An Overview of Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources,software and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet). Cloud computing provides computation, software, data access, and storage services that do not require end-user knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the system that delivers the services. Cloud computing providers deliver applications via the internet, which are accessed from a web browser, while the business software and data are stored on servers at a remote location. Armbrust, M(2009).
How the cloud Computing is structured
Cloud Computing is very useful in education because cloud computing makes it easy for teachers to create realistic assignments such as having students saturate a large database server. Cloud computing in education gives better choice and flexibility to education IT departments.Beizer, D (2009). The platform and applications you use can be on-premises, off-premises, or a combination of both, depending on your academic organization’s needs. With the right middleware, a cloud computing system could execute all the programs a normal computer could run. Potentially, everything from generic word processing software to customized computer programs designed for a specific individualized purposes, could work on a cloud computing system.
WIKI
A wiki is a web page that anybody can edit. Any user of the World Wide Web can read and write at the same time using their web browser, therefore simplifying the web editing process of a wiki. Farabaugh,P(2005).
Wiki is very useful in education since it eliminates both obstacles, because it provides a ready to use site with a simple user interface, wiki has the ability to easily add pages, and simple navigation structure. This allows students to spend more time developing the content of the site, instead of trying to learn how to make one. Additionally wiki is also applicable to classroom practices throughout Brainstorming; this occurs when starting a specific project or a creative process, participants are invited to add items and thoughts on a wiki. Arreguin, C. (2004).They are also asked to link all these random thoughts and concept together in order to stimulate creativity. Some uses of wiki in education in the classroom are:
• Group project: A wiki can act as a private intranet for a specific group project so all participants can communicate, share resources (including texts, videos, spreadsheets, links, etc.), and write a report or a book together.
• Meeting support: An agenda for a specific meeting is posted on a wiki and participants are invited to consult and edit it prior to a meeting.
• Make lists: From a list of best restaurants in town to a glossary of terms used in a specific field of expertise, a wiki is a great way to organize this kind of content. In the same spirit, wikis can also be used to build an online repository of relevant documents or FAQs.
References
Arriguin, C.(2004). Wiki. In B.Hoffman (Ed), Encyclopedia of Educational technology. Retrieved March 6, from http://www.coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/wikis/start.htm
Farabaugh, P (2005), "BIOL414/614 at UMBC – Wiki Etiquette," University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Retrieved online on 2/27/2008, http://www.umbc.edu/bioclass/biol414/wiki/index.php?page=Wiki_Etiquette
Armbrust, M, et al. “Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing” (Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2009-28), University of California, Berkeley, 2009. http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2009/EECS-2009-28.html
Beizer, D. “NIST creates cloud-computing team.” Federal Computer Week, Retrieved February 25, 2009 from. http://www.fcw.com/Articles/2009/02/25/NIST-cloud-computing.aspx
