Google Apps and Netbooks supported by major educational research project

The just released 2009 Horzon Report which is based on "ongoing primary research effort that draws on a comprehensive body of published resources, current research and practice" looks at future technological in education states the the two top trends are portability such as netbooks and cloud computing such as Google Apps. read report



Quotes from report

cloud computing ..."Inexpensive, simple solutions to offsite storage, multi-user application scaling,hosting, and multi-processor computing are opening the door to wholly different ways ofthinking about computers, software, and files."



portability "making it an ever more versatile tool that can be easily adapted to ahost of tasks for learning, productivity, andsocial networking. For many users, broadbandmobile devices like the iPhone have alreadybegun to assume many tasks that were oncethe exclusive province of portable computers."


"cloud computing transforms once-expensive resources like disk storage and processing cycles into a readily available, cheap commodity. Development platforms layered onto the cloud infrastructureenable thin-client, web-based applications for image editing, word processing, social networking, and mediacreation. Many of us use the cloud, or cloud-based applications, without even being aware of it. Advances incomputer science to ensure redundancy and protection from natural disasters have led to data being shared across many different hosting facilities. Improved infrastructure has made the cloud robust and reliable; asusage grows, the cloud is fundamentally changing our notions of computing and communication."



"Already, cloud-based applications are being usedin the K-12 sector to provide virtual computers tostudents and staff without requiring each person toown the latest laptop or desktop machine..."



"The idea of a single portable device that can make phone calls, take pictures, record audio and video, store data, music, and movies, and interact with the Internet — all of it — has become so interwoven into our lifestyles that it is now surprising to learn that someone does not carry one..."

Articles in support of Google Apps & Cloud Computing

Below are some links to articles on Google Apps. The feedback at the my school where I set up Google Apps Education Edition has been very positive. Also given the economic climate Google Apps saves money. It is free for educators and can replace expensive internal servers and management software.

Google to power Adelaide University
Quoting Paul Duldig, University of Adelaide services and resources vice-president.
"UNIVERSITY of Adelaide has selected Google as its default email and collaboration platform for over 16,000 students"
"project costs one tenth of what it would if done internally"
Read Article

Macquarie University rolls out Google appsQuotes from Macquarie's IT services director, Mary Sharp"Sharp said this will result in cost savings and the move to Google will free up time for IT staff to help students in other ways.""students now have (seven) gigabytes of e-mail storage capacity, as well as IM capabilities with their contacts, and an online calendar that allows them to add classes, tutorials and meetings right from the Gmail interface."
read article


Technically Speaking: Computing in the Cloud
Hamilton College, Clinton NY
by by David Smallen Vice presidentInformation technology
"we can provide IT resources less expensively by thinking differently about the way we use the Internet. Providing access to computing resources by using the Internet is called computing in the cloud"
"Cloud resources provide additional ways in which we can think differently in these difficult financial times. It is crucial to use these technologies as we look to the future."
Read Article

Guardian News & Media goes Google Apps
Andy Beale, technology director of enterprise operations at GNM
"Google is perfectly adequate and a lot cheaper and simpler to use."
"We're promoting [Google Docs] as the primary productivity application because it's simply a better collaborative app,"
read article


The Pros and Cons of Hosted E-Mail
Quoting Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer of Washington, D.C
Discussion on why the city of Washington DC changed to Google Apps
“So we were able to solve that problem for half a million dollars what would have cost us $4 million, so that’s $3.5 million savings right off the top there.”
read article


Should Your Email Live In The Cloud? An Infrastructure And Operations Analysis A new report from Forrester presents a cost analysis of cloud-based email systems in enterprises, such as Google Apps...
read article

Smart phones and other mobile devices improve learning

Below is an excellent article from eSchoolNews showing the value of using PDAs.
quote from article"Using smart phones and other mobile devices for learning isn't just a trend, but rather a sustainable approach to educational technology that can adapt to future assessments and help raise student test scores significantly" read article

Future trends - Portability and Cloud Computing

Future trends - Portability and Cloud Computing

Recent articles on technology indicate the move in the future is towards increased portability, wireless and cheaper devices to get onto the Internet (mini laptops and PDAs). Also there is a trend towards Cloud Computing (such as Google Apps) where application programs such as word processors and spreadsheets and documents are located on Internet servers - not on a computers hard drive. These trends not only improve learning but are a less expensive alternative to traditional computer workstations, hard wiring, software licencing and computer servers

"Cheaper laptops are part of the accelerating trend to greater portability. The cell phone is growing keyboards (or should they be called "thumb boards"?) and laptops are getting lighter and smaller. Meanwhile over-the-air Internet access is morphing from Wi-Fi to WiMax, as well as traveling over the same pathways as cell phones. These are the other components of cloud computing -- the wireless connections that define the cloud"
Read Article

The following article is about program that uses mini laptops in a school:
"The laptop program has always been well received," South Meadows Principal Lisa Nickel said. "Once the novelty wears off for the kids, it is seen as a great learning tool. It does not replace great teaching, but rather enhances it."
Read Article

Using Youtube to Teach Math (or anything)

When my son went to his formal he wanted to know how to tie a tie. Solution Youtube.

We have started to use youtube videos at my secondary school (some we produce ourselves) to help students learn everything from podcasting to math concepts.

The article below entitled "Need Help With Class? YouTube Videos Await" discusses how Youtube math tutorials can help students.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/12/11/208825bctecyoutubetutoring_ap.html

Google Apps Education Edition - a free spreadsheet for students

I implement Google Apps Education Edition in my school.

One of the best things about Google Apps is it gives any student with a gmail account a free spreadsheet. I polled students in math classes and only about 1/3 has spreadsheet software at home. Teachers now can assign math homework that requires the use of a spreadsheet - because now all students will have access to a spreadsheet at home. The spreadsheet also is very good at graphing and is used in both math and geography classes. The Google Apps spreadsheet can both export and import Microsoft Excel files.

Math teachers do not need Google Apps Education Edition to be set up for their students to access Google Docs spreadsheets. Math teachers only have to ask their students to get a free gmail account (they automatically get a free spreadsheet as part of the gmail service).

More on Google Apps education edition

For students without high speed Internet - podcasts could be placed on memory sticks which could be signed out of the school library.

As far as communication we have started to use Google Apps (education edition) in our school.
Google Apps is free for schools and has no ads. It allows students and teachers to create documents(Word, Excel, PowerPoint), share calendars, email, chat, create web pages and more. It is secure as everything stays within the registered domain and cannot be accessed by people who do not have a school login. It is an excellent tool to provide elearning. It works on any computer including Macs.

"Frantic troubleshooting by an overworked staff versus someone else fixing problems smoothly. A sliver of server space per person versus a five-gigabyte chunk. Half a million dollars versus free"
Chronicle of Higher Education 1/11/2008

Many schools are registered. See video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPjJK6LZdM

See what it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJT3pagjd8s

See article
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WITH GOOGLE TO ENHANCE E-MAIL AND COLLABORATION SERVICES
http://newsinfo.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=news_item_display&news_item_id=979928202