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October 27, 2008, 07:01 AM ET
New Book by Educause Explores Impact of 'Cloud Computing' on Colleges
The digital revolution has already gone through several major phases. First there was the rise of personal computers, when people learned how to use word processors, and computer labs opened on campuses everywhere. Then came the popularization of the Internet, and users figured out that computers were more fun when you use them to talk to others. A new book by Educause, a higher-education technology organization, argues that we’re entering a new chapter in computing — the era of cloud computing — and that it’s one that will have implications for all aspects of university life.
The book is called The Tower and The Cloud: Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing, and the organization is releasing it this week at its annual conference, in Orlando. Cloud computing is usually used to refer to applications that run on computer networks rather than on personal computers, but the book defines the term more broadly, wrapping in topics like open-source software and social-networking tools that seem increasingly popular at colleges.
The 21 essays in the book were written by well-known leaders in college technology, including Clifford A. Lynch, executive director of the Coalition of Networked Information; Paul N. Courant, university librarian at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; and Yochai Benkler, a law professor at Harvard University and author of the book The Wealth of Networks.
Richard N. Katz, a vice-president at Educause, edited the volume and wrote the opening essay. He said in a recent interview that the book was “a celebration of what is possible and what is becoming possible,” but also “a cautionary tale.”
“We don’t know really what happens when you make your infrastructure interdependent with Amazon or you place your data in the care of Google,” Mr. Katz said, referring to some of the major companies offering Web-based computer services.
One theme of the book is that cloud computing is pushing colleges to become more open with their scholarship and software production. True to that ethos, the organization has made the full text of the book available free on its Web site, and the authors have used a Creative Commons license for their individual essays, allowing others to republish them. Old-fashioned print copies are also available for purchase from Educause.
For more on cloud computing, see the latest installment of The Chronicle’s new College 2.0 column, on “3 Ways Web-Based Computing Will Change Colleges.” —Jeffrey R. Young
Categories: Social-Networking, Leadership
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