Extending Face-to-Face Learning Through Cloud Tools

The National Education Technology Plan (NETP) emphasizes the unprecedented opportunities for connected learning powered by technology. The plan outlines the need for twenty-first century competencies such as critical thinking, complex problem solving, collaboration, and multimedia communication to be woven into all content areas (Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, 2010). The NETP acknowledges current teaching practices as occurring in isolation and describes teacher professional development opportunities as “short, fragmented, and episodic workshops that offer little opportunity to integrate learning into practice” (Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, p. 55). In contrast, NETP offers the notion that “effective teaching in the twenty-first century requires innovation, problem solving, creativity, continuous improvement, research, diagnostic use of data, and flexible and personalized approaches to meeting students’ diverse needs and strengths” (Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, p. 55). The NETP calls for

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), a national organization that advocates infusion of twenty-first century skills into education, developed a framework for twenty-first century learning. That framework describes student outcomes in terms of the skills, knowledge, expertise, and the literacies required to enter today’s workforce. Student outcomes include: core subjects and twenty-first century themes; learning and innovation skills; information, media, and technology skills; and life and career skills (Larson & Miller, 2009).

Similarly, the International Society for Technology in Education (Gordon, 2011) recognized that in an increasingly digital world, students need skills in the following areas: creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts.

Unfortunately, little is provided in the area of support and technology tools for teachers, especially with continued budget cuts. Installing the latest software on classroom computers can be prohibitive for schools due to limited funding. Teachers are being asked to do more with less and are held more accountable than ever. With a sea of improvement between the “what is” and “what should be,” and with dwindling resources, there are solutions that schools and teachers can implement now to begin the transformation to twenty-first century teaching and learning. The solutions begin with leveraging the potential of cloud computing.

Cloud computing is an important transition and a paradigm shift in information technology services-delivery—one that promises large gains in efficiency and flexibility (Intel, 2010). In telecommunications, “a cloud is the unpredictable part of the network through which organizational and personal information passes from end-to-end and over which we do not have direct knowledge or control” (Katzan, 2010, p. 37). Cloud computing uses the Internet and remote servers to maintain data and applications. The essence of cloud computing is service. The highest level of cloud computing service is known as software as a service (UNESCO, 2010). With software as a service, both data and applications are stored in the cloud and applications are accessible through a thin client interface such as a web browser (Katzan, 2010).

Several key characteristics distinguish cloud computing from Web 2.0 applications (UNESCO, 2010). Cloud services are delivered via the Internet from remote data centers or server “farms.” These farms often located near sources of cheap electricity with the latest in cooling systems and service optimization techniques which individual educational institutions are unlikely to be able to afford. Cloud computing offers efficiency through centralized storage, memory, processing, and bandwidth, which are shared between multiple customers and can be allocated dynamically depending on demand (Siegle, 2010). Another feature of cloud computing is its “infinite” scalability or rapid elasticity, allowing for the sudden peaks in demand without the need to purchase additional hardware.

There are five major advantages of cloud computing (Holschuh & Caverly, 2010). First, with cloud computing, multiple copies of software applications do not need to be installed on various computers throughout the school. The software applications are available through the Internet, and therefore all that is needed is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection. Second, documents created in cloud applications are usually saved on the software provider’s server and therefore can be accessed by other computers from any location. Third, in most cases, the creator of a document has the option to share access with other users with the potential for several users to work simultaneously on the same document. This eliminates the need for multiple versions of the same document with the current version of a document saved as the latest version. In most cases, users have the option to retrieve previous versions (Siegle, 2010). Fourth, cloud computing is cost effective with many of the applications provided at no cost and others paid for on a subscription basis. Fifth, because applications and the data are stored on the web, they can be accessed with smaller and less expensive devices than ever before.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills emphasizes the need for schools to fuse the traditional three R’s with the four C’s—critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, while also making room for problem solving and innovation (Gordon, 2011). These soft skills have been considered for some time, however they need to be taught differently if students are to be successful. Students need to be taught how to communicate electronically, including the nuances and etiquette of distance interactions. Opportunities for distance learning and collaboration as an extension to face-to-face learning can add an additional dimension to learning in support of twenty-first century skills as well as provide greater depth in learning. Software available in the cloud include a variety of productivity tools that foster creativity, collaboration, communication, presentation, and planning skills, engage students in the learning process, and provide a platform for experiences that transcend classroom walls.

