Describing computer-based resources as a "cloud" is one of the newest metaphors sweeping the field of information technology. For example, the Innovations in Learning Conference (of which I am the director), has its theme "Get your head in the clouds". Clouds refer to the complex of user generated content, technologies and services that are available to be mixed and mashed into a "solution" that is unique to your needs. This post by Lidija Davis contains a primer on cloud computing, and cites a recent Gartner report that "early adopters will forgo capital expenditures, and instead purchase 40% of IT infrastructure as a service by 2011." Another analyst, Alistair Croll, says that "Right now, almost every company has someone in their IT department using the cloud to some degree." Croll predicts that by 2009 it will no longer be almost every company; it will be 100% of companies. This is not good news for technology vendors who have been charging huge sums for their "enterprise" systems. It is also not good news for formal education institutions, given that most of what anyone needs to learn as an adult is available for free in the information cloud around us. -GW
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