Cloud Computing Applications in a New Zealand Classroom

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1 Cloud Computing Applications in a New Zealand Classroom Introduction In 2010 Epsom Girls Grammar School in Auckland, New Zealand, joined a three year ICT in schools contract funded by the Ministry of Education. The school s goal, devised as part of this contract, is to improve student engagement through the integration of ICT strategies, to develop student centred learning, and to promote strong learning relationships between teachers, students and parents. As part of this ICT initiative each teacher at the school has established their own goals centred on the integration of ICT into their teaching practice. The school s professional development programme for 2010 was designed to introduce teachers to a number of new technologies and to promote their use in the classroom. This paper is a discussion of the employment of cloud computing for two projects within a secondary school classroom; the first for a collaborative learning project and the second as a vehicle for providing feedback to students. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is posited as a new direction for computing with the ability to transform the IT industry. The 2010 Horizon Report, an ongoing research effort that identifies and describes emerging technologies that are likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, research, or creative expression within education, identified cloud computing and collaborative environments as the two technologies to watch in the next twelve months (Johnson et al, 2010). As a concept, cloud computing is not new. It has been available in various manifestations; most popularly as internetbased services such as Gmail and Hotmail and free applications such as Google Apps and increasingly as subscription based services. Cloud computing offers a way of computing in which all data and the software applications used to create and modify that data exist on the internet and its various services. This enables users to access their data whenever and wherever they can connect to the internet. The transferral of applications and file storage onto a network reduces reliance on running software on dedicated hardware and allows resources to be administered remotely and to be allocated and deallocated according to the user s needs (Kim et al, 2009). This facilitates the instantaneous expansion and contraction of services as a customer s requirements increase and decrease, meaning that one uses (and pays for) only the resources that they require at any given time. 1

2 Cloud computing has been incorporated into education systems at the tertiary level and is increasingly being introduced into secondary schools. Initiatives by both Google and Microsoft have promoted the use of their systems and applications on university campuses across America (Young, 2008). Universities have also recognised the potential of cloud computing for research, in particular the opportunity for faculty to connect to supercomputers via the internet (Young, 2008). Schools have primarily been employing cloud computing services for administrative tasks (Johnson et al, 2010); however, many are beginning to incorporate cloud computing into their teaching and learning practice. A study conducted by Nevin (2009) clearly documents the role that cloud computing can play in improving students learning and inspiring teachers to integrate technology more effectively and consistently into their classroom practice. As part of an e Learning framework, cloud computing has the potential to create a student centred, interactive learning environment that students can access at any place and at any time (Dong et al, 2009), facilitating teaching and learning beyond the classroom. Research has demonstrated that computer based tasks increase problem solving skills and student enjoyment and engagement, as well as providing a more effective avenue for collaborative learning (Zurrita and Nussbaum, 2004). Cloud computing has the ability to transform not only collaborative learning experiences but also the exchange of resources and information. Cloud Computing for Collaborative Learning and Social Inquiry Web based technologies are particularly well suited for use within a Social Science classroom, allowing for the adoption of the social inquiry approach and collaborative learning opportunities. A seven week project called Community of Thinking (CoT) is incorporated into the Year 10 1 Social Studies programme at Epsom Girls Grammar. CoT was developed by twelve Israeli schools to explore how a pedagogy based around questioning can transform teaching and learning (Haupaz and Lefstein, 2000). It is a student centred initiative requiring students, working in small groups (approximately four students), to develop their own research project using the social inquiry approach. CoT involves three stages; brainstorming, research and a concluding collaborative presentation. In previous years students had each been given a paper booklet to complete, detailing each stage of their project. This year one class trialled using the Google App, Google Sites, in place of a paper booklet. Each group had their own Google Site, in which to complete their preliminary brainstorming and mind mapping and devise their group s research questions. Each student was allocated a research question and created an individual page on their group s site in which they 1 Year 10 is the second (of five) year at Secondary School in New Zealand. Students are years of age. 2

