This assignment was really interesting. I had not spent much time exploring the cloud-based productivity tools before and there are lots of fun, useful things there. It is exciting to think about using them in a school library. Having tools and data storage “in the cloud” could help lower the cost of providing computers to schools since less software and storage space would be required, and being able to access work from school or home (or anyplace where there is a computer with Internet access) would be an asset.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I do think that we should be careful about using tools just because they are available and new. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. The downside that I can see was mentioned by some of the people who responded to Doug Johnson’s blog post “Could you live in the cloud?” That would be the issue of privacy and the potential for incompetence or abuse by the third parties who are responsible for protecting the information.
Another idea that was a little bit troubling for me was mentioned in “Cloud Computing for the Masses” by Greg Cruey. He says that there is a trend toward “permanent connectivity” where computers are always online. It seems to me that being always online would increase the chances of a computer being hacked or of data being stolen. I think I tend to agree with the positions stated by Jenny Levine (“We’re Not All Ready for the Cloud Yet”)—back up data, realize that there are other options besides Google, and think about privacy issues.
Even with those reservations, I do think that there are some tools in the cloud that could be useful in libraries. Some examples are listed below.
Google Docs and Zoho Writer—would allow students to prepare papers and reports, and would allow students to access work from school or home. This would eliminate a problem that I have with students not being able to save work unless they have a flash drive. My school computers are in Deep Freeze, so anything saved during the day is wiped out at night when the computers are scrubbed. Online spreadsheets and presentation programs would have the same advantages.
Zoho Chat would be an excellent tool for students working on a group project. Google Docs would be very useful, too. Both would allow students to chat and edit. That would save a lot of emailing documents back and forth. Zoho Wiki would also allow for collaboration.
Google Calendar would be a good way to let teachers sign up to bring classes to the library. They would be able to tell when it was available without having to come to the library to look at a paper calendar.
Google Reader is useful and helpful for keeping up with blogs that are interesting. I like that it recommends other blogs based on what the user has chosen to follow.
Google Sites would be a fun way to do a class assignment. I think students would enjoy creating a site and maybe wouldn’t realize that they were actually working and learning while they were doing it.
I know that there are lots more applications for Google and Zoho in the school library. From the exploration that I have done so far, I find Google a little easier to use and navigate than Zoho. Probably because I have not used Zoho as much.
It will be fun to explore more and talk to teachers who are tech-savvy and see what ideas they have.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I do think that we should be careful about using tools just because they are available and new. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. The downside that I can see was mentioned by some of the people who responded to Doug Johnson’s blog post “Could you live in the cloud?” That would be the issue of privacy and the potential for incompetence or abuse by the third parties who are responsible for protecting the information.
Another idea that was a little bit troubling for me was mentioned in “Cloud Computing for the Masses” by Greg Cruey. He says that there is a trend toward “permanent connectivity” where computers are always online. It seems to me that being always online would increase the chances of a computer being hacked or of data being stolen. I think I tend to agree with the positions stated by Jenny Levine (“We’re Not All Ready for the Cloud Yet”)—back up data, realize that there are other options besides Google, and think about privacy issues.
Even with those reservations, I do think that there are some tools in the cloud that could be useful in libraries. Some examples are listed below.
Google Docs and Zoho Writer—would allow students to prepare papers and reports, and would allow students to access work from school or home. This would eliminate a problem that I have with students not being able to save work unless they have a flash drive. My school computers are in Deep Freeze, so anything saved during the day is wiped out at night when the computers are scrubbed. Online spreadsheets and presentation programs would have the same advantages.
Zoho Chat would be an excellent tool for students working on a group project. Google Docs would be very useful, too. Both would allow students to chat and edit. That would save a lot of emailing documents back and forth. Zoho Wiki would also allow for collaboration.
Google Calendar would be a good way to let teachers sign up to bring classes to the library. They would be able to tell when it was available without having to come to the library to look at a paper calendar.
Google Reader is useful and helpful for keeping up with blogs that are interesting. I like that it recommends other blogs based on what the user has chosen to follow.
Google Sites would be a fun way to do a class assignment. I think students would enjoy creating a site and maybe wouldn’t realize that they were actually working and learning while they were doing it.
I know that there are lots more applications for Google and Zoho in the school library. From the exploration that I have done so far, I find Google a little easier to use and navigate than Zoho. Probably because I have not used Zoho as much.
It will be fun to explore more and talk to teachers who are tech-savvy and see what ideas they have.
No comments:
Post a Comment