Small businesses are getting a lot of attention lately as the driving force for job creation in America. Many small- and medium-sized businesses are doing just that, but at the same time they are looking for ways to lower costs and improve both competitiveness and customer satisfaction.

Cloud-based products and services are a great way for SMB to improve their bottom line and compete with larger companies. It is safe to say that large companies have cumulatively invested billions of dollars in messaging, collaboration, customer relationship management (CRM) and other platforms to help manage their business. For SMB, each of these systems can be setup in the cloud in a matter of minutes or days vs. the months or years it takes a large business to do the same. Essential business functions such as email, shared calendars, contact management and collaboration are available from major cloud providers such as Google and Microsoft, and can cost as little as $50/user/year. More than just the essentials are included for a low cost. Mobile device integration, cloud document storage, instant messaging, voice and video chat and more are all part of the package.

Cloud technologies extend beyond productivity to include areas such as marketing and sales. Potential customers/clients can be found via social networking clouds like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. There are any number of ways to utilize these tools to expand a company’s presence, promote sales and build an online reputation. Even brick and mortar business can take advantage of social clouds through promotion and the online equivalent of “word of mouth”.

Some cloud offerings are purpose-based business functions such as accounting or CRM. Here you will see examples of software companies who have adapted to the cloud, such as Microsoft and Intuit, as well as companies who started in the cloud such as Salesforce. Cloud providers, regardless of their origins, are making available powerful software platforms that companies of any size can use.

Cloud services can be quickly implemented. In many cases, getting these services setup is as simple as completing a few forms on a website. When compared to the time and investment necessary to implement similar systems in-house, using cloud-based platforms often shows an immediate return on investment.

Most cloud services are available to companies of all sizes, and while significant numbers of businesses are taking advantage today, many are not. The biggest hurdle for many organizations is simply understanding what is out there and how to take advantage of it. Cloud technologies are here to stay and are quickly replacing traditional technologies, so every business should develop a cloud strategy.

In my last post I talked about the cloud based systems management software from Meraki. This week I plan to talk about, you guessed it, system management software. Why? Because that is what I do. So question is, has been, and always will be: How does this make the life of an IT professional easier?

The challenge for those in the remote or even onsite systems management business is that for the most part you are not in front of the afflicted computer(s). This can make troubleshooting difficult to say the least. However, GoToManage, the cloud managed offering from Citrix, has a number of features they believe can make the process less a of a headache.

Background
Earlier this year Citrix Online purchased Paglo, a company that specialized in remote manangement software MSPs and SMBs. GoToManage conisists of two different modules: GoToManage Remote Support and GotoManage Monitoring. The former delivers live end-user support and allows remote control; the latter allows administrators to inventory, monitor and manage PCs, and Macs, servers and networks with automatic discovery. Upgrades and maintenance operations can also be automated.

How it Works
After configuring your online account, the next step is to download the  open source“data crawler” and start collecting data. The crawler has as you might have guessed has a good deal of customizable options. The crawler will report back detailed information on everything from cpu usage to a list of open/closed ports on each device. And unlike the Meraki software this is possible without having to install an agent on every machine you want to monitor. For those looking for an added level of detail there are over 24 plugins available provided by Citrix.  The only problem seems to be how you are going to sort through the mountain of data being reported back to you. And it is cool to have software that will allow you to manage your Citrix deployments in addition to the rest of your network

Conclusion
Overall, with features like two-way screen sharing, file sharing between sessions, support most platforms(except Android), off-LAN Data Collection, and log mangement make it a pretty solid offering.

In K-12 education today there seem to be more questions than answers. People need to know the best approach to integrating technology and instruction to update the classroom and support 21st century learning. Here are the types of questions you might hear:

“Should we do 1-to-1 or BYOD?”

“Should we use Apple or PC for our 1-to-1?”

“What size device should we get?”

These questions are good questions that should be asked, but the first questions that one must ask are, “What do we want to accomplish? What are our goals?” Until the goals of the program are fully understood, the device selection cannot be properly made. Even once the goals are established, choosing a device will not accomplish the goals.

There are any number of possible goals that your school might be trying to accomplish. A fairly common goal is eliminating the need to purchase new physical textbooks. Other goals include flipped classrooms, enabling students to create videos, improving students’ ability to collaborate, preparing students with 21st century skills, etc. These goals also cannot be addressed by device selection.

