2011

EDTECH 505: Evaluation for Educational Technologists Brian Wetzel

[AN EVALUATION OF CLOUD STORAGE UTILITIES FOR EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS]

Table of Contents
Cover Page Table of Contents 2 Learning Reflection 3 Executive Summary 4 Purpose of Evaluation. 5 Central Questions. 5 Stakeholders of Evalution 5 Background Information. 6 Purpose of Cloud Storage 6 Goals. 6 Predecessors to Cloud Storage. 7 Main Players and Characteristics of Cloud Storage. 7 Amazon...... 8 Dropbox. 8 Google Docs.. 8 Windows Live SkyDrive 9 Description of Evaluation Design...... 10 Collection of Existing Data...... 10 Data Creation 10 Survey Format...... 11 Results and Discussion... 12 Pricing and Benefits of Cloud Storage Providers..... 12 Survey Data.. 14 Discussion of Data 14 Conclusions and Recommendations... 17 Immediate Conclusions 17 Long-Range Planning... 17 Evaluation Insights... 17 References... 18 Appendix A: Evaluators Program Description................ 19 Appendix B: Evaluation Timeline. 21 Appendix C: Current Configuration Survey.. 23 Appendix D: Cloud Storage Survey.. 28

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Learning Reflection
This semester has provided me with a ton of new information that I plan to use in various capacities throughout my professional life. Evaluation is an important process that I have never put a lot of thought into prior to this class; however, I now see the importance of it, especially with the vision I have for my career. Organizations, both public and private, are always making decisions that influence the way they work and function. Evaluations provide valuable insight for making these decisions. Whether the organization is looking to continue, modify, or terminate any type of program or process, the results of a formal evaluation on the current and/or new program can make these sometimes difficult decisions easier. Sometimes, in the event that the program is funded by an outside agency (especially with publicly funded agencies) evaluations are mandatory, so that the organization is aware of the results. This lets the funding agency know whether investing in similar programs is advisable. I really did not know what to expect when beginning this course. Upon receiving the text book for use throughout the semester, I was elated to see a couple of mathematics based sections because of my strong math background. However, during the semester, I quickly learned that simple statistics and basic data analysis were not all that evaluation entailed. Even reading previously written evaluations was quite difficult for me because there were many statistical measures with which I was familiar but did not have the slightest idea of how to calculate them because I had forgotten the purpose and application of that statistical analysis. I also learned that one must also consider objectives, evaluation design, and a variety of evaluation instruments when completing a formal evaluation. I foresee formal evaluation playing a vital role in the future of my career. Whether my career path remains in mathematics education or transitions more towards technology education or coordination, I know that I will likely want more technology than any district would be willing to personally provide for me. I know that I will likely have to look for outside funding if I would like to have the resources for my students that I envision. As previously mentioned, I do not believe that any funding agency will support my projects without seeing the results of a formal evaluation on the program they are funding. This project and semester has been an eye opening experience for me. It has provided me a good foundation for evaluation procedures. Even though I do not think that evaluation would be a good fit for me as a career, I do see myself utilizing this new knowledge extensively in the near and distant future.

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Executive Summary
This evaluation aims at looking at one of the growing trends in technology: cloud storage. Cloud storage refers to uploading files to a third party storage provider with the desire to be able to access those files from multiple sources including computers and mobile devices. Cloud storage has been an added addition to cloud computing where software products are available and maintained on the internet rather than on a users computer. For this report, cloud computing and storage was evaluated in respect to its usefulness in the field of education. Potentially, cloud computing has the capability to replace many current traditional approaches to data storage for school districts. The initial part of the evaluation consisted of the gathering of information about four cloud storage providers: Amazon, Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft. It was already known by the evaluator that each company offered free accounts with basic features. This research clarified what each service provided for free and what options were available for purchase. The next part of the evaluation consisted of two surveys that were sent to school district technology coordinators and network administrators. These surveys provided insight into current configurations for data storage and addressed the potential of cloud storage for their district. The results were that cloud storage can be inexpensive to school districts and provide quality services as well. With some having a large storage capacity per user and others allowing synchronization between several devices, each provider has its benefits. However, those surveyed felt that there would a greater security risk if cloud computing was utilized.

