1. Introduction

Data systems have been important to computer users since the advent of personal computers. My first experience with a computer was the MONECS system whereby IBM Port-a-Punch 80 column punch cards were used. Each line of programming code was made up of cards where a hole was punched to represent the character (e.g. a-z or 1-0) on each card. It was tedious, painstaking and prone to error and mishap. The program was fed into a card reader (which was never revealed to the student faculty – just referred to by lecturers and tutors as the ‘black box’)) and a printout of a successful (or failed) attempt was provided. Any errors had to be traced back to a card or cards. While studying economics and accountancy at the time, I felt that computers would never make much of an impact on my career!

My first real computer was a Cromemco UNIX based mini-computer in 1981. For the school’s investment of $30,000 it boasted massive storage of 2.8Mb on two 8” floppy disks. This was the entire storage for up to five concurrent users, with all of the programs, stored data and utility programs running from these two disks. By removing and adding another 8” disk, you had backup capabilities and expansion. Of course there were no graphics, music or sound effects. A Line and a daisy wheel printer clacked and thumped away printing out huge A3 sized lined paper (blue and white) predominantly involving program code, data base information and simple text processed documents.

A few years later, whilst travelling overseas I bought a Sinclair ZX-80 in England. It had no data storage so each program had to be typed and then checked for errors, and then used. If the computer was turned off, the program disappeared! Other early computers such as a Vic-20 had cassette storage, also prone to physical tape jams, slow tape speed and occasional tape and data drop outs. A Tandy Colour System in 1983 had EPROM cartridges where software was loaded by inserting a dedicated cartridge into the side of the computer. It boasted 64kilobyte colour graphics capability, as did a Commodore 64.

The 8-bit based computers had various microprocessor chips and popular models included Amigas, BBCs, Atari’s Tandy models, Sinclair Spectrum ZX80s, Microbee, Apple II and the many Apple II clones that existed (with very strange and unusual names), as well as the Thompson, Amstrad, Commodore Vic 20 and C-64 and other lesser known and supported models and kits.

The Apple II series introduced a floppy disk drive for each machine, with 5.25” disks the norm. It allowed users, with their personal or microcomputer, to load and save programs and data onto one or more disks. Maintaining, filing and keeping track of disks became a major management issue, as well as cost. They were about $10 each at one stage and held 360K, later doubling to 720K per disk.

The Apple II series (C, II, IIe and later the more powerful and advanced IIGS) were very popular in education in many states of Australia as they boasted a broad range of educational and leisure programs as well as word processing (Zardax, Bank Street Writer, Apple Writer and later the wonderful AppleWorks suite) educational and adventure games, simulations, literacy, maths science and music programs.

The BBC computers from Britain including the Model A and then B, and later upgraded to the Master 128 represented a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation (thus the BBC moniker). It was designed primarily with an emphasis on education. It was well regarded in education, especially in Special Education, for its ruggedness, expandability and the quality of its operating system. The software programs written for students with different access, cognitive and physical needs endeared them to many special schools and classes.

In about 1986, Programming Languages and some software applications were supplied on ROM chips to be installed on the motherboard. These loaded instantly and left the main RAM free for programs or documents. As well as the BBC Econet networking solution, this made it even more attractive to schools as data management, loading and storing programs and running the computers was more efficient and less time consuming for staff. There was not a position such as a ‘school technician’ in those days – keen and interested staff usually took on the role on behalf of other interested colleagues and students. In many instances, the students knew more than the teachers.

It was common to purchase fonts, clip art, mouse pointers, screen savers, simple music and sound effects and other common computer data we take for granted now!

Devices such as dot matrix printers were the norm and networking was starting to make inroads, including DigiCard network for Apple and IBM computers. It was all about expansion ports, floppy and hard disk controllers, co-processor cards, internal modems, interface cards, parallel and serial ports with cables running everywhere and which way!