3 could record the information that they found and the notes that they made during their research. Only the concluding performance did not have to be presented on the cloud. Outcomes The use of Google Apps allowed for true collaborative learning to take place. All group members could concurrently access the site and contribute information in real time, allowing the students simultaneously to add information and ideas to their shared project. The students immediately could see, comment on and develop what other group members had added. The collaboration amongst group members was beneficial in the brainstorming stage as well as in the research stage, which is predominantly undertaken individually. Students ability to access the research other group members had undertaken, as well as to contribute ideas and information to others research pages significantly and successfully developed the way in which CoT functions. Google Apps has the advantage that it automatically records the author of each piece of work. This enables the teacher to monitor the extent to which each group member is contributing to the whole project. Teachers are able remotely to observe the progress of each student and to offer constant evaluation and feedback. Google Apps have the potential for a seamless transition from school to home working environment, without the need to consider what software and hardware is available in each setting. In the long term, if Google Apps are consistently used throughout a student s schooling, it is possible for them to create an e portfolio of their work from the start to the end of their secondary school experience. This further presents the opportunity for teachers to monitor their students past and future achievement. Cloud Computing for Feedback A second initiative devised this year was the use of Google Docs for feedback. An issue identified early on in the year was that students were not actively engaging with or referring back to the feedback provided on the work completed as part of their Year 13 Classical Studies course. 2 It was decided that students needed some form of feedback log where all the feedback they received throughout the year could be recorded and stored. The format of the log was based on the principles of effective feedback proposed by Hattie (Hattie, 2009). Hattie suggests that effective feedback must answer three questions Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next? Each question further operates at four levels the task level, the process level, the self regulation level and the self level. Accordingly, the following feedback template was devised, to be used for each piece of work completed. 2 Year 13 is the fifth and final year of secondary school in New Zealand. At the end of Year 13 students take external exams (known as Level 3 NCEA) in most subjects. 3

4 Piece of Work: Date: Mark: What is working well (teacher to complete) What needs improvement (teacher to complete) What I understand this feedback to mean (student to complete) What I need to do from here (student to complete) The teacher created a Google doc to share with each student individually, with this table template providing the framework for the collaborative feedback log. The feedback table was filled in by both the teacher and the student following each piece of work submitted for marking. Outcomes The Google Doc operates as a centralised site where each student can review all the feedback they have received that year. By requiring the students to reflect on the feedback given, it also ensures that they are engaging with the feedback. It provides students with a forum to feedback to the teacher, which Hattie suggests is the most powerful form of feedback (Hattie, 2009). The logs highlight the strengths as well as the gaps within a student s learning. They also make evident the key issues that need to be addressed within the teaching and learning process, both for individual students and collectively as a class, thereby becoming a tool for teachers to use in their reflective practice. Using Google Docs enables the teacher constantly to monitor each student s progress. While it is common for teachers to record the grade each student receives, it is less common to record their comments on each piece of work. The use of centralised feedback not only enables the student to refer back to earlier comments but allows the teacher to do the same. General Benefits of Cloud Computing The primary benefit of cloud computing services, beyond the teaching and learning opportunities they present, is the cost saving they offer. Currently many cloud computing applications are free. Cloud computing reduces the need to invest so heavily in hardware and software, although it does require a large server to be operational throughout the school. Furthermore, it does not require software to be installed (reducing the disk space used) or upgraded, as all applications are automatically upgraded when new features are added (Nevin, 2009). Because applications and data are not stored on a specific hard drive it also enables nearly any web capable device to be used to 4