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Purpose of Evaluation
The intent of this evaluation is to determine the usefulness of online cloud storage utilities in an educational institution. Cloud storage refers to online storage provided as a means to easily back-up, transfer, or synchronize data between computers and has become a leading buzz word in the field of technology. Several technology giants have created their own brand of cloud storage; each having their own advantages and disadvantages. Central Questions While there are definitely educational leaders that make use of cloud storage for their profession, how can cloud storage benefit a district as a whole? Would it be practical to eliminate the need for large data servers for student and staff use by mandating the use of one or more cloud storage utilities? This evaluation aims at analyzing these ideas by focusing on a few main questions. To begin, what is the current method of storing data for students and staff at local schools? Secondly, what are the benefits and disadvantages of using cloud storage utilities? Next, how do prices and options compare among companies offering cloud storage and which would most cost efficient for school settings? To conclude, should schools switch to cloud storage for student and faculty data storage? Stakeholders There are several stakeholders for this evaluation. The primary stakeholders would be network administrators who monitor and maintain the servers where data is currently stored. Administration and faculty are deemed stakeholders because most store data on network servers. Students will also be stakeholders because of the need to transfer data files for homework and projects between home and school.

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Background Information
Purpose of Cloud Storage Many people have been in a situation where they have worked on a computer at one location and created some type of file; however at some point, that person had to leave and forgot to copy that file to some type of portable storage device. There has also been the need to allow access to files across various platforms like PC, Mac and now the smartphone. People are constantly on the go and it can be burdensome to constantly carry some type of external hard drive everywhere they might need one particular file. Cloud storage (or cloud computing) was created with this idea in mind. Goals With cloud storage the idea would be to allow a user to be able to access files from any computing device. This would include Windows-based, Mac, or Linux based computers. There also a growing need for mobile access to files on tablet computers and smartphones. With cloud storage, a person can log in to a cloud storage provider, usually through a web page or a piece of downloaded software, and upload their personal and/or professional files. With the files uploaded, they not only reside on the computer that they were created on, but also on a data server managed by the storage provider. Now the person can access that file on any other computer with a web browser or storage software. Cloud computing is not limited to storage either. A couple of technology giants have begun to include access to productivity software, like word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software. These programs are also accessed via the internet and usually come at no extra cost for the person using it. With this, there is less of a need for a private or public institution to buy the productivity software, along with a license that allows it to be installed on several computers. Predecessors to Cloud Storage Computers have come a long way over the last several decades. The first instance of files storage came in the way of data disks. Data storage began with the invention of the hard disk in the 1956 developed by IBM which was able to store
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approximately 5 Mb of data. As revolutionary as this was for the time, files were not easily transferred from one computer to another. It was not until 1971 with the advent of the floppy disks, that information could be shared between computers easily and inexpensively. During the last two decades of the 20th century, various form of the compact disc and DVD surged to the top of the data storage world. Also during the late 1990s, disks began to get smaller and storage capacity began to get larger with the creation of various multimedia cards like the Memory Stick and later, the SD card. Portable memory devices like flash drives were developed in the early 21st century. While data storage was getting easier, cheaper, and overall more convenient, it still relied mainly on some kind of portable media like a disk, CD, or flash drive that the user must carry with them if they wanted access to their files. Cloud computing was first became known under the moniker grid computing. Grid computing was created to allow access to computer programs on-demand. The thought was to allow access to any type of program without actually having it installed on the computer that was being used by a person. Software suites would be maintained strictly by third parties. This ideal environment can also be traced to John McCarthy, who in 1961 said computation may be someday organized as a public utility. (Foster, 2008) This vision has had several adaptations but essentially led the way to cloud computing where software and data are housed offsite and accessed remotely by any computer with internet access. Main Players and Characteristics of Cloud Storage The following evaluation with consideration to four main cloud computing utilities: Amazon Cloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Docs, and Microsoft SkyDrive. Consideration was also given to Apples iCloud software; however, iCloud is still in beta form for testing purposes and sufficient information about Apples product was not available. The following is a brief overview of each product.

