Cloud+Computing



Cloud Computing

The emergence of large “data farms” — specialized data centers that host thousands of servers — has created a surplus of computing resources that has come to be called the cloud. Aspects of computing that used to be considered expensive, like disk storage and computing cycles, are now becoming cheap and ubiquitous. Layered on top of the cloud infrastructure are development platforms that are enabling thin-client, web-based applications for everything from image editing to word processing to music and video manipulation. Specialized applications like Flickr live entirely in the cloud; there is no single computer, or even specific group of computers, that can be pointed to as housing Flickr, Google, or YouTube. To the end user, the cloud is invisible; the technology that supports the applications doesn’t matter — the fact that the applications are always available is key. There are three types of services associated with the cloud. The most straightforward set of services from an end-user perspective are cloud-based applications that serve a single function, such as Gmail or Quicken Online. The next tier is one step removed from this: instead of offering end-user applications, these services offer the infrastructure on which to build such applications, along with the computing power to deliver them, like Google App Engine or Heroku. The final tier of cloud services are those that offer sheer computing resources without a development platform layer, like Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud or the GoGrid.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning & Creative Expression

 * Cloud-based applications can provide students and teachers with free or low-cost alternatives to expensive, proprietary productivity tools.
 * Browser-based applications are accessible for a variety of computer and even mobile platforms, making these tools available anywhere the Internet can be accessed.
 * The shared infrastructure approach imbedded in the cloud computing concept offers considerable potential for large scale experiments and research that can make use of untapped processing power.

BusinessWeek Article on Cloud Computing

Examples of Cloud Computing Cloud Trip

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