Cloud computing is a topic that can be confusing to people who haven’t previously heard the term. Once you’ve explained it, you still have to convince those same people how cloud computing can be beneficial to them. Fortunately, there are folks like Sachi and Lee Lefever who can explain confusing topics in simple terms.

Common Craft has released a new video in which cloud computing is explained in plain English. Common Craft videos are no longer embeddable so you will have to watch it on the Common Craft site. I rarely endorse buying a specific product, but I make an exception for Common Craft (you can read why in this post). So if you like the Common Craft videos and think that you want to use them for professional development purposes, please consider making a purchase from them. Disclosure: Other than Lee and Sachi footing the bill for some appetizers and a beer at NECC 2009, I do not have any financial interest in the sales of Common Craft videos.

A related video from Common Craft is Google Docs in Plain English. That video is embeddable and I’ve embedded it below.

Applications for Education
Cloud computing can save school districts a lot of money. If you find yourself in the position of trying to convince your district’s administrators to move to a cloud computing model, Cloud Computing in Plain English could be very useful.

Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
Computer Hardware in Plain English
The World Wide Web in Plain English
Lesson Plans for Teaching Web Search Strategies