The cloud storage utility developed by Amazon.com, Amazon Cloud Drive, was unveiled to the public in March of 2011. Amazon Cloud Drive is an online storage utility for consumers. The basic account is free and comes with 5 gigabytes (Gb) of storage capacity.
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Amazon also allows users to pay for additional storage to meet their needs. Amazon Cloud Drive is bundled with Cloud Player, which allows users to listen to their MP3 files that are stored on their Cloud Drive from any computer. Cloud Drive and Cloud Player are available for all platforms that can access the internet and Amazon has created an application specifically for smartphone users that have a device running Android.

Dropbox was created in 2007. Dropbox was designed as a way to synchronize data quickly and easily by users with several computers. Basic accounts allow for 2Gb of storage for free and users are able to gain extra storage space by referring others to the service or paying for a desired amount of extra space. Dropbox software can be downloaded to any computer that the user would like to access the files from; however, the software is available for nearly all devices, including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android users. Users can also use the internet to access their files without the software application. Dropbox does not provide any services or software other than their data storage.

Google has become the leading search engine among many internet users. After the combination and testing of several productivity products, Google unveiled Google Docs to the general public in 2006. Google Docs began as a word processor and spreadsheet utility that is accessed online through a web-browser. Over the next few years, Google Docs added presentation and drawing software. In 2010, Google enabled the capability to store any file type along with the files that are created through Google Docs. Google Docs allows for 1Gb of storage and additional storage options are available as well. By creating a Google account, a user not only receives access to Google Docs, but also Gmail and other Google services. Google has also developed applications to access Google Docs specifically for mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Android.
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Not to be outdone, Microsoft has also developed an online storage utility under the name, Windows Live SkyDrive. SkyDrive is marketed along with other Microsoft Live utilities that allow users to create and store a variety of multimedia projects. With the creation of a Live account, users gain access to Microsofts online version of Office which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. SkyDrive allows users to save any type of file they wish and access to those files wherever a user can access the internet. Users with an account can store up to 25Gb of data; however users may not pay for additional space if needed.

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Description of Evaluation Design

This evaluation was conducted under a goal-free model. It is not the intention of this evaluation to encourage or discourage use of cloud storage because there is not time to produce sufficient evidence of its long-term effects. The evaluator is not examining any specific schools and their use of cloud storage. While decisions could be impacted by the reading of this evaluation, no immediate decisions will be made that are known to the evaluator. The intent of this evaluation is solely to organize data about cloud storage into a report that could aid in making an informed decision about schools transitioning from their current set-up to a partial or total integration of cloud storage. Collection of Existing Data This evaluation report supplies readers with data gathered directly from company websites that details available options and pricing guides for their product(s). The information was organized for readers in tables that detail the advantages and disadvantages of the utilities that were examined and also give details on the pricing of additional storage if available. Data Creation The report also supplies results from two surveys that were distributed to technology coordinators and network administrators in the Columbus, Ohio area. These surveys were created with SurveyMonkey.com and distributed to local technology leaders. After researching numerous district websites for individuals involved in district technology coordination, an email was sent with links to the SurveyMonkey online surveys that were created by the evaluator. The technology leaders were asked to volunteer their time to respond to the surveys. Since this report was made to help districts make informed decisions about the possibility of transitioning to cloud storage, respondents were allowed to request a copy of the final evaluation report. A point that should be noted is that in neither survey were the participants required to give their name or district. This was because the intentions of the report as noted earlier. This report does not intend to measure success, or lack thereof, for cloud computing for any particular district, but instead give an unbiased opinion on their usefulness.
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Survey Formats There were three formats utilized for the survey questions. 1. Open ended questions were used for general questions that would have varied answers 2. Multiple choice questions were used for collection of nominal data (yes/no) and ordinal data (respondents could answer on a scale of 1-5) 3. Multiple answer questions were also used to allow respondents to answer with more than one selection as needed. The first survey asked respondents to explain their current configuration for data storage. The volunteers were also asked to provide their biggest perceived problem with the configuration that they currently utilize. They were also asked to provide information about how much storage they provide to their students and staff. Other questions that were included pertained to the maximum storage one individual is allotted on the server(s). Additionally, the volunteers were asked if any file types were blocked and prohibited from being stored on network drives. Finally they were asked whether or not data could be retrieved if network servers failed at some point. The second survey began by asking the technology coordinators about their familiarity with cloud products. They were also asked if their district currently mandates accounts with one or multiple cloud providers. The next couple of questions asked about the positive and negative aspects of using cloud storage. Then they were asked about how much they would promote the use of cloud storage for their district. Finally, they were asked their opinion on the likelihood that their district would transition to mandating the use of cloud storage for students and/or staff. These surveys are included at the end of this report. For more information, please refer to Appendices C & D. A follow-up email was sent a week after the initial invitation. The surveys were officially closed to respondents after two weeks of being available. The results were recorded by SurveyMonkey and organized by respondent and by question. This data was then downloaded to a spreadsheet for further analysis.
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Results and Discussion