Google Apps for Education has districts nationwide moving to the cloud (Barack, 2010). Google Apps provides powerful communication, collaboration, and productivity tools that can be accessed from any browser. Google Apps is designed around open industry standards and Application Programming Interface that are compatible with a variety of educational technology platforms (Google.com) such as the commercial course management system, Blackboard, and the open source course management system, Moodle. The following are some examples of cloud-based software, and their applications to twenty-first century learning, many of which can be found in the Google Apps Marketplace for Education (www.google.com/appsmarketplace/edu).

Digital natives are online. The best way to reach them is to go to where they are—on the net. Google Sites, part of the Google Apps suite, is a cloud application that allows teachers to create free websites and wikis that can motivate students and extend face-to-face learning. The Sites provide a virtual environment for students to visit and connect with content anywhere and anytime. In addition, the sites may provide scaffolds for struggling learners in the form of tutorials, utilizing free cloud-based software such as Screencast-O-Matic, in which students can view teachermade video reinforcements and extensions of classroom activities. They can provide a platform of rich opportunities for deep learning that begin with digital tools and activities that support differentiated and constructivist models of learning. The following are some more examples of these tools.

When teachers experience, for themselves, the powerful learning that can occur using technology tools in collaboration with colleagues, they are more prepared to facilitate collaborative environments in their classrooms and from distance. Mind Meister is a cloud-based collaborative mind mapping software for brainstorming and project management. It is a powerful tool that teachers can use for planning and mapping the curriculum, especially when working together to develop plans for teaching Standards through technology to engage students in the learning process. When teachers experience the process of developing plans to incorporate technology to facilitate twenty-first century skills, they will develop an appreciation of the learning process, as well as a familiarity with how to use the technology tools, so that they are comfortable utilizing the tools with students.

Once teachers are familiar with software tools, such as Mind Meister, the potential for extending learning and integrating content in support of authentic learning tasks is unlimited.

The process involved in creating captivating presentations involves a slew of twenty-first century skills, especially when the presentations are created collaboratively. SlideRocket (lite version) is a free dynamic and easy to use, Cloud-based presentation software that provides powerful collaboration and tracking tools. Because SlideRocket is in the cloud, presentations can be accessed from any device regardless of platform. This lends itself to blended learning models in which students work collaboratively to create projects after the school day has ended. Slide Rocket offers a number of features such as the ability to embed video, track users, and create discussions within the presentation. Teachers and students can create collaborative presentations for a variety of authentic purposes. SlideRocket supports twenty-first century learning and teachers can utilize this cloud software to support projectbased collaborative learning in a blended environment.

Creativity is another important twenty-first century skill. The ability to integrate web creations for a variety of purposes encourages critical thinking and creativity and fosters important twenty-first century skills. Aviary is a free online suite of powerful multimedia tools that enhance teaching and learning. The suite includes a sophisticated image editor that can be used to create from scratch, or by modifying exiting images, a vector editor, an effects editor, a color editor, an image markup tool for screen captures, a versatile audio editor, and a music creator (aviary.com). Aviary has created a beta version of Aviary for schools and allows teachers to assign activities and organize and view student work. Because students have their own accounts, they may access the work from home from any platform with an Internet connection. Incorporated into problem-based, constructivist learning activities, this Photo-shop-like, cloud software, offers great potential to foster twenty-first century skills and motivate and engage learners beyond the classroom.

The multifaceted nature of cloud computing provides promise of even more seamless possibilities for education. Currently, the cloud offers cost effective solutions to the challenges educators face in providing opportunities for twenty-first century learning. Professional learning that integrates twenty-first century tools into teacher planning will allow educators to gain important insight into the importance of the learning process rather than the end products. Professional learning must also emphasize the value-added models for learning that resemble authentic, real world, experiences that facilitate learning of content through technology, rather than view technology and twenty-first century skills as an additional entity.