Eliminating textbooks seems like a fairly mundane topic that should be easily addressed, however, it is not. Not all publishers are on the same page with digital textbooks and your platform is pretty much narrowed down to PC or Mac for those who do have digital alternatives. To me it seems like requiring a textbook whether it be physical or digital is a relic of the past. The textbook companies are no longer the holders and maintainers of knowledge. Most lessons can be found online or recreated using the tools of today, eliminating the need for textbooks. Then it is just a matter of organizing and delivering this content to a multitude of devices that you wish to support. In this matter, it is far less about the device than the content. If your goal is to eliminate textbooks, you should consider eliminating them through the use of alternatives, not replacing them with options that severely limit the types of devices your students can use.

One argument I have heard for 1-to-1 programs is to support low-income students who cannot afford a device of their own. I understand and support the need to enable all students to participate and learn. However, I disagree that providing a computer to every child is the best way to make that happen. BYOD on the surface seems to favor higher-income households, however I don’t think this is entirely true. BYOD allows students to use virtually any type of device, this means everything from iPods to MacBook Airs. Remeber that you and I learned by reading books and participating in class. I have read a tremendous amount of information off my little 3.5” screen, so I know that iPods can be used effectively for learning. In addition, the biggest hurdle for enabling the productivity of low-income students outside of the classroom isn’t the device, it is the connectivity. Without Internet access, most devices will be severely limited in function. On the other hand, another problem with 1-to-1 is giving a computer to a child who already has one. What is the point of that?

BYOD becoming more popular and accepted among schools. It is a lower-cost approach to integrating technology into the classroom. I fully support BYOD as an innovative approach that can provide a great deal of instructional value. However, just like the above approaches, BYOD has limitations. The most obvious is the lack of control over the selection of the device. By not directly controlling the device selection, you cannot be guaranteed specific functionality. This is why your instructional materials need to be generic, not platform specific, mostly text and simple images (it worked for us, it will work for them) and HTML based. I don’t view the limitations of BYOD as a reason not to support it, but instead as the framework for how best to format the instructional materials for broad support.

1-to-1 may seem like the best way to support approaches like the flipped classroom (see flipped classroom post here). However, as I stated above, the issue with delivery of instructional materials outside of the classroom has more to do with connectivity, with families not having Internet access at home, than it does with the lack of access to a device. Giving every student a brand new computer seems like a terribly inefficient method for resolving differences in device access outside of school. I would think that partnerships with local libraries and after school programs, where shared devices are provided for students to access school resources, would be much more efficient and effective.

For now, most learning still takes place at school and within the classroom, so that would seem to be the area to focus on first. BYOD helps get devices into the classroom, 1-to-1 puts a device in every student’s hands, but that doesn’t mean that they will be used. The challenge is to incorporate the devices. I will probably write another post on that subject, but here are the basics: 1. Fight the impulse to use them as you would have used previous tools. Having all the students do the exact same thing at the exact same time in class is a recipe for failure. For example do not have all the students in your class open up and watch a video at the same time. This will likely put too much load on your network and make the whole thing a mess. Instead, use the technology as they will use it in the real world. Teach them the tools to find information on the subject they are studying, compile that information, and apply it in a useful way. 2. Do not make the technology critical to the instruction. There is no perfect technology, and devices in classrooms will never be as simple as saying, “Open up your textbooks and turn to page 31.” That being said, the devices can be much more powerful in expanding the resources available to students in class. As you consider how to use technology, do not ever assume that it will work as planned. Don’t allow class to turn to chaos just because the Internet connection is a little slow that day. Instead make sure you have a combination of online and offline content and tools you can take advantage of. 3. Most teachers cannot be trained (in the traditional sense), to integrate technology into their classrooms. Integrating technology isn’t like learning a new subject. In many cases it might be closer to having a history teacher who can’t draw teaching art. The skills simply cannot be taught, they can only be adopted by the individual teacher. New teachers coming in, if given the option, will more likely integrate a wide variety of technology, whereas a teacher who has taught for a long period of time will more likely resist.

So, back to the original idea of which device or approach should schools adopt. Here is what I would do:

1. Support BYOD - Allow students to bring in their own technology to use at school.

2. Provide classroom device sets - Not at a 1:1 ratio, but instead 10-12 devices for a standard sized classroom. This will allow a device for students who don’t have their own and will enforce a common 21st century skill of collaboration by having students work in small groups.

