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Innovative Schools
Technology Guide
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes an inclusive and encompassing digital learning environment that aims to increase student attainment by delivering educational content in ways which are aligned with the studentrsquos individual learning style
2 Technology Guide
ContentsAbout this Document 3
Introduction The Vision 4
Introducing the Concepts 5
Dynamic Learning Environment 6
The Business of School 8
Connected Citizen 9
Illustrating the Concepts 10
Student 11
The Business of School 13
Conceptual Architecture 14
Core Products and Technologies 15
Notification and Alerts 17
Presence 17
Microsoftreg Office Communications Server 2007 18
Microsoftreg Exchange Server 2007 19
Microsoftreg SQL Serverreg 2008 20
Microsoft Officereg PerformancePointtrade Server 2007 22
Windows Serverreg 2008 23
Microsoftreg Forefronttrade 24
Microsoftreg BizTalkreg Server 2006 R2 25
Microsoftreg System Center 26
Microsoftreg Application Virtualization 45 26
Microsoftreg Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 27
User Experience amp Lifestyle 28
Physical Design Considerations 34
Centralised Model 34
Local Model 34
Hybrid Model 35
Desktop Delivery 35
Glossary 36
References 41
Products 41
Technology Guide 3
About this Document
The Microsoft Education IT Planning GuidesThis document is one of three Education IT Planning Guides created by Microsoft to aid the planning and development process for those responsible for planning procuring and implementing a new model of learning supported by IT
bull The Envisioning Guide contains an overview of the practical process to help you create your own vision of the future school and what transformed learning will look like If you have not already read the Envisioning Guide it is the key document to start with as it sets the information in this guide in context
bull The Business Value Guide describes how additional value can be gained through the complementary and appropriate use of IT and indicates routes to deliver that value The guide is intended for local governments schools and suppliers
bull The Technology Guide describes a technology baseline which can be used as a benchmark for the provision of IT-related services within the educational environment and links to the ideas created in the other two guides
The Technology GuideThis Technology Guide provides an overview of the technical concepts and technologies that underpin the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision It explores the product and development portfolio required to translate the vision into reality and concludes with an overview of physical deployment considerations The guide is not a design document Its purpose is to assist teachers and IT administrators who are interested in understanding how the latest Microsoft technology can be used to increase student attainment and reduce administrative burden on teaching staff
For the purposes of contextual completeness the guide makes reference to a significant proportion of the Microsoft technology portfolio However it is recognised that individual school requirements will vary therefore it may not be necessary for every school to deploy the complete portfolio in order to achieve the desired educational benefit
A detailed review of individual school needs is required before an appropriate architecture can be developed Microsoft offers a range of architecture planning and consulting services to simplify this process Further information can be obtained from your local Microsoft office For contact details please visit wwwmicrosoftcom and select your country
4 Technology Guide
Introduction The VisionThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes an inclusive and encompassing digital learning environment that aims to increase student attainment by delivering educational content in ways which are aligned with the studentrsquos individual learning style
Students interact with the environment through an engaging and graphically-compelling user interface that enables direct interaction and exploration of the learning material Interaction deepens the learning experience and enables capture of valuable information regarding student attainment level of interaction and learning-styles which can be automatically analysed to make proactive and corrective adjustments to content or other environmental issues throughout the school year
Teachers are provided with a range of automating technologies that help streamline the education process reducing the amount of time they currently expend on administrative tasks such as report generation attainment analysis and resource management The reclaimed time can be refocused on pedagogical activities and the use of intuitive tools that enrich and simplify the process of developing learning materials
Communication and collaboration are cornerstones of a vision which enables students to build effective and co-operative relationships with peers teachers and other stakeholders to develop attachment belonging sharing and self-esteemmdashall of which are fundamental to success in later life The learning environment integrates rich collaboration technologies into the learning process and supports many forms of communication such as textual digital ink audio graphical or visual
Digital learning extends the learning experience beyond the traditional physical boundaries of the school Teachers and students can securely access the system from any Internet-enabled location using a range of different devices Elimination of physical boundaries has many benefits for example the student learning experience extends into the home and is no longer limited by physical presence in the school parents become an active stakeholder in the educational process through online visibility of student attainment and greater involvement in the support of specific educational needs external subject matter experts can be invited to deliver inspiring talks and presentations using web-conferencing technologies and teachers can share learning resources and build upon other external resources to enrich and streamline the process of creating educational content Pervasive access to digital learning affords an opportunity to re-evaluate some of the educational constraints imposed by physical school architectures Technology enables implementation of different teaching methods and learning strategies it also enables better utilisation of the physical environment through the use of modular multi-purpose learning spaces that can be configured as required Considerations such as audio-visual technologies soft-seating flexible lighting creative colour schemes and sound dampening create a flexible and inspiring educational environment in which learning becomes fun
