Jill West is an instructor and author at Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Cloud computing is revolutionizing IT and IT education. Cloud computing is revolutionizing IT education and technology. Many of the principles that we learned and taught in the on-premises environment can be transferred to the cloud. Cloud technology is changing many of the processes we have used to manage IT infrastructure, security, software development, and other basic functions. As IT evolves, so must our curriculum programs and courses.
What resources are needed to train your students in cloud computing technology?
An entry-level, highly respected cloud certification
A curriculum that is simple to use, picks up where your students are at their learning journey, and presents material in clear language that teaches more complex skills over the foundational concepts.
You and your students will have easy access to multiple cloud platforms through hands-on projects that include ideas and resources
Effective and efficient training to prepare you to teach cloud skills and concepts
CompTIA Cloud+ Certification
CompTIA Cloud+ certification, which is vendor-neutral and entry-level in cloud technology, is currently the only one available. Cloud+ certification is a foundational credential for students interested in IT. It allows them to understand and integrate cloud technologies in all areas.
97% of companies use the public cloud. We must train our students to incorporate cloud-native ways to think and do IT throughout their careers. CompTIA Cloud+ certification is a framework and set of standards that covers all areas of IT.
Cloud in the Learning Path
We need to include cloud tech in every IT course we offer, not just adding one or two cloud courses. We need to “cloudifyâ our IT programs.
Cloud+ is a course that teaches cloud computing to students who are interested in adding it to their existing degree or certification programs. It covers basic concepts and skills that will prepare students for any cloud platform. The course will give students a solid understanding about the cloud, its concepts, and how they can navigate any cloud environment. Cloud+ is a follow-up to the A+, Network+ and Security+ courses. It provides the foundation to understand cloud and not just to memorize features and services.
Cloud+ is not enough. My students learn cloud skills in the A+ hardware class. My A+ hardware students create their own cloud server instances so they can see how what they have learned with physical computers can be applied to virtual resources in cloud. My Security+ students learn more about cloud security, and my database students learn more about cloud-hosted databases. Cloud isn’t a niche that only a few IT professionals need. Cloud is how we do IT now. Instructors must incorporate cloud concepts and skills into every IT course they offer.
Cloud Access
Many of the top cloud providers offer extensive, free resources for students and faculty. Students can work on projects in the Cloud+ course at MindTap. They can also use the three public cloud platforms (AWS Azure and Google), while Live Virtual Machine Labs allow them to create their own cloud in the MindTap environment.
Instructions will guide students through the process of setting up free trials on each cloud platform. If your school has it, they can also use the educational cloud resources without requiring a credit card. Videos created by authors guide students through the tasks of many projects in all three cloud platforms. This allows them to see the process before they are done and also allows them to benefit from examples in any other cloud platform they choose not.
Cloud Training for You
How can you prepare to teach cloud computing?
Cloud providers offer self-paced training and documentation for all services on their platforms. You can start with IaaS and PaaS. Then, you can use educational and public resources to quickly get up to speed and expand your knowledge. You might also consider pursuing the Cloud+ certification, which can be followed by vendor certs from AWS (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Alibaba), IBM, Google, IBM and others.
This type of training is time-consuming. Not everyone has the time or ability to master new technology before they teach their first cloud course. We recently created a video series to help instructors cover the basics of cloud computing at Cloud+ level. If you are already familiar with networking and servers,