Advent of Hard Disk Drives

The first IBM JX our school purchased boasted a massive 20Mb hard drive – a huge advance of disk and data storage and management! Even the initial Apple Macintosh Plus ran from a 3.5” floppy disk, with the System files being loaded first, then program and data disks inserted, sometime swapping disks up to 20 times to complete a file backup or transfer. Later, schools discovered that purchasing an external hard disk drive was the answer. The WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) of the early Macintosh computers revolutionised desktop computing, particularly publishing and word processing.

The Macintosh SE had an inbuilt drive and successive models, still with a relatively small 9” screen (iPads?) and black and white display, witnessed even more productivity tools over and above the initial MacWrite, MacPaint and MacDraw with powerful desktop publishing, drawing, word processing and data base software emerging. The Macintosh LCII was the first affordable entry level colour Mac computer and it was embraced enthusiastically in 1985 (as the industry standard models were many thousands of dollars). It was even backwards compatible running Apple IIe software.

Over time, most computers were released with internal hard disk drives in the late eighties and so running and maintaining computers was made a great deal easier and less cumbersome. Many schools still had Apple II style computers well into the late nineties, though.

No wonder many educators didn’t embrace them as they were quite temperamental, ‘techie’ based monsters that relied upon knowledge of strange foreign jargon and terms. They often broke down, over heated, attracted dust, erased data, had convoluted procedures and created more angst in the classroom that many teachers and aides were prepared to countenance and suffer. There was more time learning about them, how to fix the many and wonderful technical problems and especially how to budget for their expensive upkeep!

2. Background to Data Storage

A brief overview of how data is saved, stored and transferred from one system to another with security, safety and integrity follows. Some educators and school support officers and aides, grapple with some of the basics and fundamentals of how to save and transfer files safely from one device to another – with confidence and consistency.

After cassettes and tape drive storage, were the 8” floppy disks, followed by the 5.25”and later 3.5” disks. They were a ubiquitous form of data storage and exchange from the mid-1970s well into the first decade of this century. A floppy disk was a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles. They were read and written by a floppy disk drive – some mounted externally with later models housing them within the computer, often with two drives – commonly referred to as drives A: and B: on a Windows based computer.

While floppy disk drives still have some limited uses they have long been superseded by other data storage methods with much greater capacity, such as USB flash or thumb drives, portable external hard disk drives, optical discs, memory cards and more commonly school computer networks.

For a time 100MB ZIP drives from Iomega systems were popular but at $25 each, just purchasing the hardware drives themselves proved to be an expensive solution. Other options such as CD optical drives eventuated followed later by DVDs that boasted seven times more capacity.

The USB thumb/pen drives appeared in about 2000, offering 128MB and soon increased in capacity with prices diminishing over time. A USB flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. USB flash or jump drives are typically removable and rewritable and most brands have discreet small models that weigh less than 30 grams. As of October 2011, drives of 256 gigabytes are available.

Digital devices, most predominantly the emerging digital still cameras that started to appear in the mid nineties, had memory cards storage options. The competing camera and IT companies created their own formats, including SD, Compact Flash, XD and proprietary standards such as Sony Memory Stick. Later, external and internal memory card readers were developed so that photos and other data and file types, including MP3 music, could be stored and retrieved without dedicated and/or specific cables for each brand and model of device.

External hard drives that connected via USB (Universal Serial Bus) became more commonly used and accepted, the initial offerings requiring AC/DC power. Later models were just powered through the USB port, and the standard has improved from USB through to USB2 and more recently USB3 standards and protocols.

Distributed Data Services

Servers in schools became more crucial and important as larger file sizes were made possible by having processors and data buses that could handle larger packets of data. Documents contained not only text, but rich multimedia. Clip art increased in quality, with colour images in clearer high resolution with more detail appearing in collections and later online. Photos and video content, as well as Flash movies and MP3 and MP4 files are commonplace now and inserted and imbedded into word processing, desktop publishing, presentation, spreadsheet and data base files.

With the advent of the internet and schools promoting its use in the mid nineties, schools relied on higher capacity, faster and more secure servers to store and distribute data. Teachers needed safe storage of sensitive document, student profiles, reports and letters to parents. Students wanted to store their work for assessment and appraisal on site. Administrators required systems with high integrity, separating the curriculum resources and connections for added security.

