Cloud-based Apps

From blogs.ubc.ca/etec522Sept2013
Week 6 – Cloud-based Apps
 

jiorns says: October 8, 2013 at 6:07 am

I really appreciated the quiz on digital security and the infographic. Thanks for those. It seems that the risk of loss of individual and organizational data through cloud computing is a hot topic.

Personally, I’m not using the cloud for any storage or backup and have only ever worked for one educational institution that did. In that instance, it was GoogleDocs. From memory, it wasn’t always a reliable service; there were server connectivity issues. But then again, the institution used GoogleDocs as its LMS, so the complications may have been that, rather than storage/backup.

I do believe some cloud tools are good for discrete educational and professional development activities. MET has introduced me to IHMC concept mapping and WordPress, for instance, which are tools I try to apply to other contexts.

Perhaps the user experience and satisfaction with a particular cloud app will have bearing on the tendency to embrace other cloud technologies.
 
Comment on GoogleDocs
 
jiorns says: October 10, 2013 at 3:16 am

Thanks for this fun-loving presentation on GoogleDocs. I didn’t know about the Flash Cards feature so thanks for sharing that. Have you used it by the way?
I really like GoogleDocs for collaborative projects and find the comment feature helpful for questions and discussions. The shared creation and editing space is very user friendly, although have you noticed that sometimes the spacing goes a bit weird when you’re inputting?
Asynchronous and synchronous collaboration is good on GoogleDocs.
 
Comment on Evernote Web Clipper
 
jiorns says: October 10, 2013 at 4:30 am

I think your team’s consideration of what is involved in browser extension downloads is very thoughtful. I was adding Evernote Clipper to Internet Explorer until the extension asked me to disable a security setting in the browser. There was no similar issue with adding the extension to a Chrome browser, so that is the extension I used to create my first shared Evernote. A narrative and picture.
My Evernote production.
 
Response to the question about how much cloud storage I use
 
jiorns says: October 10, 2013 at 4:37 am

Sorry, I’m not storing in the cloud as yet. Probably am a slow starter because I’m mostly a PC user. I just keep saving to the hard drive!
 
aadair says: October 10, 2013 at 3:18 pm

I have been sending my documents to myself with my Yahoo account for years, and there is no limit to the storage space I can use in 25 MB increments or less. It’s like winning the million dollar lottery where they dole out 50 bucks a week for life. Dropbox is great for larger files, like videos I take with my smartphone.

I was curious about the cloud storage, so I looked it up and quickly found this HowStuffWorks article written with refreshingly proper English grammar. It answered my questions about the physicality of cloud storage, the dystopian controversy of data ownership, and some other useful information for entrepreneurs interested in the market.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-storage.htm
 
jiorns says: October 11, 2013 at 6:56 am

I do that too – send docs to myself on Yahoo. Hadn’t thought of it as my cloud repository but now that you’ve mentioned it, of course it is!
Hard to say how much storage I have consumed on Yahoo after 5 years, but it’s massive.
And since I’ve opened a Dropbox account this week, Yahoo gives me the added option to save to the Dropbox cloud whenever I open an email attachment.
 
Comment on English360.com
 
jiorns says: October 10, 2013 at 5:10 am

English 360 is impressive, given it has a vast amount of digital Cambridge University Press content (an elite curriculum provider for teachers of ESL/EFL). I delved a little further to find out more about the service to teachers and to institutions. It’s not really a free OER.
Teachers working independent of any institution (e.g. freelancer or self-employed) will incur a charge when learners start using the platform. Schools can receive the English360 platform with added benefits of school branding, a unique URL, and administration-teacher accounts, but there is a minimum payment of €90 per month for a year.
Once onboard, there is opportunity to share and source resources from others in the ESL community – at no cost.
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