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision envisages an integrated school model that combines enhanced teaching skills with technology innovation to deliver an engaging and exciting learner-centric environment that demonstrably increases educational attainment
Technology Guide 5
Introducing the ConceptsThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes a revolutionary learning environment that provides teachers and students with innovative information technology tools that enhance the learning experience and deliver an increase in educational attainment Delivery of the vision is encapsulated by the following three concepts which are explored in more detail throughout this chapter
bull Dynamic Learning EnvironmentmdashIn contrast to traditional methods of educational delivery the dynamic environment enables students to consume information in a form that best suits their learning style This may be graphical textual or auditory and may differ on a per-subject basis The environment personalises the learning experience to deliver best results for each student It also facilitates project-based working enabling students to collaborate in the exploration of related learning content to complete assignments whilst communicating with teachers or other students
bull Business of SchoolmdashMany schools are operating in an environment of resource and time constraint Business of School explores concepts to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness making it easier for schools to meet fiscal and legislative accountabilities
bull Connected CitizenmdashA childrsquos education is an ongoing process that should continue outside the physical school environment Active parental involvement delivers positive impact on attainment results Connected Citizen explores the digital inclusion of parents and other stakeholders as part of the education process
Core components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
6 Technology Guide
Dynamic Learning Environment
The Dynamic Learning Environment is the primary point of interaction between the student and the learning system It provides a range of services that deliver educational content assessment of attainment project-based collaboration with teachers and peers nurturing of creative skills and retrieval of knowledge from a range of sources
The environment is designed to complement the lifestyle of the modern student by embracing and extending technology concepts the student encounters outside the school environment such as social networking instant messaging web and blog sites and focuses these on the attainment of knowledge The remainder of this section explores the features and functionality provided by the Dynamic Learning Environment
Learning PortfolioThe Learning Portfolio is a central data repository for each studentrsquos learning and achievements It contains content created by the student such as essays scanned artwork photographs of metalwork or sculpture music recordings and video clips of school activities in addition to data on learning styles peer feedback and assessment results
The portfolio documents the studentrsquos journey through school It transcends school years into adult life and is transferrable between educational establishments More than just a repository the portfolio notifies students about learning activities requests for peer review and additional collaborative content Key features of the portfolio include
bull Securely accessible via the Internet using a variety of devices
bull Content can (by consent) be shared with a broader range of individuals
bull Coursework can be stored in a range of different formats
bull Can be used as an authoritative collection point for examination board or moderators
bull Information within portfolio is tagged with rich metadata and is searchable
bull Enables auditing and logging of work in addition to incremental changesrevisions
bull Provides marking facilities and aggregation of results
bull Provides ongoing status of student attainment
bull Enable capture of feedback from collaboration colleagues ie peer assessment
bull Provides mechanisms of recording ldquosoft skillsrdquo as part of assessment criteria
Intelligent Intervention Intelligent Intervention is advanced search and analytic technology that enables the student to search learning resources data repositories textual documents images and video files Intelligent Intervention uses contextual knowledge such as learning style current activity known preferences peer feedback socio-demographics friendship groups and attainment levels to ensure that the search results are specific and relevant to the individual student
Intelligent Intervention is an integral component of the digital learning environment and enables automated provision of guidance and learning resources across a broad range of scenarios Some examples include
bull Based on analysis of student interests and friendship groups a range of potential collaboration teams can be suggested that broaden the studentrsquos social and educational horizons
bull Recommendations for additional learning resources based on analysis of attainment results and learning style
bull Health and wellbeing alerts based on analysis of foodstuffs bought via cashless vending and correlated against attendance and attainment
Creativity SkillsCreativity is as important as literacy and a key skill required for problem solving and innovation The Dynamic Learning Environment provides a range of features to nurture creativity such as
bull A personalised digital workspace that is customised to suit the studentrsquos individual preference for colour layout and content
bull A range of tools that enable self expression such as blog audio video sketching and music in addition to specialist educational tools that stimulate sensory creativity
bull Promotion of team-based learning through assignment of team roles based on demonstrable strengths or developmental requirement
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
2 Technology Guide
ContentsAbout this Document 3
Introduction The Vision 4
Introducing the Concepts 5
Dynamic Learning Environment 6
The Business of School 8
Connected Citizen 9
Illustrating the Concepts 10
Student 11
The Business of School 13
Conceptual Architecture 14
Core Products and Technologies 15
Notification and Alerts 17
Presence 17
Microsoftreg Office Communications Server 2007 18
Microsoftreg Exchange Server 2007 19
Microsoftreg SQL Serverreg 2008 20
Microsoft Officereg PerformancePointtrade Server 2007 22
Windows Serverreg 2008 23
Microsoftreg Forefronttrade 24
Microsoftreg BizTalkreg Server 2006 R2 25
Microsoftreg System Center 26
Microsoftreg Application Virtualization 45 26
Microsoftreg Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 27
User Experience amp Lifestyle 28
Physical Design Considerations 34
Centralised Model 34
Local Model 34
Hybrid Model 35
Desktop Delivery 35
Glossary 36