As in the corporate world, off-site storage became an option in case of school theft, damage, floods or fire. Backing up to tape or disk drives and storing copies off site was mandatory and best practice. Remote systems that would backup all servers and proxies overnight became the norm with schools investing in UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supplies) Cat 5 and optical fibre networking with switches, hubs and all of the necessary infrastructure so that all computers would be connected to the local Intranet (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN) and externally to the World Wide Web (Internet).

Wireless integration of systems has witnessed greater freedom in when and where students and staff work study and collaborate. With wireless access to data, students are able to access and retrieve all of their necessary files. With Bluetooth enabled devices they can upload and download as well as share and transfer files between the teacher and students.

Purchasing and establishing network systems, especially over large areas and in multi campus schools and institutes of learning, is costly and most educators do not appreciate the Total Cost of Ownership issues that surround the implementation of computing systems.

It is not just the initial cost of computing or data devices, but the entire cost over the expected useful life of the computers; the operating system and utilities, curriculum support software and resources, assessment, reporting, administration and productivity software, maintenance, repairs, wiring, cabling and as well as peripherals and devices that need to be budgeted and accounted for every 2-3 years.

The more recent iPod Touch, iPads and Tablets bring a whole new dimension to resourcing students with data storage. Schools need to carefully plan and consider how they manage student data.

Apple has just announced their iCloud solution (as of October 2011). There have been a number of extremely useful, time efficient and practical methods of data storage ‘in the cloud’. Different online vendors offer a number of solutions, some that are free and others at cost as needs change.

3. Saving Files Securely

It is paramount that educators know how to save all of their documents safely, with confidence, knowing that they have secure, up-to-date versions of documents that can be quickly and easily located the next day; or six months later. They also need to know how to back up files on second and tertiary devices, especially if the document is time critical, has taken time to develop or is of a private or sensitive nature.

Confidential files, such as student profiles and reports need to be stored securely. Floppy disk drives were notorious for failing; just when a document was required for appraisal or editing by colleagues or it was needed printing!

USB thumb drives can fail a day after opening the wrapper – or ten years later. As with all devices, the following can compromise its performance:

• Extreme cold and heat
• Magnets and magnetic fields
• Fire
• Theft
• Being left behind on transport, in the school grounds or lost
• Being washed in a washing machine – left in pockets is a common dilemma

Most especially, if educators, aides, assistants and school support personnel are supporting students at risk, or children with special access or learning needs, they MUST be able to consistently save the student’s work and be able to coordinate their computing outcomes so that the student does not lose faith in them, or the technology. It is not empowering nor enabling to have a piece of music, a word file, an art masterpiece, a drawing or a test lost due to poor data management skills – by the very same adults who are supporting and assisting them!

Important data should have three ‘generations’ – the working copy, a timely backup (within a day or week) and another recent copy stored externally (kept at another location – campus, home, car etc).

Important and critical data as well as sensitive documents can be password protected in programs such as Word Processors and Data Base programs. USB drives can also be password protected. Folders on computers and servers can be made ‘Write Only’ or only made available to staff or students who have appropriate privileges.

Of course privacy issues must be recognised and adhered to, along with copyright conventions and rules.

4. Backing Up Data

Why we need to back up data is fairly obvious. Losing time and effort, plus brain power, is avoidable if files are saved. Anything that takes over 5 minute’s effort is worth saving. There is nothing worse than typing up some text, then printing it to have it stuck in a queue or sent to the wrong printer and lost. Files requiring further refinement, editing or correction after the program has been quit and the user logged off are gone. If a file is saved, it can be edited then erased or deleted later.

Backing up the My Documents folder on a local or personal computer, or an H: drive at work (your own personal area on a secure server) is quite straightforward. Depending on the contents and overall size (if unknown, right-click on a Windows computer and check Properties, on a MAC OS computer, Ctrl-I), it could be backup up to a 4GB or 8GB USB if not an external 500MB or 1Terabyte drive. Backing up at least once a school term would be a good strategy.

