Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Host with the Most!

The biggest problem with unlimited data is data management and along with organising systems like Google Reader and Mahara there is a free data storage software called Mediafire that lets you upload and download unlimited data. Others can share with your permission and it is simple and easy to use.

As well as the personal use of storing important files for safety the educational benefits stretch to it being the repository for a school or class project and save or protect resource material. I would collect all the relevant resources for whatever unit I was working on and would have access from anywhere in the future regardless of venue or forgetting my laptop. Students could also access for a unit of work where the learning manager could collate the resources. In line with the Engagement Theory principles Kearsley & Shneiderman (1998) of Relate-Create-Donate a cohort could set up a resource for a local organisation such as an retirement home or sporting club such as a photo library adding a history or fact file for a SOSE unit.

One problem with this free software is that if you do not use the account for more than sixty days it will expire so school holidays will have to be managed and file maintenance continued. A paid option will give unlimited access. I found 10 other file host all with varying conditions and uses so as per usual you must choose for your situation. Try Rapidshare or MagicVortex.

Shneiderman, B. (1988), Relate-Create-Donate: An educational philosophy for the cyber-generation. Computers & Education, in press.

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