References 41
Products 41
Technology Guide 3
About this Document
The Microsoft Education IT Planning GuidesThis document is one of three Education IT Planning Guides created by Microsoft to aid the planning and development process for those responsible for planning procuring and implementing a new model of learning supported by IT
bull The Envisioning Guide contains an overview of the practical process to help you create your own vision of the future school and what transformed learning will look like If you have not already read the Envisioning Guide it is the key document to start with as it sets the information in this guide in context
bull The Business Value Guide describes how additional value can be gained through the complementary and appropriate use of IT and indicates routes to deliver that value The guide is intended for local governments schools and suppliers
bull The Technology Guide describes a technology baseline which can be used as a benchmark for the provision of IT-related services within the educational environment and links to the ideas created in the other two guides
The Technology GuideThis Technology Guide provides an overview of the technical concepts and technologies that underpin the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision It explores the product and development portfolio required to translate the vision into reality and concludes with an overview of physical deployment considerations The guide is not a design document Its purpose is to assist teachers and IT administrators who are interested in understanding how the latest Microsoft technology can be used to increase student attainment and reduce administrative burden on teaching staff
For the purposes of contextual completeness the guide makes reference to a significant proportion of the Microsoft technology portfolio However it is recognised that individual school requirements will vary therefore it may not be necessary for every school to deploy the complete portfolio in order to achieve the desired educational benefit
A detailed review of individual school needs is required before an appropriate architecture can be developed Microsoft offers a range of architecture planning and consulting services to simplify this process Further information can be obtained from your local Microsoft office For contact details please visit wwwmicrosoftcom and select your country
4 Technology Guide
Introduction The VisionThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes an inclusive and encompassing digital learning environment that aims to increase student attainment by delivering educational content in ways which are aligned with the studentrsquos individual learning style
Students interact with the environment through an engaging and graphically-compelling user interface that enables direct interaction and exploration of the learning material Interaction deepens the learning experience and enables capture of valuable information regarding student attainment level of interaction and learning-styles which can be automatically analysed to make proactive and corrective adjustments to content or other environmental issues throughout the school year
Teachers are provided with a range of automating technologies that help streamline the education process reducing the amount of time they currently expend on administrative tasks such as report generation attainment analysis and resource management The reclaimed time can be refocused on pedagogical activities and the use of intuitive tools that enrich and simplify the process of developing learning materials
Communication and collaboration are cornerstones of a vision which enables students to build effective and co-operative relationships with peers teachers and other stakeholders to develop attachment belonging sharing and self-esteemmdashall of which are fundamental to success in later life The learning environment integrates rich collaboration technologies into the learning process and supports many forms of communication such as textual digital ink audio graphical or visual
Digital learning extends the learning experience beyond the traditional physical boundaries of the school Teachers and students can securely access the system from any Internet-enabled location using a range of different devices Elimination of physical boundaries has many benefits for example the student learning experience extends into the home and is no longer limited by physical presence in the school parents become an active stakeholder in the educational process through online visibility of student attainment and greater involvement in the support of specific educational needs external subject matter experts can be invited to deliver inspiring talks and presentations using web-conferencing technologies and teachers can share learning resources and build upon other external resources to enrich and streamline the process of creating educational content Pervasive access to digital learning affords an opportunity to re-evaluate some of the educational constraints imposed by physical school architectures Technology enables implementation of different teaching methods and learning strategies it also enables better utilisation of the physical environment through the use of modular multi-purpose learning spaces that can be configured as required Considerations such as audio-visual technologies soft-seating flexible lighting creative colour schemes and sound dampening create a flexible and inspiring educational environment in which learning becomes fun
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision envisages an integrated school model that combines enhanced teaching skills with technology innovation to deliver an engaging and exciting learner-centric environment that demonstrably increases educational attainment
Technology Guide 5
Introducing the ConceptsThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes a revolutionary learning environment that provides teachers and students with innovative information technology tools that enhance the learning experience and deliver an increase in educational attainment Delivery of the vision is encapsulated by the following three concepts which are explored in more detail throughout this chapter
bull Dynamic Learning EnvironmentmdashIn contrast to traditional methods of educational delivery the dynamic environment enables students to consume information in a form that best suits their learning style This may be graphical textual or auditory and may differ on a per-subject basis The environment personalises the learning experience to deliver best results for each student It also facilitates project-based working enabling students to collaborate in the exploration of related learning content to complete assignments whilst communicating with teachers or other students
