To+The+Cloud


 * Word Cloud**

**Voice Thread** media type="custom" key="8301752" align="center"

**Environments for Practice**

Example of Cloud Computing from John Powell’s article Powell, J. (n.d.). //Blackboard Learn.// Retrieved February 1, 2011, from www.blackboard.louisville.edu: https://blackboard.louisville.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Fcontent%2Ffile%3Fcmd%3Dview%26content_id%3D_5188292_1%26course_id%3D_520322_1%26framesetWrapped%3Dtrue

Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud allows users to rent virtual servers by the hour. It costs very little, and users are only charged for what they use, as they use it. There are no long-term commitments. It is simply demand-driven computing. This is quite beneficial, particularly to businesses or organizations just beginning, as the users in these businesses or organizations can have “access to computer power that would otherwise be beyond their reach” (Powell, 3). Here’s what Amazon says about it:   Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It is designed to make web-scale computing easier for developers.

Amazon EC2’s simple web service interface allows you to obtain and configure capacity with minimal friction. It provides you with complete control of your computing resources and lets you run on Amazon’s proven computing environment. Amazon EC2 reduces the time required to obtain and boot new server instances to minutes, allowing you to quickly scale capacity, both up and down, as your computing requirements change. Amazon EC2 changes the economics of computing by allowing you to pay only for capacity that you actually use. Amazon EC2 provides developers the tools to build failure resilient applications and isolate themselves from common failure scenarios.

Google SketchUp

Google Sketch Up is free software that students use to create and share 3D designs. Teachers can use this software to teach a variety of concepts such as geometry, geography or physics. Ex. [] This video shows how a teacher uses Google SketchUp to teach history. [] GapMinder

GapMinder.com shows the most important trends in the world all in one place. Students can discover information about health,income or natural resources in an interactive way that enhances their learning experience.

EX. [|[[http://www.gapminder.org/GapminderMedia/GapPDFs/GapminderSort/GapminderSort.pdf]]] After completing this task the students will have a better understanding about the income gaps between different countries around the world.

**Further Reading**