I read an article on the Read Write Web site entitled "Are IT Fears Holding Back Cloud Computing?" that talks about how IT professionals in the corporate world are leery about incorporating cloud technology, as they fear it could lead to downsizing in both staff and budget. But in education, where we are seemingly always understaffed in IT departments, it seems that the utilization of the cloud could be the solution to several problems.
First, it could free up time for school IT professionals to spend time supporting teachers, which is their fundamental role in the first place. Not dealing with network and storage/retrieval problems could allow them to devote their efforts to more productive issues. Secondly, it seems that it would save schools a bundle of money by not having to purchase more physical server space located in the school buildings as their needs expand. Security may be an issue, but one would hope that the cloud server providers would have that well in hand as part of their service.
I only use small bits of the cloud to store data, on sites like Dropbox, and I don't ever upgrade and pay for more. I presume that educational institutions could purchase additional and sufficient amounts of storage to meet their needs. If there are not cloud providers out there who cater specifically to the needs of schools, I think they're missing out on a huge potential future market.
Anyone want to go in as partners with me?
Bob, I couldn't agree more with your thought process. I just posted an article about using more technology in the classroom, which in theory sounds great, but like you mentioned in your blog, where is the techonogy support for the teacher? It doesn't do any good to have a school full of technology but only a few support staff that know how to use it. I would love to be a partner with you. I will admit, the concepts of a cloud are new to me but from what I know it seems like a logical answer to many schools financial and support issues.
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