Cloud Computing: Opportunities in HE P. Y. Thomas University of Botswana
Presentation Outline What is cloud computing? Online data storage: a feature of cloud computing Personal digital workspace as well as for storage SoTL versus educational potential of of cloud computing Specific cloud tools: the Google Docs and Microsoft s SkyDrive. Uses of cloud computing to academics Final Comments
What is cloud computing? Cloud computing allows individuals and organisations to access: computing resources for processing and storage over the internet, without having to buy, deploy, maintain or upgrade. Online Computing resources as a service on a pay-for-usage basis: Software Infrastructure Storage -to store and retrieve anytime, from anywhere on the web. Access to the cloud is possible from anywhere, anytime over a browser.
Cloud Tools Two specific tools: The Google Docs and Microsoft s SkyDrive Urls: //docs.google.com & //skydrive.live.com
Google Docs: //docs.google.com
Google Docs: //docs.google.com
Microsoft s SkyDrive : //skydrive.live.com
Google Docs: //skydrive.live.com
Cloud Computing- Benefits Flexible Inexpensive Reliable Shared data centre
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Requires a framework for: Peer review; Making the process of learning public; Adoption by peers through modification if needed; Research/investigation of issues around student learning. (Shulman & Hutchings,1999)
Uses of Cloud Computing to Academics Cloud-based applications can provide students and teachers with free or low-cost alternatives to expensive, proprietary productivity tools. email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, collaboration, media editing, and more can be done from a web browser, while the software and files reside in the cloud; As a personal workspace; Online storage of elements of digital scholarship that can be shared among peers and experts; Can be interactive & can enable virtual communities for educators researchers; A convenient tool to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning;
Uses of Cloud Computing to Academics Active collaboration with colleagues to succeed in research projects and to develop quality work through iterative processes; As an idea generation factory to generate ideas on a topic of interest and collate them for publishing as a book or an article; A domain for preparing and displaying teaching portfolio; As a Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) used by many people as an alternative to institutionally controlled Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)/LMS with different personalised tools Provides opportunity for ubiquitous computing; No need for backing up everything to a drive and transferring it from one device to another.
Cloud Computing: Issues It raises a range of important policy issues which include: issues of privacy, protection of intellectual property, security, anonymity, government surveillance, and reliability.
Final Comments The storage feature of cloud computing may be utilised for advancing the much needed practice of collaboration among educators, and hence in achieving the ideals of SoTL. The cloud computing has a significant place in the higher education landscape both as a ubiquitous computing tool and a powerful platform that can enhance engagement among educators to understand and improve practice, and thus, increase productivity.
QUESTIONS? He who is afraid to ask is afraid of learning. Danish proverb
The road to success is always under construction. by Author Unknown Thank you P. Y. Thomas Centre for Academic Development University of Botswana
Reference Hutchings, P., & Shulman, L. E. (1999). The scholarship of teaching: New elaborations, new developments. Change, 31(5), 10-15.