bull Business of SchoolmdashMany schools are operating in an environment of resource and time constraint Business of School explores concepts to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness making it easier for schools to meet fiscal and legislative accountabilities
bull Connected CitizenmdashA childrsquos education is an ongoing process that should continue outside the physical school environment Active parental involvement delivers positive impact on attainment results Connected Citizen explores the digital inclusion of parents and other stakeholders as part of the education process
Core components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
6 Technology Guide
Dynamic Learning Environment
The Dynamic Learning Environment is the primary point of interaction between the student and the learning system It provides a range of services that deliver educational content assessment of attainment project-based collaboration with teachers and peers nurturing of creative skills and retrieval of knowledge from a range of sources
The environment is designed to complement the lifestyle of the modern student by embracing and extending technology concepts the student encounters outside the school environment such as social networking instant messaging web and blog sites and focuses these on the attainment of knowledge The remainder of this section explores the features and functionality provided by the Dynamic Learning Environment
Learning PortfolioThe Learning Portfolio is a central data repository for each studentrsquos learning and achievements It contains content created by the student such as essays scanned artwork photographs of metalwork or sculpture music recordings and video clips of school activities in addition to data on learning styles peer feedback and assessment results
The portfolio documents the studentrsquos journey through school It transcends school years into adult life and is transferrable between educational establishments More than just a repository the portfolio notifies students about learning activities requests for peer review and additional collaborative content Key features of the portfolio include
bull Securely accessible via the Internet using a variety of devices
bull Content can (by consent) be shared with a broader range of individuals
bull Coursework can be stored in a range of different formats
bull Can be used as an authoritative collection point for examination board or moderators
bull Information within portfolio is tagged with rich metadata and is searchable
bull Enables auditing and logging of work in addition to incremental changesrevisions
bull Provides marking facilities and aggregation of results
bull Provides ongoing status of student attainment
bull Enable capture of feedback from collaboration colleagues ie peer assessment
bull Provides mechanisms of recording ldquosoft skillsrdquo as part of assessment criteria
Intelligent Intervention Intelligent Intervention is advanced search and analytic technology that enables the student to search learning resources data repositories textual documents images and video files Intelligent Intervention uses contextual knowledge such as learning style current activity known preferences peer feedback socio-demographics friendship groups and attainment levels to ensure that the search results are specific and relevant to the individual student
Intelligent Intervention is an integral component of the digital learning environment and enables automated provision of guidance and learning resources across a broad range of scenarios Some examples include
bull Based on analysis of student interests and friendship groups a range of potential collaboration teams can be suggested that broaden the studentrsquos social and educational horizons
bull Recommendations for additional learning resources based on analysis of attainment results and learning style
bull Health and wellbeing alerts based on analysis of foodstuffs bought via cashless vending and correlated against attendance and attainment
Creativity SkillsCreativity is as important as literacy and a key skill required for problem solving and innovation The Dynamic Learning Environment provides a range of features to nurture creativity such as
bull A personalised digital workspace that is customised to suit the studentrsquos individual preference for colour layout and content
bull A range of tools that enable self expression such as blog audio video sketching and music in addition to specialist educational tools that stimulate sensory creativity
bull Promotion of team-based learning through assignment of team roles based on demonstrable strengths or developmental requirement
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 3
About this Document
The Microsoft Education IT Planning GuidesThis document is one of three Education IT Planning Guides created by Microsoft to aid the planning and development process for those responsible for planning procuring and implementing a new model of learning supported by IT
bull The Envisioning Guide contains an overview of the practical process to help you create your own vision of the future school and what transformed learning will look like If you have not already read the Envisioning Guide it is the key document to start with as it sets the information in this guide in context
bull The Business Value Guide describes how additional value can be gained through the complementary and appropriate use of IT and indicates routes to deliver that value The guide is intended for local governments schools and suppliers
bull The Technology Guide describes a technology baseline which can be used as a benchmark for the provision of IT-related services within the educational environment and links to the ideas created in the other two guides
The Technology GuideThis Technology Guide provides an overview of the technical concepts and technologies that underpin the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision It explores the product and development portfolio required to translate the vision into reality and concludes with an overview of physical deployment considerations The guide is not a design document Its purpose is to assist teachers and IT administrators who are interested in understanding how the latest Microsoft technology can be used to increase student attainment and reduce administrative burden on teaching staff
For the purposes of contextual completeness the guide makes reference to a significant proportion of the Microsoft technology portfolio However it is recognised that individual school requirements will vary therefore it may not be necessary for every school to deploy the complete portfolio in order to achieve the desired educational benefit
A detailed review of individual school needs is required before an appropriate architecture can be developed Microsoft offers a range of architecture planning and consulting services to simplify this process Further information can be obtained from your local Microsoft office For contact details please visit wwwmicrosoftcom and select your country
