How Cloud is Changing the Classroom
“The dog ate my homework!” is a classic excuse for students who happen to lose or choose not to do their homework. With the cloud, that excuse is moot. Many educators are now showing their students the power of the cloud by introducing them to free resources which will help them complete their school work. In the past, many schools shelled out big bucks for Microsoft Office based systems. Course work regarding computers focused around using the Office suite. Teachers would instruct students on how to use Word, Excel and Outlook in efforts to bolster their student’s productivity.
Teachers and educational institutions have now realized that they can now spend less time training students on how to use the Microsoft Office suite and more time focusing on the applications in the cloud. For example, in schools all across the world, many instructors have begun asking their students to use Google Apps as a way to do their course work. Whereas Microsoft products require licensing and granular instruction on each and every little feature, most students understand Google Apps within just a few short lessons. This allows technology teachers to focus on more diverse concepts to teach their students while providing the student applications and storage space that will allow them to work from any computer or mobile device.
Using cloud software such as Google Apps on mobile devices is an important dynamic that will shift the way kids get their classwork done. Instead of maintaining huge paper libraries, you can expect classwork to be delivered through the cloud. As school districts begin to look for ways to save money, you can expect entire school systems to migrate to an educational experience based on the cloud. When students use the cloud, they can pull up their documents on their smart phones and finish a paper just minutes before it is due. Finishing a paper would be as easy as finishing a text message. When the cloud fully integrates into the classroom, you can expect to see a new generation of technically savvy individuals who are well versed in cloud applications such as Google Apps.
