Journal # 1 NETS 3 & 5

Journal # 1

Johnson, Doug. (2009). Computing in the Clouds. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(4), pg. 1-7. Retrieved Febuary 20, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ Publications/LL/LLIssues?Volume3720092010/DecemberJanuaryNo4/Computing_in_the_Clouds.htm 

This article was written by Author Doug Johnson and goes into detail about the new technique of “Cloud Computing”. This technique is based on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers so an individual is able to access their work an any time on any computer. With this technique now available, individuals are no longer required to save their documents, or if they have a mac, they do not have to change it from a pages document to a word document to share it. They no longer need to have floppy disks, burned c.d.'s or flash drives. No longer do they have to email themselves their work to access it somewhere else. I particularly liked his description of how it works because it shows how I can apply this technique to my everyday life. “ If you’re on a computer with Internet access- whether it is on your desk at school, on your lap at home, on any computer lab or coffee shop in the world, or at Grandpa’s house - you can work without worrying about transporting files on flash drives,keeping track of the latest version of a document, or having the right software for opening a file.” He talks about how he handles his computer files. Mr. Johnson uses examples to show the variety and benefits of this new technique in schools and other aspects of life. His examples vary from email, web searching, word processing, photo editing, storage, and academic related documents. It also talks about how this could be a money saver in schools, textbooks could be replaced. He concludes his article with some frequently asked questions about using this resource in their lives and what he predicts the future has in store for using this in the education system. 

Is this really a cost saving technique?

I could see this benefiting many people in the long run, but is it really cost effective? Not only would implementing this in schools require training and installation to use it. But each student would need to have access to a computer. And with all the budget cuts going on in the California Education System, I do not foresee something like this happening in the near future. I do not believe many schools, especially the larger ones, can require each student to have their own personal computers, it is just not financially and morally possible. And if they were to provide financial aide to those in need, there would have to be a committee or board to determine who is in need of help and in the long run, more jobs = more money, which is not available.

Is sharing information on the web safe?

I am a little concerned about the availability of the information that is saved using Cloud Computing. It is so easy in today’s world for sex offenders, criminals, and even the government to find information on the world wide web. I am concerned that these same people that use facebook, myspace, and craigslist to commit criminal acts could also use cloud computing to hurt not only me but my future students. I, as a teacher, do not wish to be held responsible in the case that this does happen because I required my student to use this technique. If there were privacy codes, and strict registration rules, then possibly, but I still have my doubts on the safety of anything to do on the internet. Whatever is posted, even if it has been deleted, can be found, and that is a scary thing.