4 Technology Guide
Introduction The VisionThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes an inclusive and encompassing digital learning environment that aims to increase student attainment by delivering educational content in ways which are aligned with the studentrsquos individual learning style
Students interact with the environment through an engaging and graphically-compelling user interface that enables direct interaction and exploration of the learning material Interaction deepens the learning experience and enables capture of valuable information regarding student attainment level of interaction and learning-styles which can be automatically analysed to make proactive and corrective adjustments to content or other environmental issues throughout the school year
Teachers are provided with a range of automating technologies that help streamline the education process reducing the amount of time they currently expend on administrative tasks such as report generation attainment analysis and resource management The reclaimed time can be refocused on pedagogical activities and the use of intuitive tools that enrich and simplify the process of developing learning materials
Communication and collaboration are cornerstones of a vision which enables students to build effective and co-operative relationships with peers teachers and other stakeholders to develop attachment belonging sharing and self-esteemmdashall of which are fundamental to success in later life The learning environment integrates rich collaboration technologies into the learning process and supports many forms of communication such as textual digital ink audio graphical or visual
Digital learning extends the learning experience beyond the traditional physical boundaries of the school Teachers and students can securely access the system from any Internet-enabled location using a range of different devices Elimination of physical boundaries has many benefits for example the student learning experience extends into the home and is no longer limited by physical presence in the school parents become an active stakeholder in the educational process through online visibility of student attainment and greater involvement in the support of specific educational needs external subject matter experts can be invited to deliver inspiring talks and presentations using web-conferencing technologies and teachers can share learning resources and build upon other external resources to enrich and streamline the process of creating educational content Pervasive access to digital learning affords an opportunity to re-evaluate some of the educational constraints imposed by physical school architectures Technology enables implementation of different teaching methods and learning strategies it also enables better utilisation of the physical environment through the use of modular multi-purpose learning spaces that can be configured as required Considerations such as audio-visual technologies soft-seating flexible lighting creative colour schemes and sound dampening create a flexible and inspiring educational environment in which learning becomes fun
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision envisages an integrated school model that combines enhanced teaching skills with technology innovation to deliver an engaging and exciting learner-centric environment that demonstrably increases educational attainment
Technology Guide 5
Introducing the ConceptsThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes a revolutionary learning environment that provides teachers and students with innovative information technology tools that enhance the learning experience and deliver an increase in educational attainment Delivery of the vision is encapsulated by the following three concepts which are explored in more detail throughout this chapter
bull Dynamic Learning EnvironmentmdashIn contrast to traditional methods of educational delivery the dynamic environment enables students to consume information in a form that best suits their learning style This may be graphical textual or auditory and may differ on a per-subject basis The environment personalises the learning experience to deliver best results for each student It also facilitates project-based working enabling students to collaborate in the exploration of related learning content to complete assignments whilst communicating with teachers or other students
bull Business of SchoolmdashMany schools are operating in an environment of resource and time constraint Business of School explores concepts to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness making it easier for schools to meet fiscal and legislative accountabilities
bull Connected CitizenmdashA childrsquos education is an ongoing process that should continue outside the physical school environment Active parental involvement delivers positive impact on attainment results Connected Citizen explores the digital inclusion of parents and other stakeholders as part of the education process
Core components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
6 Technology Guide
Dynamic Learning Environment
The Dynamic Learning Environment is the primary point of interaction between the student and the learning system It provides a range of services that deliver educational content assessment of attainment project-based collaboration with teachers and peers nurturing of creative skills and retrieval of knowledge from a range of sources
The environment is designed to complement the lifestyle of the modern student by embracing and extending technology concepts the student encounters outside the school environment such as social networking instant messaging web and blog sites and focuses these on the attainment of knowledge The remainder of this section explores the features and functionality provided by the Dynamic Learning Environment
Learning PortfolioThe Learning Portfolio is a central data repository for each studentrsquos learning and achievements It contains content created by the student such as essays scanned artwork photographs of metalwork or sculpture music recordings and video clips of school activities in addition to data on learning styles peer feedback and assessment results
The portfolio documents the studentrsquos journey through school It transcends school years into adult life and is transferrable between educational establishments More than just a repository the portfolio notifies students about learning activities requests for peer review and additional collaborative content Key features of the portfolio include
bull Securely accessible via the Internet using a variety of devices
bull Content can (by consent) be shared with a broader range of individuals
