Educators Have Options for Storing Files on the Cloud

A number of reasonably priced cloud-based file storage sites exist, but not all are optimized for education or designed specifically for the classroom. While the services are free upfront, there may still be costs involved, even if they are not readily apparent.

As classrooms plug into technology with increasing frequency, schools are naturally turning to cloud-based file storage to keep students' assignments accessible and organized. A number of reasonably priced cloud-based file storage sites exist, but not all are optimized for education.

Last year, Google announced that it was giving users 1 gigabyte of free space, for any type of file, on its popular cloud-based Google Docs service, which was already offered by services like Dropbox and SugarSync.

But while the services are free upfront, there may still be costs involved, even if they are not readily apparent.

"Google itself is free, but then you have to have backups," said Mike Hosford, CEO of VARtek, a company that helps schools and districts make the transition to the cloud. "Schools tend to have a cost structure, it's just less of a cost structure than they had."

Services like Google Docs and Dropbox are also not optimized for the needs of educators, who may look for services that take the needs of the classroom model into account.

School Web Lockers offers schools unlimited storage, and segregates files by class and by student, at a cost of $1 per user per year. Kelly Smith, the company's manager of marketing and sales, described it as a peerless homework system, where teachers post assignments and students work on them and return them for grading. A student's work is also archived in a portfolio, which stays with them from year to year, allowing teachers and students, for example, to see how a student's writing style has changed.

After schools provide the company with some basic information, School Web Lockers gets to work customizing the service for specific needs.

"We set up all the accounts, all the class folders, and all the associations," Smith said. "With Google docs, you have to individually create the accounts and assign who has access to what folders and what permission levels they have. With us, it's all set up for you, so when you log in for the first time you can start using your system."

Similarly, eBackpack offers schools cloud-based web lockers with unlimited storage and e-portfolios. The service also offers online commenting, multiple file uploads, and homework drop boxes.

Additionally, students can save and open files directly on their iPads. eBackpack offers varying subscription levels from single-user to district-wide implementations. Individual class plans are priced at $39 per year. School and district plans start from $1 per user per year.

 

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation in Education

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education, from preschool through higher education.

  • figures sitting around a round table, discussing over an open book, papers, and glasses

    Alliance for Learning Innovation, Digital Promise Form National Education R&D Advisory Committee

    The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) and Digital Promise are bringing together a coalition of education leaders to help develop a national education research and development agenda and foster innovation in schools and districts across the country.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.