Cloud Computing in Education

Why Education

Base on our assignment 2, our team analysis how cloud computing change IT infrastructure industry and take IBM as an example,  who is successfully shift its strategy from an IT manufacture to a IT consulting firm and save itself from the edge of death. So in our final reports, we will start introduce and analysis industries which IBM serve for. These industries has changed to be "Smarter" and "Magical" since applied modern technology. Education is one of them.


 


Cloud Computing is an IT term. How this technology influences other industries and brings benefit to the public?



Here, let’ take a look how Cloud Computing be used in education industry.
Nowadays, wireless hardware is widely used in the market with rich information can be acquire from Internet. People want to acquire and enhance their knowledge wherever and whenever. Therefore, Cloud Computing is one of the basic solutions for letting the information available and secure whenever and wherever it’s needed with cost reduction and services optimizing benefit.



IBM announced to have IBM SmartCloud for Education services so as to deliver advance software, computer lab resources and services to students and researches at school, colleges and universities.



Cloud computing bring both advantages and risks to education



The classroom can be anywhere and everywhere.


 


With the help of cloud computing, students can easily install educational mobile apps to download or upload class materials. Students can take advantage of their pockets of time to learn no matter where they are. Take City University of Hong Kong as an example, benefits from cloud computing technology, students can look up database ,update their borrow history and studying status through the universities’ mobile apps.



Moreover, with the further development of cloud computing, information education which based on cloud platform will realize the teaching, management and information exchange. Students also can get online education classes from overseas famous universities.



Lower costs of both hardware and software system construction



Instead of purchasing expensive software and hardware, cloud computing enable people get most of what they need for free or in least prices on mobile devices or even in rural areas.



Another advantage is that educational institutions can avoid high software upgrade costs. When the app is web-based, updates happen automatically and are available the next time you log on to the cloud.



Going Green



Without question, education cloud will surely reduce the carbon footprint to realize Green IT.


 


Privacy Security 
Security problem is a controversial issue in Cloud Computing application. On the one hand, schools can use students' data to analysis teachers' teaching and students' learning performance. On the other hand, how to properly use these data and protect teachers' and students' privacy is still a challenge.



Globalization of education – challenge and opportunity


 
Education is undergoing constant changes under the effects of globalization


The globalization of education brings two challenges to the existing education system and institutes. First, in a context of globalization education is facing new responsibilities which are different from responsibilities under Enlightenment framework. There have been changes in the labour market, which have resulted in calls for more knowledge and skilled workers, and workers with deeper understandings of languages, cultures and business methods all over the world. Thus Education in the new era has to respond to additional demands on awareness of environmental issues, cultural diversity, and increasing competitiveness etc.


 


Second, the globalization of education and availability of information technology increase the intense of competition between education institutes. Remote education and online education provided by high quality university is able to invade into the local education, in economic terms. So community education would have to make a decision on how to adapt to the new environment, the educational market.


 


But the globalization brings opportunity as well. Globalization has brought learning system of education technology and the rapid development of communication around the world. It also changes teacher’s role as well as the students’.


 


2) How cloud computing help to tackle the challenge and seize the opportunity


 


In a boarder level, as for students, cloud computing might be an area for the educational institution to provide faster and much chipper resources with globalization. As for education institutes, cloud computing allows them to deliver education as a global service. By doing that, cloud computing has become a powerful supplementary to education (not limited to postsecondary).


 


There are several good examples for applying cloud computing into education as a responding to the globalization.


 


1) Clouding computing could reduce the cost in applying information technology option. Cloud services are flexible in responding to the demand. Students can get access to as much or as little according to their demand, so as to reduce the waste of cost.


 


2) Clouding computing can help education institutes to aggregate their demand, distribute costs to other partners, for example, colleges that share similar resources, and improve their leverage with vendors.


 


3) One big benefit to education giant like university is that, clouding computing realizes the Global Campus. Today, thousands of universities are providing international teaching and research partnerships using the clouding computing technique.


 


4) Clouding computing delivers Education as a Service. Educational content is increasingly digital Cloud and being consumed on remote storage. Cloud itself is spawning a vast ecosystem of educational resources, which enable educators to deliver education as a service.


 


IBM, as we have discussed in assignment 2, is one of the industry giants who has been developing cloud services on education. IBM has set up a platform to manage this innovation. The IBM Cloud Academy is to provide an organization for K-12 schools and higher education institutions that are actively integrating cloud technologies into their infrastructures to share best practices in the use of clouds and to collaborate with partners to create innovative cloud technologies and models. The IBM Cloud Academy includes participating institutions in a community that helps maximize the benefits of cloud computing investments. By providing a forum for the exchange of best practices, the IBM Cloud Academy is helping member institutions to accelerate the successful deployment of cloud computing models that significantly enhance teaching and learning, administration and research at the university level. Since it was first announced in 2009, the IBM Cloud Academy members have been working collaboratively to:


 


Provide a forum or platform for the exchange of best practices to accelerate the successful deployment of cloud computing models that enhance education. This is also an advantage to IBM in refining and maintaining the system.



Enable member organizations to gain early insight about and access to emerging cloud computing technologies development and research from IBM and partners. This will benefit both parties in the implementation of cloud services.



Develop linkages and contribute to repositories for cloud computing curriculum, tools and resources for teaching, skills development and implementation.



Foster pilot projects and collaborative programs by members to evaluate the technical, financial and service qualities of cloud computing. Risks and uncertainties are minimized.



Circulate our insights, performance metrics, benefits and understanding of cloud computing through communications. This will promote and enhance the use of cloud computing and attract new customers.