Image Source: Evaporating Cloud
Even as a few are waxing rhapsodic about Cloud Computing, a part of me is holding back. I’m not sure why this happens when I’m considering new technologies…I seldom jump in with both feet, except when I do. When I do jump in, I’m delighted by the possibilities, explore it until the enthusiasm fades, and then I search for the next best thing. It’s an attitude helpful to my writing, I suppose, as I flitter from flower to flower, sipping the nectar without having to endure the flower’s wilt.
In fact, though I found it entirely un-masculine, the hummingbird has always been a symbol of what a learner and a writer can be. As a writer, when I consider cloud computing, I see it as an opportunity for unparalleled opportunity in K-12 schools. I certainly live in a cloud of ideas, as I imbibe the sweet liquor of the edublogosphere keen on discovery and sharing. My email is stored at Gmail, my photos in Flickr and Picasa, my writing at wikispaces, blogger, edublogs and googledocs. In fact, much of what I’ve done is now “out there” in cyberspace and my reach is far and wide, though not so wide as others.
I’m disturbed by this news…
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the privacy and security measures of Gmail, Google Docs and Google’s other “cloud computing” services for consumers.
The complaint highlights Google’s recent security breach with Google Docs, citing this as one example of the dangers of putting consumers’ data in the cloud. The complaint also implores the FTC not only to investigate Google’s safety measures for cloud products, but also asks to hold Google accountable for any and all security breaches with their cloud-based applications. EPIC goes so far as to demand that the FTC prevent Google from offering any cloud computing services, including Gmail, until it installs heavier security safeguards.
Via TechCrunch
The truth is, so what if users choose to put stuff in the cloud? The risks are well-known…your stuff is in the hands of strangers. It’s no different that educators saying, “Put your faith in Web 2.0 apps” instead of hosting the solutions in-house with a Multi-User WordPress or Moodle.
Isn’t it?
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The conversation bouncing around on blogs this week about cloud computing range from wholesale district operations moving to sites like gmail and Google Apps, down to posts which sound more like personal use.I can say that from a technology director’s perspective, it is scary to consider putting our organization’s operations into someone else’s hands. It is not so much that it is intangible or unknown, it is (as you pointed out) an assumed risk. I would be assuming that risk on behalf of the people in our organization.Like you Miguel, I seldom jump with both feet. Heck, I find that I seldom jump at all when it comes to new technologies. Something about educational institutions and the constant cycle of “start something new, and let it die, then start something new again” wears heavily on our teachers. Technology lends itself really well to that cycle.If you read lots of school technology publications or spend time looking over your neighbor’s fence, it almost becomes easy to feel guilty about not doing what others are doing. However, we do owe it to our faculty and students to think carefully about the technologies we select and why (or those we empower them to select). This thinking usually does not pair well with jumping with both feet (it makes change painfully slow, but …).
The conversation bouncing around on blogs this week about cloud computing range from wholesale district operations moving to sites like gmail and Google Apps, down to posts which sound more like personal use.I can say that from a technology director’s perspective, it is scary to consider putting our organization’s operations into someone else’s hands. It is not so much that it is intangible or unknown, it is (as you pointed out) an assumed risk. I would be assuming that risk on behalf of the people in our organization.Like you Miguel, I seldom jump with both feet. Heck, I find that I seldom jump at all when it comes to new technologies. Something about educational institutions and the constant cycle of “start something new, and let it die, then start something new again” wears heavily on our teachers. Technology lends itself really well to that cycle.If you read lots of school technology publications or spend time looking over your neighbor’s fence, it almost becomes easy to feel guilty about not doing what others are doing. However, we do owe it to our faculty and students to think carefully about the technologies we select and why (or those we empower them to select). This thinking usually does not pair well with jumping with both feet (it makes change painfully slow, but …).
Didn’t Chris Lehmann say, “If you’re not ready to lose your job, you’re not ready to do your job.” ?
Didn’t Chris Lehmann say, “If you’re not ready to lose your job, you’re not ready to do your job.” ?
I’ve been in the computer industry a long time, long enough to have become more conservative in how soon I adopt new technologies. Miguel, your post was a breath of fresh air. I just started a reply to one of my colleagues in the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, but didn’t finish it because I thought I appeared too much like a Luddite. That said, I do think that technologies like web 2.0 and cloud computing are bringing and will bring, necessary improvements to our lives, improvements that we can take advantage of locally, like CMSes that include wikis, blogs, etc. and WebOSes that will take the place of Terminal Services and Citrix. For that I’m thankful for the cloud, even if I’m not jumping out of the airplane to make personal contact with it.
I’ve been in the computer industry a long time, long enough to have become more conservative in how soon I adopt new technologies. Miguel, your post was a breath of fresh air. I just started a reply to one of my colleagues in the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, but didn’t finish it because I thought I appeared too much like a Luddite. That said, I do think that technologies like web 2.0 and cloud computing are bringing and will bring, necessary improvements to our lives, improvements that we can take advantage of locally, like CMSes that include wikis, blogs, etc. and WebOSes that will take the place of Terminal Services and Citrix. For that I’m thankful for the cloud, even if I’m not jumping out of the airplane to make personal contact with it.