Cloud learning has been well established in education for more than a decade and continues to be a vehicle for addressing critical challenges faced by traditional educational systems. Through cloud learning, users can access and interact with services like resources, apps, databases, emails, and file services using cloud computing; offering affordances such as accessibility, personalized learning and cost efficiency for wide range of audiences, from individual educators to large scale organizations.
Opportunity Statement:
The continuous innovation in AI is recreating the ways in which we interact with the cloud. An increased reliance on the complex cloud infrastructures, and cloud-based learning services are finding ways to integrate an AI component as a value add, with this trend expecting to continue.
Resources:
https://sites.google.com/view/cloud-learning-etec522
https://www.pluralsight.com/resources/blog/leadership/how-is-the-education-industry-using-cloud-technologies
My interpretation of this is on open and easily accessible learning materials, as opposed to the specifics of cloud architecture. We’re seeing technology create an incredibly accessible way to learn about specific topics, which the classic hierarchies of courses or books would make impossible or at least very difficult.
A lot of this seems to be taking cues from adult education, even if used by children: the learning of specific things when they are needed, not in advance. Case in point: the top four videos on YouTube on “how to tie a tie” have about 250 million total views. People look for this when they need it.
I can see this being really interesting when combined with project based learning in schools. Instead of pre-loading students with specific skills they need, teachers could focus on the techniques of research and inspiring goals. Especially if they were intense passion projects, students could go really deep with them, and the teacher’s in depth knowledge of the material becomes less relevant. (for example, if students wanted to build a model rocket capable of reaching a certain altitude or complete different tasks). These are the type of classes I’d love to take part in as a teacher (and I wish I’d had as a student).
As Devon has already mentioned, the usefulness of the Cloud for project-based learning is exciting. Accesssing, storing, and sharing information via the cloud provides incredible access to data, news, collaboration for students, educators, and adults in the workforce. It allows educators and students to plan for self-guided, interest and passion-based pursuits. Increasingly, I look for ways to use the cloud to enable and support my students in shaping their own education.
The cloud is also the new study group, the connection hub for students to manage the practicalities of studying, exam prep, assignment sharing, and more. I think about the amazing sitcom “Community” and wonder how the show would play out differently today as the study group had access to cloud learning and collaboration. In my own MET study groups, the cloud allows for instantaneous collaboration and communication, and access to peer support that I would otherwise not have.