ECOMP 7010: Cloud Computing

Directions: Investigate an example of cloud computing and gather the following information: cloud URL, service cost (if any), major features, assess with respect to the learning curve for teachers and/or students, and the potential uses for the classroom.

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Dropbox

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Website of application: www.dropbox.com

Free Version: A basic Dropbox account gives you 2 GB of cloud storage for free. You can upgrade to 100 GB of cloud storage at a cost of $9.99 per month, and 200 GB for $19.99 per month. *NOTE: Once you sign up, there is a “Get Free Space” section where you have several opportunities to increase your initial cloud storage space for free by completing tasks such as referring a friend, connecting to Facebook, following Dropbox on Twitter, etc.

Dropbox Web Portal

Features: Dropbox is a combination of cloud storage and file syncing and completes both tasks at the same time. First, they make it easy for you to take files and even whole folders and sync them up to the cloud. Once syncing to the cloud is complete, those same files and folders will be accessible from the web and any device you have also setup Dropbox on. Their web interface is accessible from all major web browser Apps, and is downloadable to both Windows and Mac OSX operating systems. Additionally, Dropbox provides support for several mobile devices including iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry.

Learning Curve: The demo movie on the Dropbox homepage looks like it came from the people at Common Craft and does a nice job of explaining what the service does and how. It takes just a few minutes to create an account at Dropbox.com, and the application download is just under 22 MB in size. Once setup is complete, creating folders within your Dropbox folder is no different than any other place on your computer and adding files is as easy as drag-&-drop.

Some additional features include:

Dropbox on the iPad

• Dropbox will notify you whenever a file or folder has been added, removed, or modified when syncing to the cloud.
• You have the ability to share a folder within your Dropbox with other Dropbox users through an email invite.
• Within your Dropbox there is a ‘Public’ folder provided. Place a file or folder in this location, then right-click on the item to have Dropbox generate a public link that you can then share with users regardless if they are Dropbox users or not. This link gives them access to the file/folder and this item only. The rest of your Dropbox contents remain private and secure.

Potential Uses in the Classroom: 

• This is an easy and free option that will allow teachers to achieve the “Save in 3’s” recommendation for file storage (1 on your computer, 1 on an external device, 1 in the cloud).
• If you don’t have a laptop and wish you could access files from both your school and home computers then Dropbox says, “Problem solved.”
• If you were to pair Dropbox with the add-on DROPitTOme, then you now have access to a public file drop that students could use to turn in their assignments and they will immediately be sync’d to the cloud, downloaded to your computer, and accessible from your mobile device. I believe this service has huge potential for the classroom, allowing teachers to forgo passing around a pen drive or external hard drive except for large multimedia projects. Teachers could add a link to their DROPitTOme portal on their website, then students could turn in homework while at school or from home, as long as they have Internet access.

Final Project Proposal: Dropbox

For my final project, I've decided to investigate the program Dropbox and a companion tool called DropitTOme. Earlier this year I helped one of my 8th grade science teachers setup this system because he was having problems using his MobileMe account to collect student homework digitally. Then, just this past week our Assistive Technology Specialist mentioned Dropbox to our IT Director. When I mentioned the pilot I was doing with the science teacher my boss asked if I would develop a presentation on Dropbox for our next department meeting.

There are several implications for Dropbox for both teachers and students:

• It uses cloud-computing technology, something our district is looking very hard at with our conversion this summer to Google Apps. for education.
• It allows access to the data from any computer with Internet access, plus syncing technology to those computers teachers have control of.
• The system, when integrated with DropitTOme, allows students to securely submit work to their teachers from their laptops in class, in study hall, or from home.
• Dropbox has a mobile app. version (this is what our Ass. Tech. Specialist was originally writing about). This means teachers and students could  possibly gain access to content they create on their laptops from their mobile devices.

 Having just spent the past week dueling with every single one of our network printers on one issue or another, anything I can do to support paperless communication between teachers and students is time well spent. Dropbox and DropitTOme may prove to not be the answer to all of our prayers, but if they come close then at least they will be one more tool that I can offer my constituents.

~Tally-ho!