An Architecture Paradigm for Providing Cloud Services in School Labs Based on Open Source Software to Enhance ICT in Education

The authors present their experience and practices of introducing cloud services, as a means to simplify the adoption of ICT (Information Communication and Technology) in education, using Free/Open Source Software. The solution creates a hybrid cloud infrastructure, in order to provide a pre-installed (Ubuntu and Linux Terminal Server Project) virtual machine, acting as a server inside the school, providing desktop environment based on the Software as a Service cloud model, where legacy PCs act as stateless devices. Classroom management is accomplished using the application “Epoptes.” To minimize administration tasks, educational software is provided accordingly, either on-line or through repositories to automate software installation (including patches and updates). The advantages of the hybrid cloud implementation, include services that are not completely dependent on broadband connections’ state, minimal cost, reusability of obsolete equipment, ease of administration, centralized management, patches and educational software provisioning and, above all, facilitation of the educational procedure.