Many people are still not too sure about the terms. Simply put, a kilobyte is 1024 bytes (rounded off to a thousand)

1 kilobyte KB	1000 bytes
1 Megabyte MB	1,000,000
1 Gigabyte GB	1,000,000,000
1 Terabyte TB	1,000,000,000,000

These conventions are standards across MS Windows, MAC OS Linux and other digital devices. File formats will vary though and so compatibility between systems and software applications can frustrate end users. Having a file that is attached to an email, or provided to you on a USB drive or downloaded from a web site, to then ‘request’ a program to open it is extremely frustrating. It also takes up an inordinate amount of time trying to determine what it is, what it actually represents (e.g. text, a graphic, a music file, a PDF or word processing document). Trying to grapple with a winmail.dat file can be daunting and take up valuable time and energy.

5. Data Formats and Compatibility

A number of handy programs provide opportunities for educators and students to reversion or change the format of a file. Microsoft offers free read-only versions of their software so that documents provided by third party sources can be read and printed – but not edited or manipulated using that software version. [Refer to this link for the free PowerPoint Viewer - http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=13 ] Over and above the Viewers for MS Word and MS Excel are the free compatibility and converters. [Refer to: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/compatibility.aspx?q=compatibility] These include MS Office applications, Windows 7, Explorer Version 8, and Service Packs.

Another office program suite that is extremely useful and is totally free is the very popular Open Office Org. It is available for free download and installation from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/compatibility.aspx?q=compatibility and the MAC OS 10 and 11 versions from http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/index.html. These suites will not only read MS Office documents but save to the Microsoft standard as well as to PDF file formats.

To resize and to change the file format of graphics there are some programs that I trust and promote to schools and individuals. An online tool can prove to be extremely useful when staff cannot get access to suitable software programs.

PIXresizer V2.0.5	http://pixresizer.en.softonic.com/ a free program to quickly and easily convert or resize one or more graphics
Irfanview V4.3	http://www.irfanview.com/ – an extensive feature laden program that performs a number of important tasks
Format Factory	http://www.formatoz.com/ – converts video, music and audio files easily and quite intuitively
Zamzar online	http://www.zamzar.com/ – Free conversion between document, image, music, video, audio, eBook, compressed and CAD formats. No download or account is required. Note: Be careful with sensitive or confidential documents though!

6. Access to Data

As most users now have access to their own local computer at home, a Notebook or Netbook or MAC OS equivalent, they can store files wherever they wish on a computer. The My Documents folder, organised logically with appropriately named sub folders will store files, documents, photos and website links more than adequately. It is the most appropriate location for beginners, naive users or people who are not overly confident with file management. Saving to the desktop only makes it unruly, untidy and usually unproductive over time.

Better still, shortcuts to local or server-based folders placed strategically positioned on the desktop are more efficient, allows the PC to start faster and avoids mistakes in trashing items that are valuable. Trashing a shortcut does not affect the original folder or file(s). The user merely has to remake the shortcut.

Contents of a user’s Notebook and Netbook can be backed up to a high capacity USB flash drive, an external hard disk or to another desktop or server. Data storage devices are now very reasonable in cost and in size and functionality. There are programs that will also automate this procedure. The Time Machine software bundled with MAC OS computers is an excellent solution.

Off-site storage include a number of services that school communities can consider, with school technicians being the ones to direct administration and teaching staff as to how this can be accomplished, usually at a significant cost. Some schools outsource their IT provision and so this is undertaken by those companies as a matter of course. It is always a good policy to ask some questions before embarking on deciding upon storage solutions:

• Where is the data backed up to?
• What type of device is used (tape, RAID array, onsite server in another building, to an external drive, or off site)?
• When are the backups performed, how frequently and how much is backed up (i.e. all data or just a few servers)?
• When was the last backup performed?
• How much server space is left (one on or more drives)?
• What will it cost to upload and download data if it is stored off site in the cloud?

7. Cloud Services for Personal Data

For individuals, a few useful Cloud services are available, my favourite being Dropbox. After downloading and installing DropBox, the user will discover a new DropBox folder in his or her My Documents folder. Every file the user drops into this folder, will be automatically uploaded into the cloud and then downloaded to all the computers and devices (e.g. iPad or iPod Touch) that the user has freely linked to their DropBox account.

