ERIC EJ898571: Cloud Computing: A Free Technology Option to Promote Collaborative Learning

2010·0.43 MB·English

by  ERIC

t e c h n o l o g y
Del Siegle, Ph.D.
Cloud Computing: A Free Technology
option to Promote Collaborative learning
I
In a time of budget cuts and limited funding, pur- development teams and by acquiring other compa-
chasing and installing the latest software on class- nies with innovative additions (such as http://www.
room computers can be prohibitive for schools. etherpad.com). Zoho (http://www.zoho.com) is
Many educators are unaware that a variety of free another program that offers an impressive suite of
software options exist, and some of them do not online productivity tools that permits users to col-
actually require installing software on the user’s com- laborate on projects.
puter. One such option is cloud computing. This For example, a student in New Jersey could be
popular technology trend has been gaining momen- collaborating with a student in Hawaii on a pre-
tum over the last 4 years. sentation that they share with a student in Paris by
Cloud computing is a computing technology that using the cloud computing services of companies like
uses the Internet and central remote servers to main- Google and Zoho. Best of all, the service is free; no
tain data and applications. Cloud computing allows software needs to be installed. The programs run on
students and teachers to use applications without the Internet, and the files are saved on the Internet.
installing them on their computers and also allows Although Google led the charge 4 years ago with
access to saved files from any computer with an its online documents, its dominance of cloud com-
Internet connection. This technology involves much puting is now being challenged by the major pro-
more efficient computing by centralizing storage, ducer of productivity software. Microsoft recently
memory, processing, and bandwidth. It also enables established large data centers in Houston, Chicago,
a number of individuals to simultaneously work on a Ireland, and other locations and has launched cloud
project—regardless of their location. The term cloud services for its popular Office program (http://www.
computing is used because the services and storage are microsoft.com/cloud). Microsoft’s Office Web Apps
provided over the Internet (or cloud). on SkyDrive allows users to create, edit, and share
Some of the better known cloud computing Office documents with people who have Office
offerings consist of productivity tools (i.e., word and those who do not. Two people can simultane-
processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and ously edit the same spreadsheet, Word document,
conferencing programs). Google Docs (http://docs. or PowerPoint presentation from different locations
google.com/demo) is the best known of these (see through a PC, the web, or a Windows Mobile phone
“Moving Beyond Google Searches: Google Earth, (Chan, 2010). Microsoft, like most of the free cloud
SketchUp, Spreadsheet, and More” in Gifted Child computing providers, implants advertisements into
Today, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 24–28 for information the applications to support the service.
on Google Docs). Over the past 4 years, Google has Students and educators who do not have the Office
steadily improved these programs through its own program can now create Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
gifted child today 41
Cloud Computing
__________________________________________________
Figure 1. Microsoft has joined the cloud computing __________________________________________________
movement with free web-based versions of its Figure 2. Young students can easily make simple
popular Office Suite. improvements to their digital images with Picnik.
and OneNote documents on Windows neously with a single document. This grams shared in this column are free.
Live (http://www.windowslive.com). eliminates the need for multiple ver- Some of these options are filled with
Users must have a Windows Live sions of the same document—the advertising, others are not. Some
login. With it, they can freely create, current version is the latest version. require a user login and password
edit, save, and share documents with- Finally, in many cases, each version (essential for storing and retrieving
out installing any software. After log- of the document is saved and previ- files), although many do not.
ging into Windows Live, students can ous versions of a document can easily In addition to the popular produc-
access files they have saved or create be retrieved. Some cloud computing tivity tools provided by Google, Zoho,
new files from the Office tab at the top options contain all of these features, and Microsoft, new specialty software
of the page (see Figure 1). And conve- while others contain one or two of has surfaced that features some of
niently, like in Google Docs and Zoho, them. the cloud computing components
the documents they create are available Businesses are finding that cloud described above, but not necessarily
for editing and sharing from any com- computing saves time and money, and all of them. Educators will find sev-
puter connected to the Internet. schools will also find cloud computing eral of these programs very useful. The
There are four major advantages to to not only be “budget friendly,” but remainder of this column is dedicated
cloud computing. First, multiple cop- educationally beneficial. Students can to sharing a few of them.