bull Coursework can be stored in a range of different formats
bull Can be used as an authoritative collection point for examination board or moderators
bull Information within portfolio is tagged with rich metadata and is searchable
bull Enables auditing and logging of work in addition to incremental changesrevisions
bull Provides marking facilities and aggregation of results
bull Provides ongoing status of student attainment
bull Enable capture of feedback from collaboration colleagues ie peer assessment
bull Provides mechanisms of recording ldquosoft skillsrdquo as part of assessment criteria
Intelligent Intervention Intelligent Intervention is advanced search and analytic technology that enables the student to search learning resources data repositories textual documents images and video files Intelligent Intervention uses contextual knowledge such as learning style current activity known preferences peer feedback socio-demographics friendship groups and attainment levels to ensure that the search results are specific and relevant to the individual student
Intelligent Intervention is an integral component of the digital learning environment and enables automated provision of guidance and learning resources across a broad range of scenarios Some examples include
bull Based on analysis of student interests and friendship groups a range of potential collaboration teams can be suggested that broaden the studentrsquos social and educational horizons
bull Recommendations for additional learning resources based on analysis of attainment results and learning style
bull Health and wellbeing alerts based on analysis of foodstuffs bought via cashless vending and correlated against attendance and attainment
Creativity SkillsCreativity is as important as literacy and a key skill required for problem solving and innovation The Dynamic Learning Environment provides a range of features to nurture creativity such as
bull A personalised digital workspace that is customised to suit the studentrsquos individual preference for colour layout and content
bull A range of tools that enable self expression such as blog audio video sketching and music in addition to specialist educational tools that stimulate sensory creativity
bull Promotion of team-based learning through assignment of team roles based on demonstrable strengths or developmental requirement
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
4 Technology Guide
Introduction The VisionThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes an inclusive and encompassing digital learning environment that aims to increase student attainment by delivering educational content in ways which are aligned with the studentrsquos individual learning style
Students interact with the environment through an engaging and graphically-compelling user interface that enables direct interaction and exploration of the learning material Interaction deepens the learning experience and enables capture of valuable information regarding student attainment level of interaction and learning-styles which can be automatically analysed to make proactive and corrective adjustments to content or other environmental issues throughout the school year
Teachers are provided with a range of automating technologies that help streamline the education process reducing the amount of time they currently expend on administrative tasks such as report generation attainment analysis and resource management The reclaimed time can be refocused on pedagogical activities and the use of intuitive tools that enrich and simplify the process of developing learning materials
Communication and collaboration are cornerstones of a vision which enables students to build effective and co-operative relationships with peers teachers and other stakeholders to develop attachment belonging sharing and self-esteemmdashall of which are fundamental to success in later life The learning environment integrates rich collaboration technologies into the learning process and supports many forms of communication such as textual digital ink audio graphical or visual
Digital learning extends the learning experience beyond the traditional physical boundaries of the school Teachers and students can securely access the system from any Internet-enabled location using a range of different devices Elimination of physical boundaries has many benefits for example the student learning experience extends into the home and is no longer limited by physical presence in the school parents become an active stakeholder in the educational process through online visibility of student attainment and greater involvement in the support of specific educational needs external subject matter experts can be invited to deliver inspiring talks and presentations using web-conferencing technologies and teachers can share learning resources and build upon other external resources to enrich and streamline the process of creating educational content Pervasive access to digital learning affords an opportunity to re-evaluate some of the educational constraints imposed by physical school architectures Technology enables implementation of different teaching methods and learning strategies it also enables better utilisation of the physical environment through the use of modular multi-purpose learning spaces that can be configured as required Considerations such as audio-visual technologies soft-seating flexible lighting creative colour schemes and sound dampening create a flexible and inspiring educational environment in which learning becomes fun
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision envisages an integrated school model that combines enhanced teaching skills with technology innovation to deliver an engaging and exciting learner-centric environment that demonstrably increases educational attainment
Technology Guide 5
Introducing the ConceptsThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes a revolutionary learning environment that provides teachers and students with innovative information technology tools that enhance the learning experience and deliver an increase in educational attainment Delivery of the vision is encapsulated by the following three concepts which are explored in more detail throughout this chapter
bull Dynamic Learning EnvironmentmdashIn contrast to traditional methods of educational delivery the dynamic environment enables students to consume information in a form that best suits their learning style This may be graphical textual or auditory and may differ on a per-subject basis The environment personalises the learning experience to deliver best results for each student It also facilitates project-based working enabling students to collaborate in the exploration of related learning content to complete assignments whilst communicating with teachers or other students
