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Cloud Computing Christina Erb

  Christina Erb

Cloud Computing

 

 

Cloud computing in elementary education has introduced new training and labor hours considerations that have resulted in an increased workload for library staff with little consideration for compensation. Many schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade have added Chromebooks, iPads, and other devices for students to use for homework, studying, testing, and other learning purposes – a mix of what Breeding would call enterprise and vendor-hosted, where both parties successfully shirk some responsibility for maintenance and training (Breeding, 2019). While the current students in high school are well-versed in figuring out the cloud-based applications and networked tools, that knowledge is developed in primary school where stressed librarians and library media assistants struggle to keep up with the advancements.

 

My experience as one of those library media assistants has been just that – constantly learning new technologies and applications without any formal education in the field. Although the use of the tools is considered basic and intuitive, my role has been focused on troubleshooting and solving problems. For that, a more sophisticated understanding is required. However, there has not been a concerted effort by the school district to provide the required training. Most college-level certification programs for librarians have implemented some use of these technologies, but not to the level needed for the current role I fill.

 

The future of cloud computing in public education libraries is going to keep evolving and will require the already-strained-and-stressed library media techs and their assistants to learn on their own, struggle through, and find a way to make it work.

 

 

 

Breeding, M. (2019, March). Managing Tech and the Impact of Cloud Computing on Libraries. Computers in Libraries, 39(2), pp. 9-11. Retrieved from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=ad930546-4fae-4cd4-be90-8ed36d663a05%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=135486413&db=lxh

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