From shopping to socializing, traveling to learning, technology is an omnipresent factor in everything we do today. In a rapidly evolving technological world, cloud computing is an emerging trend that has firmly sunk its footprints in a plethora of industrial verticals. Importantly, the cloud is proving to be an important lynchpin in the modern education sector. Still at a nascent stage, educational institutions around the world have already embraced this technology in the most critical processes including admission, teaching, collaboration, and of course, learning.
The immediate benefits of cloud computing in education are quite obvious – cloud based applications trim down infrastructure and IT costs, enable collaboration, increase accessibility and afford institutions more flexibility in personalizing their products, both, for their brand and for their audience. However, cloud computing technology does have other impacts too, which have the potential to significantly transform how education works, both in the traditional classrooms and via online courses. Herein, we are listing three ways in which cloud technology has rejuvenated and reinvented mass education.
Top 3 Cloud Computing Trends in the Education Sector in 2018
1) Getting rid of outdated learning materials
Aside from the usual rant about pricey textbooks, the other factor that implores concern is the fact that most learning materials are not up-to-date. For instance, the average social studies book in elementary and junior high schools is six to 10 years old, which means that the world maps in these textbooks are no longer accurate. Alternatively, cloud-based materials are simple and easy to update in real-time, ergo, students can constantly have access to the most current and precise learning resources.
2) Saying no to expensive hardware and software
With the high proliferation of smart mobile devices and increased compatibility of cloud-based applications, students today do not necessarily need to own expensive computers. A $100 smartphone is proficient at accessing applications with the same precision as say, a USD500 laptop. Not just that, with companies such as Google, which offer free cloud storage, students do not need to buy external storage devices as well.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) model is one of the biggest advantages of cloud-based computing technology. Several software programs are now available either free of charge or on a low-cost subscription basis, which considerably lowers the cost of owning essential applications for students.
3) Increasing engagement and improving productivity
Cloud computing offers on-demand services, easy sharing of resources, and elastic capacity, and helps K-12 schools and colleges create platforms for students, learners, professors, faculties researchers, and SMEs (subject matter experts) to collaborate and create immersive learning experiences. This has increased the reach of professionals and universities to various resources and consequently, is improving the productivity of institutions.
In these and other ways, cloud computing technology is not only reducing overall costs but also creating an appropriate environment where all students can have access to high-quality resources and education. With its numerous benefits, there is no doubt that cloud computing is transforming the global education sector alongside offering massive growth opportunities for cloud service providers.
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