ies of software applications do not need learn a variety of computer production
to be installed on computers around skills in a collaborative learning envi- Photo Editing
the school. This saves time and the ronment. Projects started at school can
cost of site licenses. Second, although be continued at home without having Digital recording devices have
documents created with these applica- to transfer files or download compat- become ubiquitous. In addition to
tions can be downloaded to the user’s ible software. the widespread availability of digital
computer, they are usually saved on the In the not too distant future, it is cameras, digital recording devices are
software provider’s server, so they can conceivable that cloud computing may now built into most computers and
be accessed from any computer con- be the standard platform for all soft- cell phones. The images from many
nected to the Internet. Third, in many ware, and users will pay a monthly or of these devices can be improved and
cases, the creator of a document can yearly fee for using the services. Several enhanced with photo editing software.
invite others to view and even edit the software providers have already moved Increasingly, in this digital age, ideas
document. Several people in different to this business model. Although fee are being expressed visually. Being able
locations can be interacting simulta- services already exist, all of the pro- to express oneself visually is becoming
42 fall 2010 • vol 33, no 4
Cloud Computing
a useful communication tool. Students a variety of edit-
enjoy taking and editing digital photo- ing functions. The
graphs. They also can learn to improve opening screen
the images they use in the presenta- offers options to
tion they make and the products upload a photo for
they create. Whereas Google’s Picasa retouching, create
(http://picasa.google.com) is a popular collages, print an
and free photo editing software that image, or create
can be downloaded and installed on slide shows that
users’ computers, Picnik (http://www. can be posted on
picnik.com), Splashup (http://www. the Internet.
splashup.com), and Pixlr (http://www. Once a photo
pixlr.com) are three cloud computing is uploaded, it can
online applications that will meet easily be improved
most students’ image-editing needs within the Edit
and run on the Internet without being tab (see Figure
downloaded and installed. Beginners 2). Students can
will enjoy the easy-to-use features of crop, improve the
Picnik, while more advanced users color, remove red
can appreciate the more sophisticated eye, and sharpen
features found in Splashup and Pixlr. their images.
Although each of these programs runs Students can save
through the Internet without install- their retouched
ing additional software, they do not images back to
technically meet the full definition their computer
of cloud computing for two reasons. with the Save &
First, only one person can retouch an Share tab. The
image at a time. The programs lack the Create tab con-
collaborative feature of cloud comput- tains a number of
ing. Second, the images are stored on advanced features
the user’s computer, rather than on that are mostly
a remove server (although there are restricted to the __________________________________________________
options to store and share the final premium ($24.95 Figure 3. Students can create a variety of collages
image on the Internet). With these two per year) version. of their favorite images with Picnik.
drawbacks in mind, they are still useful The Library tab
and advanced features are restricted to
programs that educators and parents permits students
the premium version.
will want to consider. to upload up to five photos, provided
More advanced users are probably
Picnik (which was recently acquired they have established a login and pass-
familiar with Adobe’s Photoshop,
by Google) can be used without cre- word. The premium version permits
which has been an industry standard
ating a login and password, although more photos to be saved on the site.
for photo retouching. One key feature
users will need one to create slide Students also can design and save col-
shows that can be shared on the lages (see Figure 3) of their photos. If of Photoshop is the ability to create
Internet. Picnik also has a wide range students have a login and password, layers. With layers, parts of several
of advanced features that are blocked they can create automated slide pre- images can be combined to create new
on the free version. With little to no sentations that can be posted to the images. For example, the background
instruction, students should be able to Internet. The advantage of Picnik is of one image can be erased and the
access the program, upload a digital that it is user-friendly and easy to use. image can then be placed on a differ-
image from their computer, and apply Unfortunately, many of the interesting ent background. Splashup and Pixlr
gifted child today 43
Cloud Computing
have the layers option. Pixlr does not
require a login or password and also
includes many of the features users
have come to expect from Adobe
Photoshop. Students can create a new
image from a blank screen using the
drawing tools of Pixlr, open an image
from their computer, or open an image
from the Internet.
Once an image has been opened in
Pixlr, a set of Tools appears to the left
of the image and History and Layers
windows appear to the right of the
image (see Figure 4). These resemble
the windows featured in Photoshop,
and Photoshop users will feel right at
____________________________________________________________________
home with this program.
Figure 4. The Tools, layers, and History windows of Pixlr resemble those of
Photoshop. Pixlr has tools to darken (burn),
lighten (dodge), smudge, and stretch
or squeeze certain areas of an image. It
also features a variety of useful filters.
