GOOGLE FOR EDUCATION

The times when Google was just a search engine have passed away. Nowadays, it is not only the number one search engine but it also offers us some invaluable tools for sharing information and learning. 

We all know that learning is an ongoing process and that it also occurs outside of the classroom. The internet and the wide variety of technological tools make the learning much more effective and up-to-date. Google has numerous applications for education that are totally free of charge. Talking about all of them would a lot of time and writing space. Let us address some of them.

• Google docs is a remarkable tool offered by Google. It allows users to create and share documents online and work on the document collaboratively in real time. It is a cloud-based tool which is very suitable to use in the classroom. Students can work on a document together, edit, create a collaborative story, and so on and so forth. 
• Google Claendar allows us to share schedules in the internet. Any user given access to it can enter and edit it at any time. 
• Google Drive is a recent remarkable innovation by Google. It is an enhanced and enriched version of Dropbox that allows for cloud storage of materials. It also gives the opportunity to create google docs, sheets, forms and store them in folders. 
• Google Groups is an online discussion forum. The discussions can be organized both among teachers and students. 
• Google Talk gives us the opportunity of messaging, video and audio chatting, and it is completely free of charge. 
• Google Sites gives us the opportunity to create sites in a very simple and straightforward way. Students can easily create their sites (with 100GB storage space) with minimal instructions. Teachers can manage their students' e-portfolios through Google sites.                                                      

There are so many tools worth mentioning ,like Google+ (a social network that can be used for microblogging purposes), Blogger, Google Maps, Google Earth, etc. We can invite guest lecturers using Google Talk or Google Hangout.

All these tools are located in the cloud allowing for access at any place and at any time. 

There are many alternatives to many of the applications offered by Google. But the value of Google applications consists in that they offer a full package of instructional tools that can be found in one place (most of them can be found in Google Drive). Another important value of Google applications is that they are totally free. 

So go and start exploring these wonderful tools offered by Google, and great ideas for using them in teaching will jjust flood your mind :)

CLOUD COMPUTING

When I first heard about cloud computing, I thought it is some complicated thing that can only reach the minds of programmers. But I was wrong. It resulted that it is a long time since I have been using cloud computing services. I use them when I access information stored in my e-mail, or Dropbox, etc. In cloud computing practices, our applications run on a shared data center in the "cloud", i.e. in the Internet. 

Cloud computing offers really impressive advantages. First of all, we do not need any servers and storage space for our data. So, our computers no longer have to do all the hard work when it comes to running applications. The network of computers forming the cloud handles them instead. This is just remarkable!

People can access applications and data from everywhere at any time. This is just an invaluable feature we can make use of during teaching. Institutions can also save money on IT support. Another useful feature of cloud computing is that cloud computing services are either free of charge or you are obliged to pay only for what you use.

The only concerns about cloud computing are related to privacy and security. Jonathan Strickland offers partial solutions to these problems in his article "How Cloud Computing Works". The basic step for ensuring security would be using authentication techniques and letting users access only relevant data. Another issue in cloud computing is whether the cloud computing subscribers own the data located in the cloud and whether there is any chance they won't be able to access it some day. Well, a solution to this problem could be setting terms and conditions for the use of the cloud computing service that will clarify these questions. 

In short, cloud computing is really a breakthrough in information technologies. It is also revolutionizing education by making data available to students, administrative staff, parents at any place and at any time. 

This does not mean, however, that it has come to replace on-premises software (Cloud Computing for Education). Rather, many educators find that the best solution for education institutions is combining cloud services and on-premises software for getting the most effective education practices.