3. Partner with local organizations to provide access to learning resources outside of school, and keep school locations open before and after school to provide technology access.

Having considered many of the goals schools are trying to accomplish with 1-to-1 or BYOD, I feel like this blended approach allows for the best chance of success. At the same time, this approach is relatively affordable for schools who are facing heavy budget constraints.

It wasn’t long ago that I heard about an idea and had one of those “Well duh...” moments. It was the flipped classroom. It is a fairly simply concept, but it could change the way schools teach. It basically goes like this:

We all know what to expect from school right? We show up and listen to the teacher, watch the board and take notes so we can remember what was covered. Then we go home and are expected to do our homework which reinforces the lecture and ensures we “get” the topic. The problem is that when you’re home, there is no one there to help you if you don’t “get” the topic. The flipped classroom flips that model on its head.

The lecture, notes, etc are done at home. The student can watch a video, view a slide deck and absorb the information that would otherwise have been presented during the class period. Then go to school the next day and do the “home work”, but have the teacher there as a resource to reinforce the lesson. The teacher can do a better job of making sure the students “get” it.

Lessons at home, work at school. A simple concept that just makes sense. I know from my experience: I often got home after school, pulled out my math assignment, looked down and couldn’t figure out what I was looking at. With no one there to bridge the gap between the lecture in class, and the practical application, it simply wasn’t possible for me to “get” it. I know for a fact that if I was sitting at home watching the lecture, and I pulled out my assignment when I got to class, I would have had a much better chance of completing the assignment and ultimately understanding the concept. But that is enough about my academic struggles, let’s take a look at how this is now possible.

Technology has progressed to a point where flipping the classroom is not only possible, but can be done effectively and at a reasonable cost. You have to address three critical components to flip a classroom.

Content

Content is key in the flipped classroom. Fortunately, much of the content already exists and just needs to be flipped. Here’s how to flip it.

It may be a bit old fashioned, but personally I like to see the person presenting my information so I prefer video lectures. But, there is a lot of content to present in addition to the lecture itself and this can be presented in the same video. My tip would be: don’t record your lecture in front of a whiteboard presenting as you would to a class. Take a look at how the folks over at educator.com have a multi-columned approach it is much more effective see here.

If you are thinking about what a challenge it would be to create all this content, consider this: work with your A/V students and have them take part in the creation and editing of videos for credit. This would be a great hands-on experience for the students that serves the dual-purpose of helping get content online faster.

Delivery platform

The delivery platform is critical in the flipped classroom. Students will be using a wide variety of devices to access the content. So you must consider the following factors:

• Content types
• Bandwidth and load
• Devices

There are a huge variety of content types: video, presentations, documents, applications, audio, etc. Determining which content types to use can seem daunting and you have to ask questions like: “If I use PowerPoint are all my students able to open it?”. If you have to ask the question, the answer is probably no, so don’t do it. Do not use any formats that are not universally accessible. Videos should be hosted on a server capable of HTML5 delivery AND Flash delivery. Proprietary document formats should not be used. When in doubt don’t put it in a document, put it directly on a webpage. It is much easier for mobile devices if they can access it in their browser and don’t need to download.

Bandwidth is a factor on both the back-end (servers) and front-end (student devices) so you should be aware of it. Just because you can shoot and post your video in 1080p doesn’t mean your network, or your students network, has the bandwidth to handle it. Use a lower resolution and keep the images displayed still on the screen as much as possible and you will have a dramatically smaller file. Big files are great for keeping important memories, but when you are trying to distribute information to a large number of people big files will stop things dead in their tracks.

We touched on devices when looking into content types, but there is another major factor in devices and that is screen size. Your student may be using their 50” TV or their 3.5” iPod. Make sure that what you are presenting looks good on screens whether big or small. All devices have different capabilities, so be aware of the different types of devices when creating your content.

Presentation Platform

The presentation of the information can take many different forms, but I feel like students expect everything to be in one place. It is “Facebookization”. It needs to be easy to use for teachers and students and it needs to enhance the flipped classroom experience. I believe a social, collaborative site will have the best chance for success. Equate social media names that students are already familiar with to the education environment: classes=groups, lessons=posts, projects=activities, etc. Make the transition between popular social platforms and your education platform seamless for the student.

I am always interested in hearing from people on new ideas. If you are doing this today, want to do it or just have ideas I would like to hear from you. Twitter works best.