For example, with a simple selection
of the vignette filter, a vignette effect
can be added to a photo (see Figure 5).
Images can be saved to the user’s com-
puter or saved to the web for others
to view. Pixlr creates a unique address
for the shared photos. Users can share
that address with others; however, any-
one who has access to the address can
delete the image.
Dropbox
Cloud computing may be multiple
people collaborating on documents in
real time across the Internet, such as
Google Docs, Zoho, and Windows
Live Office. It may be a web-based
software program that eliminates the
need to install the software on the user’s
computer, such as in Picnik, Splashup,
and Pixlr. Or, it may be simply storing
documents in the clouds, on remote
__________________________________________________ computers connected to the Internet.
Figure 5. A variety of filters, including the vignette effect, are Nothing is more frustrating than
available with Pixlr. having to transfer files between a
computer at work or school and one
44 fall 2010 • vol 33, no 4
Cloud Computing
at home. Cloud computing can eas- Internet, it automatically uploads the
ily eliminate this frustration; http:// updated or new file for download to
www.dropbox.com provides an elegant the user’s others computers. Users also
solution to this problem. Dropbox is can access their files from any com-
a program that users install on each puter connected to the Internet by
of their computers. The program cre- visiting the Dropbox website.
ates a folder on each computer called
My Dropbox. Any file that is saved In Summary
to or copied to that folder will auto-
new from
matically appear on each of the user’s
The world of cloud computing is
computers that has Dropbox installed.
changing daily. Companies that exist prufrock
For example, I began this article on
at the writing of this column may be
my office computer. I saved the file in
acquired by others by the time this press
My Dropbox folder on my office com-
piece is printed, and new companies
puter. Over the weekend, I opened the
will have surfaced. The only certainty
the My Dropbox folder on my laptop
is that cloud computing has made its
and continued working on this manu- When parents
script. I saved my work on the laptop mark and will continue to become need the most
in the My Dropbox folder and, on more popular. Laptop manufactur- authoritative
ers have taken notice and a variety information on
Monday when I returned to the office,
opened that latest version of the file on of Netbooks for under $300 are now raising gifted
kids, they can
my office computer and continued to available. Programs running on the
turn to Parenting
work on the document. Internet cloud do not required exten-
Gifted
Dropbox eliminates the need to sive memory or storage capacity on the
Children: The
move files from one computer to computer using them; thus, manufac- Authoritative
another. The Dropbox software links turers have been able to cut laptop costs Guide From the
all of a user’s computers together via by building them with slower proces- National Association for Gifted Children.
a single folder. It also allows users to sors, less memory, and less storage. This comprehensive guide covers topics
share folders with colleagues on other These new Netbooks bring educators such as working with high achievers
and young gifted children, acceleration,
computers. Transferring data between closer to the day when each student
advocating for talented students, serving
computers traditionally requires will have a computer and the Internet
as role models and mentors for gifted
uploading via web forms, connecting at his or her fingertips. Educators need
kids, homeschooling, underachievement,
to network drives, carrying around to embrace this trend in technology twice-exceptional students, and
thumb drives, or sending e-mails with
as they develop students’ talents and postsecondary opportunities. The only
attachments to others and oneself. expand their students’ understanding book of its kind, this guidebook will
Dropbox makes all of these methods of a world that lies in wait at their fin- allow parents to find the support and
obsolete. The service is free for storage resources they need to help their children
gertips. GCT
up to 2 GB. The company charges a find success in school and beyond.
monthly fee if users wish to store more.
Reference
Dropbox uses the Internet to syn- Parenting Gifted 978-1-59363-
Children: The 430-8
chronize the content on the users’
Authoritative Guide $21.95 US/
Chan, S. P. (2010, May 8). Big leap:
computers. The actual files are saved from the National $25.95 CAN
Microsoft makes free version of
Association for 592 pages
on each of the computers in the My
Office, its cash cow. The Seattle Gifted Children 6" × 9"
Dropbox folder, so users do not need
Times. Retrieved from http:// To order, please visit
to be connected to the Internet to
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/ our website at http://
access their files. They can open, edit, businesstechnology/2011818423_ www.prufrock.com or
and save files without Internet access. microsoftoffice09.html?prmid= call 800.998.2208
Once the computer is connected to the related_stories_section
gifted child today 45