Files are synced when they next go online or instantly if they are already logged in to their DropBox account and are connected to the internet. Similarly the same occurs when users edit, modify or delete their files. A green checkmark is overlayed on the icons if the files are up-to-date (both on the host computer and online). A blue arrow appears when files are syncing but there is no indication of transfer progress, speed or when it will be completed. It is freely available for students to for MS Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Mobile devices.

Another wonderful feature is where a teacher can create a Public folder, with appropriate password provision, to store and share files, documents and tasks for students to view copy or edit. As a collaborative tool for Conferences and Expos, colleagues and I have used if effectively to prepare shared presentations and sessions by working on PowerPoint and Word files together – pre and post event. Each user obtains up to 2GB free storage, after that is exhausted, a fee structure applies.

A similar service is SugarSync. SugarSync’s solution is a little different to that of Dropbox and I particularly like its interface and look-and-feel. It is also employed to set up the folders the user wants to be synced and backed up online. The Magic Briefcase is a folder in the user’s My Documents folder that acts exactly like the DropBox folder. All files that appear in this briefcase will be synced on all the computers where SugarSync is currently installed. Add another device and it will appear on it as well. There is no graphic representation of what is happening to the files but if the user returns to the SugarSync Manager he or she is able to see details about the transfer, namely the speed and approximately when the process will be completed. It offers online backup for all devices including PC, Mac OS, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices.

Both could be used for backup purposes but other options should be considered first.

Cloud services are also offered, especially since October 12th with the launch of Apple’s iCloud. Content can be stored from a designated ‘master’ device (e.g. a Mac Airbook) and all other iPads and iOS devices will be synced to reflect the contents. This can also be monitored and controlled with only the resources, files, media, video, eBooks and music files that need to be duplicated across the user’s devices. It negates some the hassle in having to physically sync a device to iTunes to refresh, update or load new media an Apps.

Office OneNote 2010 is part of the Microsoft Office suite. It is a digital notebook that provides users with one place to gather their notes and information, a powerful search option to find what they are looking for quickly, and easy-to-use shared notebooks so that they can manage information overload and work together more effectively. OneNote also offers a very handy, high quality character recognition function for extracting text from pictures or business cards. Notes can be synced between multiple computers and devices with free Windows Live online storage. Data can be accessed from virtually anywhere using a user’s phone, PC, or web browser or any enabled device.

Other applications can be used for note taking and for seamless data retrieval from a number of devices. Free for personal use, Springpad makes it easy to save notes; products and places students wish to remember, including tasks and lists, products and research sites. It automatically organizes and enhances what they save with useful links and relevant offers to save time. All data saved is synchronised and accessible on a student’s mobile device and on the web.

One of the more flexible and versatile options is Evernote. Evernote captures information in any environment on most devices and platforms. There are three version groups of Evernote: WebClipper (Online, with a Firefox or Chrome extension), Desktop (MS Windows and Mac OS) and Mobile (MS Windows Mobile, iPhone, Blackberry). It offers a very intuitive interface, is easy to learn and master and represents one of the better free solutions. Users can upload up to 40MB a month. Exceeding that amount will introduce a fee structure.

Other solutions include CintaNotes, Tomboy, SimpleNote, WikidPad, Zim, Task Coach, BasKet, NixNote, ResophNote, ToDoist, RedNotebook, Zoho Notebook and Astrid.

It is a matter of doing some research, then trial and error to a degree. After deciding upon one or more programs or Apps, it is then becoming accustomed to how the program operates. Compatibility with a student’s current or future set of digital devices and tools will also help determine what may be required. Working similarly or in concert with other tools that a school or centre promotes or uses is always an advantage.

