Your "Teaching in the Cloud" Welcome Package

Welcome to the Online!

Whenever you make a big transition in your life it seems customary for people to give you some kind of welcome package; new house = bottles of wine & ugly plates, new baby = bottles, diapers and some stupid outfit they will grow out of in a week. Moving to a mostly cloud based teaching method is just as big a deal right? Therefore I present to you... fanfare please... Your Teaching in the Cloud Welcome Package!

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Google Docs

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If you don't have a Google account yet it's time to get out of the 1990's and leave your Yahoo! account (do they still use the "!"?) back there with your Chumbawumba CD (don't lie, you know every word, there's less than 15 in the whole song). Google Docs is an free real-time collaboration tool that makes your classroom work smoother than you could ever dream possible.
The best way to learn Google Docs is to simply try it. Even better, try it with a friend. The best thing about Google Docs is the ability for 2+ people to collaborate in real-time on several common document types.

From a standard text document to an Excel style spreadsheet to a PowerPoint-like presentation, all are available from any web browser or even your phone. If you don't try any other item on this list, make it Google Docs.

Here is a great video from Common Craft that gives a simple and elegant explanation of Google Docs:

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Dropbox

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This is one of those services that I didn't realize I needed until I found it. Imagine the scenario: There you are, at your computer ready for your big presentation (to your class of students or peers or whatever) when suddenly you realize you left your USB storage device at home. Don't lie, it's happened to you. Any time we are secured to physical device that we must remember we as humans are destined to forget it whenever we need it most. This is where Dropbox comes in.

Dropbox is cloud-based storage service that is accessible from both the online service at www.dropbox.com or through a small program installed on your machine that simulates a standard folder on your operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux or your cell phone). It is simple to use and extremely useful, with helpful uses for both beginners and advanced users. With 2Gbs of storage costing $0 and plans for more storage costing as little as $10 a month, this service is too good to pass up.

Once again I bow to the guys at Common Craft for creating an incredible video describing the Dropbox service.

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Edmodo

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Should you as a Teacher have contact with your students on Facebook? Yes, No, Maybe? Edmodo is a service that attempts to create a service with the benefits of Facebook while overcoming the privacy concerns that come with a company created by a drunk college student.

This goof created the most notorious
time-suck currently in existence

Most students seem to be able to use Facebook instinctively as if it's their left arm, and while Edmodo has a slight learning curve, they should be able to pick it up with ease. Edmodo is your go-to service to keep in contact with your class and if you can get them involved, the rest of your faculty. The Edmodo in my school is used for assigning homework, taking class polls, scheduling net book carts, sharing links, file-sharing and more. The best part however is that there is a large user base, which means excellent ideas on uses such as these and these.

Edmodo is an easy and comprehensive way to show reluctant teachers a great use for technology, and with their excellent privacy features you can easily bring some over from the "dark side" of the educational "force".

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Twitter

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This is what most people think of when they think of Twitter. Possibly NSFC (not safe for class):

Twitter has come a long way since it's beginning. It took awhile for people to find a use for it that didn't involve what they had for breakfast or their gastrointestinal movements.

With the use of "hashtags" Twitter has found it's niche as a way to quickly share ideas and thoughts about any number of subjects. As a teacher, Twitter should be a essential resource in your PLN (Personal Learning Network). I won't get into the details of how to use Twitter as an educator, but I will recommend 2 important things: Use a Twitter client (Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are great) and use hashtags (#edchat, #edtech and #edreform should get you started).

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Conclusion

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These are only 4 of many resources you can use to make your life easier. However the cloud is not going away, and these resources should be enough to get you started.

Got any resources you think everyone must use in their classroom? Let me know in the comments.