Use of Cloud Technology in Education

The specifics of cloud information technology lies in its scale, independence of territorial location and hardware support. The advantages of cloud technology are attracting more and more teachers and managers of educational institutions – universities, colleges, schools. If you are considering implementation of Cloud technologies at your classes, but have some PhD assignments – be sure to address pro-papers. Professional writers there will assist you with all your writing assignments.

As an example of the use of cloud technology in education, we can name electronic diaries and journals, personal offices for students and teachers, an interactive reception area and more. These are thematic forums where students can exchange information.

Examples of cloud services used

Box.com, Disk.yandex.ru, Dropbox.com. These services are file storage and synchronization services. A cloud file storage service is an information storage location hosted by a cloud service provider, not related to specific hardware and accessible via the Internet. They allow you to store Word, Excel, PowerPoint documents, music and video files, and share them with colleagues and students. They also allow cross-platform file synchronization.

Diigo.com, One note (from Microsoft). These services are bookmark storage services. These resources allow you to save bookmarks, group them, open access to them, and give the ability to save notes on these resources, various bookmarks, write comments on them and organize bookmarks into groups. A special feature provides collective access to bookmarks with collaborative editing, the ability to organize work from any device and browser.

Google Apps for educational institutions. Google corporation develops and provides a lot of applications and services which can be accessed by any browser (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer, Safari and others). For educational purposes, there is Google Apps Education Edition – a free package for educational institutions which includes all the features of the professional package. Google Apps Education Edition is a cloud-based Web application that gives students and faculty the tools they need to communicate and collaborate effectively.

Google services for education, according to the developers, contain a free (and ad-free) set of tools that will allow educators and students to interact, teach and learn more successfully and efficiently. Google’s online services for higher education have a number of advantages that make it possible to use them in any educational environment where the Internet is available.

The main advantages of using Google Apps Education Edition in education from the user’s point of view:

– minimum hardware requirements (Internet access is a prerequisite);

– Cloud technology does not require the purchase and maintenance of special software (applications can be accessed through the web browser window);

– Google Apps supports all operating systems and client programs used by students and educational institutions;

– working with documents is possible by using any mobile device that supports the Internet;

– all tools of Google Apps Education Edition are free.

Modern computer technology allows students and teachers to use several devices to communicate and work: laptops, computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. Google Apps tools are supported by a variety of devices, so it is a commonly available and versatile IT-technology for working in an educational environment. Let’s look at the main cloud-based online services provided by Google for educational institutions.

Gmail. Gmail is a full-featured email client with instant messaging, voice and video chat, mobile access, and spam and virus protection. The main feature of this mail service, according to the developers of Gmail, is a powerful search algorithm for email correspondence. Gmail’s clever message hierarchy allows you to see messages in context and, if there are replies to a sent or received message, GMail automatically displays them in chronological order along with the original message. This message chain allows you to keep track of all messages and continue the discussion in one place.

Google Calendar. Google Calendar is primarily a web-based management and planning tool. Creating a calendar of students or departmental events, calendaring your thesis project work, sharing calendars to create and view class and consultation schedules are a few examples of the features of the Google Calendar service.

Google Drive. Share files or entire folders with individuals, your entire team, or even contractors, partners, and departments. You can also write and reply to comments on files.

Google Sites. Is a website builder with the ability to publish videos, images, documents. The purpose of the service, according to the developers, is “to organize a single Internet space where users will share information”. Google Sites service allows you to add a variety of information to the site – calendars, videos, images, documents, etc.; define the parameters of access to the site.

Google Safe is optional and allows for archiving, electronic document transfer and information management.

Google also offers services such as Apps Marketplace, which allows you to find, purchase and implement web applications that are compatible with Google Apps for educational institutions; Google Moderator, which allows you to create categories for issues you want to discuss in class or school and open them for those who want to contribute ideas or suggestions and YouTube for educational institutions

Microsoft Cloud Technologies

Microsoft Office 365 for Education allows you to take advantage of all the features of cloud services, and increases the productivity of students and employees. Basic functionality including cloud-based versions of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Office Web Apps, as well as Lync Online with video conferencing (https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/put-an-end-to-video-conferencing-bloopers/story-am8QrVZwV8jrIeApie3IBM.html) capability will be available for free. Office 365 for Education combines the features of the familiar Office desktop applications with Microsoft’s next-generation online versions of communication and collaboration services. Office 365 is easy to use and administer, with robust security and a level of reliability typical of a leading global service provider.

Windows Azure in education provides an opportunity to incorporate one of the most innovative and rapidly developing technologies into the educational process, both in its theoretical and practical parts. With the help of Windows Azure in education, universities have the opportunity to train specialists in the light of cloud services

The sooner teachers and educators start using cloud technology in their work, the sooner the educational system will change to an individual learning path, and teaching in school will become an interesting and exciting process.