Week 12 - Cloud Computing

This week the topic was cloud computing, which is sharing information by a computer network. You are able to use tools that usually must be downloaded or tied to one computer but otherwise are online or everyone to share, use, and change. One of the most common way people use cloud computing is through Google Documents. It is remarkable to me how multiple people can change a document or a piece of information at the same time, it is a representation of our vastly technologically progressive world. Another resourceful tool we learned about was social bookmarking that allows people to share links with people and label them to make it easy for people to find something specifically pertaining to what they are looking for. As well, it is simpler for you to find much later when you have accumulated many different sites and articles and other resources.

As a teacher, cloud computing would be something that is used on a day-to-day basis to find resources and share documents. I think this would be something that I would use most because I would be searching for information and resources to use in my classroom. It would be great to share documents with teachers around the world and get their inputs in lesson plans and other information that I will relay to my class. This kind of technology allows my classroom to be a more diverse and thought-provoking.





The video above shows the usefulness of cloud computing and how more beneficial it is than using servers. You do not need any hardware other than on your own computer. It is easier to use and much cheaper. As many people as wanted can visit the site and use it and it will never get clogged. I love the way the man in the video explains how it works and I hope more people take advantage of this tool.

Week 3 - Web Technology

This week the main focus of class was to talk about the history of the internet and discover the future of where our internet is going. In class, we watched a YouTube video about how the first internet connection was utilized and how we came to where we are today. There were many new terms that were introduced that I personally did not know about. They ranged from the beginning of the internet to the most common terms we use today, but they were taught more in depth than before. There was also this pretty cool video done on Frontline called Growing Up Online, which was really true for generation and a little bit scary how dependent we are on the internet and just electronics in general. I liked the Web 2.0 information that was posted for us to read because it gave insight into the tools that our generation will be using for education, communication, and other various aspects of life.

The future of the web definitely relates to my major because it is good to know where the next generation is going so that I can understand the technology my students are using. Also, many of these tools and programs and new innovations in technology and the internet will most likely end up in the classroom somehow, so I should be comfortable using them and knowing about them. The history aspect is kind of important, but I do not think it will be very vital to what I am teaching. Technology is a tool for students to learn, so I do not really need to harp on tools of the past, but encourage my students to keep learning and looking ahead. The terminology that I learned will help though because it will be good to have a strong vocabulary basis for technology so that my students can learn effectively.

I decided to use this video entitled "1967 Future Predictions - PC" because I thought it was funny how the video correctly portrayed what would happen now. It was a very outdated way of envisioning what would happen, but the online shopping and sending mail from computer to computer was really what has become of the internet and so much more. It was definitely correct on how far the computer would develop by 1999.