What’s the Easiest-to-Use Cloud Storage Solution for Administrators and Educators?

My flash drives, and I have at least 10 of them, haven't  been out of my laptop bag in over a year. Why? Cloud storage. Lots of cloud storage. I have found myself with Dropbox, Google Drive, Windows Skydrive, and Amazon Cloud Drive accounts. I also have an iCloud account. But even with all these different accounts, I have been an avid user of Dropbox since I discovered it well over a year and a half ago. Once I installed the desktop client, I have been saving all of my files to my Dropbox folder so I can have access on every device I use. It is like I have this virtual file cabinet that follows me everywhere.

What made me write about this topic today was a conversation I had with a group of teachers and administrators who did not know what Dropbox was. I could not believe they have not heard of it, but I am sure there are many yet who haven't found the ease and comfort that comes with using cloud-based storage. Also, I am sure there are some who have not yet reached the point that they can let go of those flash drives.

While there are all kinds of reasons for using a cloud-based storage option like Dropbox or Google Drive. Here's My Big Three:

• Any-device and any-time access to my files and folders. I can take a photo with my Android tablet, and place it in my Dropbox folder. Then, I can access it on my iPad, both of my laptops, and any computer by signing in to my Dropbox web account. Who needs flashdrives? If I were employed at a company that manufactures these devices, I would be looking for a job.
• Sharing of files and folders. Both Dropbox and Google Drive allow me to share files and folders in my Dropbox account. This means I do not have to keep sending an updated copy of my Parent-Student Handbook to my teachers. I just update it and save it to the school docs folder I've shared with them. Sharing files easily is one of the reasons to use cloud storage. Only my Amazon Cloud Drive does not currently do this.
• File and Folder Syncing across devices and PCs. This has to be one of biggest advantages of cloud storage solutions. If I type a document at home, save it to my Dropbox, it will be on my desktop at work, and it will be on my iPad, my Galaxy Android Tablet too. This is another reason I wouldn't be seeking a job at a business what manufactures flashdrives.

So what is my favorite Cloud Storage solutions? I think that's rather obvious, but here's a comparison of four I have tried.

	Dropbox   https://www.dropbox.com Easy to use Desktop program installs with little set up Syncs across all devices: PCs, Android, OS devices Share files and folders with others (Though I hear this feature will no longer be available to new users after July 31st) Opinion: Easy to set up, easy to use, easy to access, easy to share. Simplest of cloud storage solutions.
	Google Drive  https://drive.google.com/start#home Easy to use and set up Desktop Program installs with little set up An iPad and iPhone app not yet available Android app available Syncs across all devices Access to Google Docs too Share files and folders with others Opinion: Easy to set up, easy to use, access to Google docs is a plus, syncing of files works great, sharing is easy, Android app works great, no iPad app yet.
	Windows SkyDrive   https://skydrive.live.com/ Easy to set up Syncs across PCs No Skydrive Android App, Third party apps available but work quirkily 7 GB of storage Opinion: Web interface is complicated. Syncing of files and folders works fine. iPad app works well. Sharing is complicated and there is no reliable Android app.
	Amazon Cloud Drive  https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/learnmore 5 GB of storage space Easy to upload files to Cloud storage No syncing of files and folders No Android App, no iPad or iPhone app Mostly just a cloud storage option Opinion: Great for backup and storage, no syncing of files, no sharing of files, great for backup of files though. No apps for desktop or other devices. Completely Web based.

What's my final verdict? I would use either Dropbox or Google Drive, with Dropbox having the edge because I've used it longer and it is currently the only cloud storage option that has both Android and OS apps. It looks like it is time to retire those flash drives!

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Migrating to Cloud-Based Online Tool Suites Is a No-Brainer for School Districts

Would your school district like to save money and cut down on technology-related and technology support costs? Think about what a school district IT department could get accomplished if they never had to worry about administering or troubleshooting your district email server again. Or, what if there were no need to purchase all those office suite PC licenses again? There are a growing number of cloud-based “Online Tool Suites” available to school districts, and "going-to-cloud" makes a great deal of sense for school leaders looking to save money, increase the number of online tools available to staff, and to bolster security.

There are quite of few reasons for moving to a cloud-based “Online Tools Suite” as opposed to using locally installed and maintained applications. Here's three good reasons to move to a cloud-based online tool suite from my perspective since our district moved to Google Apps well-over a year ago.

