the schools money now by gettingthe cheap computers, then maybe, later we can get the upgraded ones....I said maybe.
I think this idea fits in the NETS for students is: Creativity and Innovation, apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products and processes. Most students have some knowledge of computers and with cloud computing they will have to learn another way to use this computer system. It is a good idea to know how different computer systems work because all computers are not the same,especially when offline.
I got a case study on a relevant issue to this post on my first attempt to reply to this it. I typed out my pithy and apt comments. I hit the submit button... and all my comments disappeared. I am not sure what happened. I puzzled around a bit and found no remnants of my brilliant comments (OK maybe not that brilliant). Second time around, I made a point to save a text document on the side to back up my comments: copy, paste, save, rinse repeat...
ReplyDeleteThe value of backing up online data in an offline format is critical to understand and implement consistently. The conundrum I find myself returning to frequently is sorting out which copy of a file is the most recent and useful. "File Spread", as I like to call it is a significant concern. Network and local drives get overloaded on a frequent basis. We need to be careful about the amount of memory we are using and potential confusion from excess data.
Cost/ benefit analysis is something that will pervade many aspects of an educators career. This subject is fertile ground for diverse discussion.
I was not thrilled with the frequent use of the word "cheap" in this post. I did not read the original article as I believe that was the spirit of the assignment. Perhaps this was the language the ISTE author used. I do not know. I prefer the word "economical".
We have significant, but not unlimited resources so being judicious in our spending is vital. If a less expensive resource can achieve the same or "close enough" result: then we should certainly give that alternative due consideration.
Having a local copy of data and an online copy is the best alternative. However, it forces us to manage our files sensibly. Asking ourselves "is it worth the cost" is critical.