Pricing and Benefits of Cloud Storage

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Survey Data

Discussion of Data The four services examined offer a large variety of services between them. Each offers a free account with limited storage capacities and three out of the four offer upgraded subscriptions at various prices. It is interesting to note that Microsoft, the company that does not offer any extra storage capacity offers the most storage with their free account. The three that offer upgraded storage capacity range in price dramatically. The cheapest, Google Docs, charges twenty-five cents per
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gigabyte per year. Amazon charges one dollar per gigabyte per year. The most expensive is Dropbox who charges approximately $2.40 per gigabyte per year. Each of the services allow for any type of file to be stored and accessed via the internet and three (Amazon, Dropbox, and Google Docs) offer mobile applications to access your files. While any file can be stored, two services offer exemptions when limiting the amount of data you store. Amazon does not include any MP3 purchased from AmazonMP3 store towards data limits, which definitely would appeal to music lovers who like to carry their music with them. Google Docs also provides exemptions to any file created with Google Docs. A Google account also gives users access to Picasa, which allows users 1Gb of picture storage and access to Google+, which will allow unlimited storage of pictures and videos (up to 15 minutes long each). The data recorded through surveys was very minimal. The survey invitations were sent to approximately 30 people consisting of district technology coordinators and network administrators. Of the 30 that were invited, four of them (13%) provided answers for the Current Configuration survey, and five (16%) provided responses for the Cloud Storage survey. While information obtained was valuable to the evaluation, the evaluator feels more data would be needed to establish more reliable data. Each respondent of the Current Configuration survey declared that they use a combination of on-site servers to house the data and this data is backed up consistently. They also each claim that this data is completely recoverable if it were lost for some reason. Two of the four respondents claimed their biggest issue was file access outside of the districts computers. Storage capacities had a wide range from 500Gb to 4Tb. The amount allocated for staffs were generally centered on 80% of capacity, and students allocation generally centered around 20%. One respondent claimed that staff members were limited to 25Gb and students were limited to 10Gb of storage. It is of interest to note that this was the only respondent that set individual limits on storage capacity. Each respondent also stated that executable files were not allowed on network servers, and some said that multimedia files were discouraged unless related to specific school projects.

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Quantitative data from the Cloud Storage survey was a bit surprising. While all five respondents heard of Google Docs and Dropbox, only three respondents had heard of the utilities developed by Apple (which was initially considered, but dropped due to lack of information) and Amazon. Even more surprising was that only two respondents were familiar with SkyDrive. One would think that the three latter software giants would be more popular and have more exposure than the much smaller company Dropbox. Access to cloud storage utilities varied in the responses greatly. Two of the respondents indicated that none of the services were blocked by school filters. One respondent said that all of them are blocked. The remaining two reported that only select services were blocked. Three of the five respondents cited anytime, anywhere access to files as a benefit to cloud storage, while one respondent cited lower costs through eliminating current method storage. Four of the five responses included higher security risks with cloud storage with lessened control over the files that are accessed on school computers. While no one foresees mandated use of cloud storage (Figure 6), no one would discourage the adaptation of cloud storage in their educational environment (Figure 7).