8. Software Applications and Web Services

Commercial Software:
OneNote 2010	http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/ Microsoft’s solution for storing and retrieving notes and data
IBM Lotus Notes	http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/notes/ More of a corporate tool
Freeware or Open Source Data Collection, Maintenance, Storage and Note Taking
Evernote	www.evernote.com/ (MS Windows, Mac OS, iPad, online)
SpiderOak	https://spideroak.com/ (MKs Windows, Mac OS X and Linux – 2GB free)
Springpad	http://springpadit.com/get_springpad (iPhone, iPad, online)
CintaNotes	http://cintanotes.com/ (Free for MS Windows)
TomBoy	http://projects.gnome.org/tomboy/ (Open Source)
WikidPad	http://wikidpad.sourceforge.net/ (Open Source)
Zim	http://www.zim-wiki.org/(Open Source – Ms Win, Linux)
Astrid	http://astrid.com/ (Free online, iOS and Android devices)
DropBox	https://www.dropbox.com/ (MS Win, Mac OS, Linux and mobile devices)
SugarSync	https://www.sugarsync.com/ (MS Win, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android, Blackberry)
Data Conversion Applications
Irfanview	www.irfanview.com – wonderful and extensive feature laden graphics editor
Pixresizer	http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm- use to quickly resize/convert images
Format Factory	http://www.formatoz.com/ – a flexible multi-media conversion program
Audacity	http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ – MS Windows, MAC OS and Linux
Open Office Org	http://www.openoffice.org/ – a free Office suite with MS Office compatibility
Microsoft Read Only versions	http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3
PDF readers	http://www.nitroreader.com/ and http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/

9. Reliable and Secure Access

Issues in ascertaining best solutions for a student must be investigated before simply imposing a solution. There exist a number of factors that will help reveal and determine the most appropriate short term, and especially long term benefit.

Questions to pose and research before choosing a data service or application may include:

• How does an App or service save files and for what length of time?
• If a user cancels an online service or subscription, what will be the status of the files?
• Who has access?

Related to the aspect of maintaining data of the web includes photos, photo tagging (location and other students, behaviours and contexts) and comments made by students on social media sites. The ownership of information on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Google + and aspects of sharing to one or many friends can eventuate in public consumption. Students must be made aware of the ramifications of having personal information shared online, especially to people that they do not know well – or at all. It has become a very significant issue with privacy, employment history and assisting in or compromising the determination of future prospects.

Other related issues of identity theft, leaving a data ‘footprint’ and how the information stored can be used against the person require scrutiny and consideration.

10. Best Practice Saving Files

Backup up files is very important. Having multiple copies as a person is developing or drafting content is crucial so that the user does not waste time, lost critical information or fail exams or miss deadlines. Having multiple copies on different devices is mandatory as there is no excuse for older students to mislay or have their work lost or stolen. Students with disabilities will require support and guidance, depending upon their inability to cope independently.

Drafting and renaming files as they are being created is important. Drafting provides a history of the information and maintaining a ‘working’ copy as opposed to not keeping previous versions ensures that text or data removed from the current version can be re-evaluated and potentially restored.

11. Who Can It Help?

These programs mentioned in this article can assist all students, most particularly who are poorly organised, have anxiety issues, an intellectual disability, those with ASD, ADD or ADHD or people who are working in a number of areas – home, school, work training, library or a friend’s or relative’s house. Educators can use these programs themselves to demonstrate leading practise and to encourage students to work differently. Modelling is so important.

Poorly organised students can learn to store and maintain their work so that they can continue in any domain with confidence. Educators supporting students with LD and ID can introduce regimes that can be maintained after school.

12. In Conclusion

This article brings the matter of data handling to the attention of educators, students and their parents. Educators and students now rely so much on computing devices that they can often become lazy and blasé about how, when, where and why they save their most precious commodity – the data.

Whether it is student’s project, homework, study notes or Master’s Thesis or Doctorate, losing part or whole of a document is devastating. Losing a work of art, a piece of music, some programming code, an inspired flash movie, word document or CV can prove to be so disappointing and frustrating – needlessly.

Resources

Most large organisations will have policies and recommendations e.g. http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmpfaqs.jsp. Ask a technician for Frequently Asked Questions link or documentation. Most schools and libraries will have a page on their Intranet or Ultranet on how to save files e.g. http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/faq/save.php.