In my Educational Technology class we read an article on CNN written John D. Sutter. It was called "A Trip Into the Secret Online 'Cloud'" and addressed the security and actual location of information saved to "the cloud". Some background: cloud computing is a method of more efficiently processing and storing virtual data. All of us use cloud computing every time we update our profiles on facebook, save a document on google docs, or access the inbox of an email account. Rather than having machines sitting idle when information isn't needed, they are employed processing other data, and companies share these data centers to save on costs. It sounds like a great idea, but in his article, John Sutter questions the security of such a method. What would happen if these machines shut down? People everywhere would lose photos, correspondences, work files, contacts, calendars, financial information... and so much more. Clearly, the information saved in the 'cloud' is crucial for how we live our lives, so it is incredibly important that that information is secure. Sutter contacted many companies trying to locate his information or secure a tour of these data storing facilities. He writes of the frustration he experienced in the process, but what we should take from this article is not that our virtual files are in peril, but rather that being informed is necessary in such a quickly changing world as our own.
This certainly holds true in education. Children today are growing up in a world that is increasingly dependent on technology. This dependence is in many ways liberating, removing limits of space and ability, but it is also risky. Education today must prepare students to function and succeed in such a world, and that means instilling in them a sense of curiosity. We cannot be complacent in regards to understanding our changing society. In order to make full use of technology, children must learn to understand it, and this applies to cloud computing as well as any other technological advancement.
Click here to see how google has taken advantage of the innovations in cloud computing by selling cloud space to beginning companies.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thank you for the really useful post!
ReplyDeleteWe are facing constant growing of data amount in both the Web and personal computers. And the more information we need to proceed the more time it takes. That is why I think that ideals data room provider would be perfect for world’s needs today.