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Conclusions and Recommendations

Immediate Conclusions There are few conclusions that can be drawn from the evaluation. The data from the evaluation leads to the conclusion that some schools are opening up to the idea of cloud storage but have not begun a transition to fully utilize them for staff and student data. With the lack of data to analyze, there was no way to judge how extensively cloud computing is currently being utilized. Other data leads to the conclusion that the cloud storage utilities are reasonably priced and could open the door to immediately and inexpensively solve a consistently identified problem of allowing access to files outside of district computers. However, the evaluator determines that it is impractical to determine the cost effectiveness without a larger variety of responses. Long-Range Planning Cloud utilities could conceivably eliminate the need for productivity software and large data servers to be installed and maintained on-site. This could potentially save districts a lot of time and money. If there are districts who have contemplated this idea, it would be advised to research and evaluate the use of cloud computing in districts that have experience in the implementation and utilization of cloud computing. It would also be advised to open access to a variety of cloud computing services so that teachers and other staff members could experiment with them in order to obtain opinions from one of the larger stakeholder groups. Evaluation Insights Due to uncontrollable circumstances, the time frame for this evaluation was considerably shorter than desired. The evaluation period was considerably short and would better be conducted during the school year versus the summer because district personnel are likely to be more available for data collection. It would also benefit the evaluation if teachers and students were available for input on their perceived positive and negative aspects of cloud computing.

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References
Foster, I., Zhao, Y., Raicu, I., & Lu, S. (2008). Cloud computing and grid computing 360-degree compared. Grid Computing Environments Workshop, 2008. GCE08 (pp. 110). Google Announces Google Docs & Spreadsheets News from Google. (n.d.). . Retrieved August 1, 2011, from http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/docsspreadsheets.html The history of (computer) storage. (n.d.). . Retrieved August 1, 2011, from http://csexhibitions.uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=187

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Appendix A: Evaluators Program Description

Evaluation Questions Would cloud storage utilities be beneficial to educational institutions? Program Objectives/Goals The goal would be to cut operating costs of network storage devices Activities to Observe Surveys to multiple technology coordinators

Would it be practical to mandate use of cloud utilities in educational settings?

The goal is to find a utility that is easy to use for most users

Surveys to multiple technology coordinators

Which cloud storage option would be best for school environments?

The goal is to find a flexible, easy-to-use utility allowing access to multiple files across different platforms

research on cloud storage utilities including allowed file types, space, and cost

Data Source

Population/Sample Technology Coordinators

Survey

Data Collection Method Survey created through SurveyMonkey and distributed through email Survey created through SurveyMonkey and distributed through email

Survey

Technology Coordinators

Websites of cloud storage providers

Cloud storage providers

Data will be recorded in a log

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Responsibility Evaluator, technology coordinators

Data Analysis Descriptive Analysis

Audience Technology staff, administration, teachers

Evaluator, technology coordinators

Descriptive Analysis

Technology staff, teachers

Evaluator

Comparative Analysis

Technology staff

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Appendix B: Evaluation Timeline

Date 6/20/2011 6/21/2011 Day Monday Tuesday Task Brainstorm Ideas for Final Project Decide on Final Topic

6/22/2011 6/23/2011 6/24/2011 6/25/2011 6/26/2011 6/27/2011 6/28/2011

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

Submit for Approval/Project Approved/Began Writing Overview of Project for Discussion Board Submitted Idea to discussion forum Work on timeline Finalize rough timeline Work on EPD Submit preliminary timeline and EPD

6/29/2011 6/30/2011 7/1/2011 7/2/2011 7/3/2011 7/4/2011 7/5/2011 7/6/2011 7/7/2011 7/8/2011 7/9/2011 7/10/2011

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Begin cloud storage research

Have cloud storage research completed Write surveys for tech coordinators

7/11/2011 7/12/2011 7/13/2011 7/14/2011 7/15/2011 7/16/2011

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Mid Point of Semester - Must have instruments and research completed for evaluation Email tech coordinators survey links

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7/17/2011 7/18/2011 7/19/2011 7/20/2011 7/21/2011 7/22/2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Follow up with tech coordinators

7/23/2011 7/24/2011 7/25/2011 7/26/2011 7/27/2011 7/28/2011 7/29/2011 7/30/2011 7/31/2011 8/1/2011

Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Close surveys and download data Analyze data Analyze data Begin working on Final Report Continue working on Final Report Continue working on Final Report Submit Final Report (Due at 11:55 MST)

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Appendix C: Current Configuration Survey

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Appendix D: Cloud Storage Survey

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Appendix E:

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