Students build clouds in class
Published: February 9, 2012
Technology classes have begun to focus their efforts on the cloud, with high school students creating private cloud technologies with virtualization tools.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, students in Granite Technical Institute's computer networking class were taught the basics of cloud computing, including the basics of Computing-as-a-Service.
Many students welcomed the opportunity to examine the cloud computing technologies. Some students believe that cloud computing skills will be imperative in the future IT world.
"The cloud, from what I’ve seen, it will be the future," said senior Kenny Huynh in an interview with the Tribune. "I’m pretty sure that within the next 10 years it’s going to be a system, where if we want to hear a certain song, you’ll be able to access it and listen to it from any machine, just by logging in and typing in a password."
In addition to teaching the students basic cloud computing know-how, the classroom also served as a testing ground for an innovative curriculum focused on cloud computing. With the GTI class meant to teach students how to build their own private cloud from the ground up, the classroom served as an excellent testing ground.
While the cloud computing course has ended at GTI, a cloud computing lab on-site provides students with the equipment and tools to continue to cultivate their skills, the source stated. With the class having been successful for many of the students, adults and teachers in the community praised the course.
"It gives them the fundamentals and allows them to take the experience to potential employers and say, ‘Not only do I have experience with cloud computing, but this is what I’ve built,’" cloud instructional designer Chris Grayson said to the Tribune.
While not everyone will be interested in building their own cloud, educators who want to better utilize the technology have a wealth of resources at their disposal. According to a recent article from Scholastic, many schools are improving their educational flexibility and saving money by adopting different cloud services.
New York educator Ken Graham has seen student transformations by implementing a variety of technological education tools, with shy students finding their voice through graphical presentations and educational videos they made for school, according to Scholastic. Faced with a small district budget and bandwidth crunches, Graham utilized a hybrid cloud environment to better stretch the district's budget and IT shortcomings.
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