5 access information and documents. This further eliminates the need for the same software or hardware to be used at both school and home. Issues and Future Challenges Cloud computing is not free from challenges. There is the potential for outages either when a service provider goes out of business or when there is an inevitable temporary outage. (Kim et al, 2009). The security of the cloud and privacy of data and the systems it contains is another ongoing issue (Kim et al, 2009; Holschuh and Caverly, 2010). A further limitation, and one experienced within the classroom while using Google Apps, is the communication time between the client computer and the web server in the cloud, particularly when users are simultaneously accessing the same data and site (Kim et al, 2009). Additionally, many online applications, particularly those that are currently free to use, operate at a basic level, limiting the product they can produce. For example, Google docs lacks many of the advanced features of Microsoft Office software, such as animation, transitions and inprogramme image editing (Johnson, ). Additional issues specifically affect the adoption of cloud computing by secondary schools. Currently the majority of secondary school students do not have constant access at school to their own computer, laptop or internet capable device and therefore are reliant on the use of school owned computers or netbooks. Similarly, those students who do not have access to a computer or the internet at home are unable to complete work using Google Apps for homework. The introduction of any new technology into secondary schools relies on the willingness of teachers to continually develop their teaching practice and the willingness of students to learn new skills. Teachers require professional development to teach them about the possibilities presented by cloud computing as well as the strategies for integrating cloud computing into their teaching practice. Teachers need to have confidence in their own abilities to use new technologies as well as an adequete knowledge of new teaching pedagogy in order to use them effectively. Students similarly need to be acquiring and developing new skills, specifically around the adoption and use of ICTs. Increasing reliance on the internet as a learning tool, particularly for research, requires students to develop more sophisticated skills for using search engines and an increased understanding of how to evaluate and analyse the sources they find. While the majority of students acknowledged the benefits that Google Apps present, there were some who are less supportive. A preference for using pen and paper to record their ideas was cited by several students, however, most of those who disliked using Google Apps acknowledged their reticence to adapt to a new way of learning and working. Research states that students are very comfortable and confident using computers outside 5

6 of school but are less confident when using programmes with which they are unfamiliar. This suggests that when employing new technologies in schools it is necessary to consider students prior knowledge and skills and to make links between how students are already engaging with technology. Conclusion Cloud computing has the potential to enrich teaching and learning in secondary schools. Several limitations, such as cloud applications functionality, limited access to ICTs in schools and the need for increased professional development opportunities for teachers, need to be addressed. The major benefit that cloud computing provides in education is the ability to create a student centred, interactive learning environment, enabling a shift to occur from teacher directed to student centred classrooms. Cloud computing allows for true collaborative learning to take place, for constant feedback to occur and also presents the prospect of a consistent IT environment between school and home. References Cappos, J., I. Beschastnikh, A. Krishnamurthy, T. Anderson, (2009) Seattle: A Platform for Educational Cloud Computing, SIGCSE o9, March , Chattanooga Tennessee USA: Dong, B., Q. Zheng, M. Qiao, J. Shu and J. Yang (2009) BlueSky Cloud Framework: An E Learning Framework Embracing Cloud Computing, in M. G. Jaatun, G. Zhao and C. Rong (eds.): CloudCom 2009, LNCS 5931: Han, Y. (2010) On the Clouds: A New Way of Computing, Information Technology and Libraries: Harpa, Y., A. Lefstein (2000) Communities of Thinking, Educational Leadership 58(3): Hattie, J. (2009) Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta Analyses Relating to Achievement, London: Routledge. Holschuh, D. R. and Caverly, D.C. (2010) Techtalk: Cloud Computing and Developmental Education, Journal of Developmental Education 33(3): Johnson, D., (2010) Computing in the Clouds, Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(4): Johnson, L., Smith, R., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2010) Horizon Report: K 12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. 6

7 Kim, W., S.Dong Kim, E. Lee, S. Lee (2009) Adoption Issues for Cloud Computing, Proceedings of MoMM 2009, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nevin, R. (2009) Supporting 21 st Century Learning Through Google Apps, Teacher Librarian, 37(2): Young, J. R., (2008) 3 Ways that Web Based Computing will Change Colleges And Challenge them, Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(10): 11 Zurita, G., M. Nussbaum (2004) Computer supported collaborative learning using wirelessly interconnected handheld Computers, Computers and Education 42: Nina Hood,