I have just read Simon Lewis’s atricle Heads in the Cloud on his blog Anseo.net and he has managed to rekindle my interest in Google Apps as a viable administrative resource suite for schools. Simon is the tech-savvy principal (headteacher) of a primary school located in County Carlow, Ireland. The “heads” referred to in the article’s title refer to teachers in general and not only to Heads.
The most important consideration to take on board when embarking on any all encompassing venture like Google Apps is the support or the lack of same from the staff. Such an endeavour should not be bourne by one or two members of the staff. Unfortunately, many staff members view the provision and maintenance of IT infrastructure as a labour of love and leave it to the few. Google Apps flourishes when everybody participates.
Of course when everyone does get hooked and the archived content begins to accumuluate the ogre of storage charges will raise its ugly head. There is also the possibility that throughput and download tiered costings could become a reality sooner than later. Bloggers, podcasters and anyone who uses a multimedia storage and retrieval service is already a cloud user. Wordpress, YouTube, Flickr, to name but a few.
A further concern in the case of Google Apps is the host company’s constant crawling and trawling of content for commercial opportunities and market research purposes. No system is invulnerable! Powerful regimes and the opportunity to gain a significant market share are already calling the shots in relation to content and privacy issues. One only has to look at China as a case in point. Whos is to say that heretofore private content may be not no private after all.
I digress! Simon’s comprehensive article covers everyday school admin chores tackled by cloud computing solutions. The “electronic roll book” should prove to be a boon for hassled teachers at the end of term. The Learning Support Booster Sessions sounds great but I have not worked out the timetabling / logistics yet.
The article is very positive and practical in nature. It is also one of the most concise and empowering pieces I have seen in a long time.
Click HERE to check it out for yourself.
Nice one Joe. Thanks for the link to Anseo. Unfortunately, the average age on our staff is 41 and the IT person is 55 so I think it will all pass us by.
It is obvious from reading the post on the Google Blog that other major internet companies have been screwed but have not admitted it. Yahoo and Hotmail are very silent! I am amazed they havent come out and said all is well to reassure users and investors. maybe the truth would impact on their stock ratings. Wall Street still comes first.
Excellent article on Anseo. Cloud computing is the way of the future. Are there teacher-to-teacher courses available in Dublin or online?
Hi.I am concerned as my junior high has invested a lot of time and effort into setting up the school on Google Apps. It has dominated a lot of discussion. This negative scenario came up again and again. Is our data secure? Are we safe now?
The Anseo post is excellent and very applicable to the irish education scene. How difficult is it to set up?
Thank you for the link. It was so easy to read and full of ideas for everyday use. I always shy away from organised groups. I might join one just to vote.
I normally visit this site for audio tips and links. The Google Apps link was spot on. He has my vote.
Did you know something we didn’t know. You hit the nail on the head. Google has just announced a major breach of security originating from China. Have a look at this http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html
I voted! Great overview of what is possible if the will is there.
Thank for this inspiring link. He also talks of his wife in his writings. A great team of educators. Inspiring
Nice Link All praise to Simon but again I have to say he is a man who obviously has the support of his staff and more importantly his partner.
I am the IT person in my school because no one else will take it on. I never heard of cloud computing until this article.
Is there any chance for us non-techies.