bull Business of SchoolmdashMany schools are operating in an environment of resource and time constraint Business of School explores concepts to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness making it easier for schools to meet fiscal and legislative accountabilities
bull Connected CitizenmdashA childrsquos education is an ongoing process that should continue outside the physical school environment Active parental involvement delivers positive impact on attainment results Connected Citizen explores the digital inclusion of parents and other stakeholders as part of the education process
Core components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
6 Technology Guide
Dynamic Learning Environment
The Dynamic Learning Environment is the primary point of interaction between the student and the learning system It provides a range of services that deliver educational content assessment of attainment project-based collaboration with teachers and peers nurturing of creative skills and retrieval of knowledge from a range of sources
The environment is designed to complement the lifestyle of the modern student by embracing and extending technology concepts the student encounters outside the school environment such as social networking instant messaging web and blog sites and focuses these on the attainment of knowledge The remainder of this section explores the features and functionality provided by the Dynamic Learning Environment
Learning PortfolioThe Learning Portfolio is a central data repository for each studentrsquos learning and achievements It contains content created by the student such as essays scanned artwork photographs of metalwork or sculpture music recordings and video clips of school activities in addition to data on learning styles peer feedback and assessment results
The portfolio documents the studentrsquos journey through school It transcends school years into adult life and is transferrable between educational establishments More than just a repository the portfolio notifies students about learning activities requests for peer review and additional collaborative content Key features of the portfolio include
bull Securely accessible via the Internet using a variety of devices
bull Content can (by consent) be shared with a broader range of individuals
bull Coursework can be stored in a range of different formats
bull Can be used as an authoritative collection point for examination board or moderators
bull Information within portfolio is tagged with rich metadata and is searchable
bull Enables auditing and logging of work in addition to incremental changesrevisions
bull Provides marking facilities and aggregation of results
bull Provides ongoing status of student attainment
bull Enable capture of feedback from collaboration colleagues ie peer assessment
bull Provides mechanisms of recording ldquosoft skillsrdquo as part of assessment criteria
Intelligent Intervention Intelligent Intervention is advanced search and analytic technology that enables the student to search learning resources data repositories textual documents images and video files Intelligent Intervention uses contextual knowledge such as learning style current activity known preferences peer feedback socio-demographics friendship groups and attainment levels to ensure that the search results are specific and relevant to the individual student
Intelligent Intervention is an integral component of the digital learning environment and enables automated provision of guidance and learning resources across a broad range of scenarios Some examples include
bull Based on analysis of student interests and friendship groups a range of potential collaboration teams can be suggested that broaden the studentrsquos social and educational horizons
bull Recommendations for additional learning resources based on analysis of attainment results and learning style
bull Health and wellbeing alerts based on analysis of foodstuffs bought via cashless vending and correlated against attendance and attainment
Creativity SkillsCreativity is as important as literacy and a key skill required for problem solving and innovation The Dynamic Learning Environment provides a range of features to nurture creativity such as
bull A personalised digital workspace that is customised to suit the studentrsquos individual preference for colour layout and content
bull A range of tools that enable self expression such as blog audio video sketching and music in addition to specialist educational tools that stimulate sensory creativity
bull Promotion of team-based learning through assignment of team roles based on demonstrable strengths or developmental requirement
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 5
Introducing the ConceptsThe Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision describes a revolutionary learning environment that provides teachers and students with innovative information technology tools that enhance the learning experience and deliver an increase in educational attainment Delivery of the vision is encapsulated by the following three concepts which are explored in more detail throughout this chapter
bull Dynamic Learning EnvironmentmdashIn contrast to traditional methods of educational delivery the dynamic environment enables students to consume information in a form that best suits their learning style This may be graphical textual or auditory and may differ on a per-subject basis The environment personalises the learning experience to deliver best results for each student It also facilitates project-based working enabling students to collaborate in the exploration of related learning content to complete assignments whilst communicating with teachers or other students
bull Business of SchoolmdashMany schools are operating in an environment of resource and time constraint Business of School explores concepts to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness making it easier for schools to meet fiscal and legislative accountabilities
bull Connected CitizenmdashA childrsquos education is an ongoing process that should continue outside the physical school environment Active parental involvement delivers positive impact on attainment results Connected Citizen explores the digital inclusion of parents and other stakeholders as part of the education process
Core components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
6 Technology Guide
Dynamic Learning Environment
The Dynamic Learning Environment is the primary point of interaction between the student and the learning system It provides a range of services that deliver educational content assessment of attainment project-based collaboration with teachers and peers nurturing of creative skills and retrieval of knowledge from a range of sources