• Cost savings can be enormous. When a school district moves to the cloud for email alone, there's savings in maintenance and hardware costs for such things as email servers and network infrastructure. Such a move also eliminates the need for maintaining and troubleshooting these services too. With a service like Google Apps, backup of email is also less problematic, and as applications like Google Docs continue to improve, there may be even less need to pay for software licenses for office suites as well, not to mention no need to worry about updates and troubleshooting for these applications.
• Using cloud-based online tool suites allows for more streamlined collaboration and sharing. Online tool suites offer a variety of collaboration tools within their applications and the ability to easily share projects. Our district's use of Google Docs has meant using the online tools to share things like meeting agendas, schedules, and address lists. Also, it has meant being able to collaborate online in the creation of other documents like school improvement plans and handbooks. Sharing documents without attachments has also been greatly simplified. Online tool suites like Google Apps adds an entirely new dimension to collaborating as professionals.
• Online tool suites like Google Apps offer users an increasingly wide variety of tools highly suited for education organizations. Email, Google Talk, Google Sites, among many others that make up the Google Apps suite make communication within and without the organization more seamless. Google calendar with its sharing feature makes scheduling school and district events much easier. Google Docs is perfectly suited for the education organization where collaboration and team work have become even more important. More importantly, as Google refines and introduces more and more apps, our district is in a perfect position to take advantage of them.

Of course, one of the biggest concerns many have with a move to a cloud-based online tool suite is security. One reason for this is that once someone starts talking about moving data out of the physical proximity of the central office servers, a sense of panic begins to rise up. There's some kind of comfort in having the actual storage of data on your own real estate. Then, questions begin to arise like this one: “What do we do if someone gets our data, especially data that would place our district in violation of FERPA?” That is a legitimate concern of course. However, if the truth be known, companies like Google have much better resources for maintaining the security of data than school districts. Their resources for maintaining cloud security are almost unlimited, whereas in times of declining budgets, school districts do well just to maintain what they have. Maintaining security is ongoing and requires both ongoing monetary and physical resource costs to keep data systems secure and current. It just makes sense to allow a larger company who make it their business to keep data secure and store it. Besides companies like Google can’t afford massive data breaches and violations of data security so you can count on the fact that they consider security of the utmost importance.


I am not necessarily promoting Google Apps over other online tool suites. There are others available such as Zoho and Microsoft Office 365. Since I am most familiar with Google Apps I refer most often to its features, and offer the list of resources about Google Apps below.

Google Apps for Education Web Site
Google Apps for Education Community
Google Apps for Education Training Center

Perhaps others can suggest or express their experiences with other cloud-based online tool suites. How have  these solutions worked in your district or organization?


In the 21st century moving to cloud-based online tool suites just makes sense. In the age of declining budgets and limited resources, it is the very thing a 21st century leader will do.

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Who Needs a Flashdrive Anymore? Two Technological Solutions to Storage

Storage is not one of the most exciting technological parts of a geeky discussion about computers, but there are two solutions that every educator should have. One is a Dropbox account and the other is a relatively new storage/cloud solution called Syncdocs. Both of these technological solutions help make using a computer easier and make using cloud applications like Google Docs easier.

Dropbox has actually launched in 2008 and is easily one of my all time favorite technology tricks. Instructional technologists everywhere can win the loyalty of their administrators by simply introducing them to this solution. I can honestly say that I haven’t picked up a flash drive in months because Dropbox made it obsolete. The biggest selling points for Dropbox was:

• Being able to save files into a folder on my school laptop, and having access to those same files on both the web and also in the folder of my desktop at home.
• Being able to share specific folders with specific people. I don’t have to share my entire Dropbox folder, I can share individual files or individuals folders.

Dropbox Web Interface

If you want to brighten an educator’s day today, show them the wonders of Dropbox. They will be amazed. For more information about Dropbox check out their website here.

Syndocs is a solution that takes advantage of Google Docs. Since our district converted to Google Apps last summer, this is an excellent addition to those tools to help maintain consistent storage across devices. Syndocs is an application that you install on your computer and it syncs your Google Docs items across desktops that have the software. Like Dropbox, it automatically syncs upon boot. It allows you to do the following:

• Backup your desktop files in the cloud in your Google Docs account.
• Backs up your Google Docs files on your desktop.
• Whatever folder you designate automatically syncs to Google Docs and back to any other desktops that have the application installed and that folder selected.
• It places any office suite files you save into the designated sync folder into your Google Docs account.

For more information on Syndocs and to download the program, check out the web site here.

Who needs flash or any kinds of portable storage devices anymore. Drobox and Syndocs help you take advantage of storage versatility in the cloud.

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