Backing up and storing your files and other content to the cloud, where they can be accessed anywhere at any time, has been a huge catalyst in the technology market as of late. Long gone are the worries of toting around fragile CD-ROMs or forgetting to bring your thumb drive with you.
The cloud is not just sparking innovation at a personal and/or corporate level, as businesses everywhere are utilizing cloud services. The realm of education is also taking advantage of this effective and efficient space-saving technology. Cloud computing’s safe, stable and extremely easy to use technology has spread throughout educational institutions of all sizes and categories. In turn, students and educators have been able to reap the benefits of cloud computing.
Here’s an overview of the positive impact of cloud computing on the educational landscape across the country – and the world.
Teachers used to have to carry around a storage device (albeit the prehistoric floppy drive, brittle CD-ROM disks or loss-prone USB thumb drives) if they wanted to take their work from the classroom to their home. Now, with the advent of cloud computing, there is no need to worry about porting storage devices around, saving valuable files to them, or remembering to bring them altogether.
Whatever your lesson plan requires – daily lesson plans, relevant news articles, lab notes, grades, presentation materials – the cloud has them stored and ready for you to easily download and/or distribute them at any time or any place.
Okay, so cloud computing and education might seem compatible, but just how safe are your files? Very safe, actually. All of your data, content, and information requires specific authentication, such as an ID and password, for a user to be granted access. Not to mention, if your home or school computer crashes, you still have access to your info because it’s all stored and waiting for you – safe and sound.
Sometimes, as a teacher, you may work on instructional assignments or lesson plans with other teachers. The cloud can make the collaborative process easier and more convenient than ever. The cloud can not only keep files safe and secure, but you and your team can also share projects freely. Whether you and your fellow educators work separately or work together, the cloud grants access to each other’s files in an intuitive manner. You can even create student groups for collaborative classroom projects and more learning materials and peripherals for them to access.
Gone are the days of standing anxiously near the printer waiting for it to spew out the week’s homework and tests, or making tiresome trips to the copier. With cloud technology, your printing and copying amount is drastically reduced, especially if each student has his or her own smart device (computer, laptop, tablet, etc.). Simply distribute and score all of your quizzes, tests, and homework online and back them up in the cloud. You can even share syllabi and grades with students and department administrators via the cloud.
Just like the medical field is switching billing and coding of patient records to a secured digital format, educators are also making the move to securely share and store student records. The cloud renders it no longer necessary to maintain big, bulky hard copies of years of student papers, exams, and work. With the cloud, you can regularly back up all your important student records, as well as your own educational lesson plans and assignments – all file cabinet-free. More room in the classroom means more possibilities.
By Dillon Wallace
Dillon is passionate in all avenues of writing, Dillon graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2008. Dillon has put his love for writing and his keyboard to work as a freelance writer for Drexel University Online.