The environment is designed to complement the lifestyle of the modern student by embracing and extending technology concepts the student encounters outside the school environment such as social networking instant messaging web and blog sites and focuses these on the attainment of knowledge The remainder of this section explores the features and functionality provided by the Dynamic Learning Environment
Learning PortfolioThe Learning Portfolio is a central data repository for each studentrsquos learning and achievements It contains content created by the student such as essays scanned artwork photographs of metalwork or sculpture music recordings and video clips of school activities in addition to data on learning styles peer feedback and assessment results
The portfolio documents the studentrsquos journey through school It transcends school years into adult life and is transferrable between educational establishments More than just a repository the portfolio notifies students about learning activities requests for peer review and additional collaborative content Key features of the portfolio include
bull Securely accessible via the Internet using a variety of devices
bull Content can (by consent) be shared with a broader range of individuals
bull Coursework can be stored in a range of different formats
bull Can be used as an authoritative collection point for examination board or moderators
bull Information within portfolio is tagged with rich metadata and is searchable
bull Enables auditing and logging of work in addition to incremental changesrevisions
bull Provides marking facilities and aggregation of results
bull Provides ongoing status of student attainment
bull Enable capture of feedback from collaboration colleagues ie peer assessment
bull Provides mechanisms of recording ldquosoft skillsrdquo as part of assessment criteria
Intelligent Intervention Intelligent Intervention is advanced search and analytic technology that enables the student to search learning resources data repositories textual documents images and video files Intelligent Intervention uses contextual knowledge such as learning style current activity known preferences peer feedback socio-demographics friendship groups and attainment levels to ensure that the search results are specific and relevant to the individual student
Intelligent Intervention is an integral component of the digital learning environment and enables automated provision of guidance and learning resources across a broad range of scenarios Some examples include
bull Based on analysis of student interests and friendship groups a range of potential collaboration teams can be suggested that broaden the studentrsquos social and educational horizons
bull Recommendations for additional learning resources based on analysis of attainment results and learning style
bull Health and wellbeing alerts based on analysis of foodstuffs bought via cashless vending and correlated against attendance and attainment
Creativity SkillsCreativity is as important as literacy and a key skill required for problem solving and innovation The Dynamic Learning Environment provides a range of features to nurture creativity such as
bull A personalised digital workspace that is customised to suit the studentrsquos individual preference for colour layout and content
bull A range of tools that enable self expression such as blog audio video sketching and music in addition to specialist educational tools that stimulate sensory creativity
bull Promotion of team-based learning through assignment of team roles based on demonstrable strengths or developmental requirement
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
6 Technology Guide
Dynamic Learning Environment
The Dynamic Learning Environment is the primary point of interaction between the student and the learning system It provides a range of services that deliver educational content assessment of attainment project-based collaboration with teachers and peers nurturing of creative skills and retrieval of knowledge from a range of sources
The environment is designed to complement the lifestyle of the modern student by embracing and extending technology concepts the student encounters outside the school environment such as social networking instant messaging web and blog sites and focuses these on the attainment of knowledge The remainder of this section explores the features and functionality provided by the Dynamic Learning Environment
Learning PortfolioThe Learning Portfolio is a central data repository for each studentrsquos learning and achievements It contains content created by the student such as essays scanned artwork photographs of metalwork or sculpture music recordings and video clips of school activities in addition to data on learning styles peer feedback and assessment results
The portfolio documents the studentrsquos journey through school It transcends school years into adult life and is transferrable between educational establishments More than just a repository the portfolio notifies students about learning activities requests for peer review and additional collaborative content Key features of the portfolio include
bull Securely accessible via the Internet using a variety of devices
bull Content can (by consent) be shared with a broader range of individuals
bull Coursework can be stored in a range of different formats
bull Can be used as an authoritative collection point for examination board or moderators
bull Information within portfolio is tagged with rich metadata and is searchable
bull Enables auditing and logging of work in addition to incremental changesrevisions
bull Provides marking facilities and aggregation of results
bull Provides ongoing status of student attainment
bull Enable capture of feedback from collaboration colleagues ie peer assessment
bull Provides mechanisms of recording ldquosoft skillsrdquo as part of assessment criteria
Intelligent Intervention Intelligent Intervention is advanced search and analytic technology that enables the student to search learning resources data repositories textual documents images and video files Intelligent Intervention uses contextual knowledge such as learning style current activity known preferences peer feedback socio-demographics friendship groups and attainment levels to ensure that the search results are specific and relevant to the individual student
Intelligent Intervention is an integral component of the digital learning environment and enables automated provision of guidance and learning resources across a broad range of scenarios Some examples include
bull Based on analysis of student interests and friendship groups a range of potential collaboration teams can be suggested that broaden the studentrsquos social and educational horizons
bull Recommendations for additional learning resources based on analysis of attainment results and learning style
bull Health and wellbeing alerts based on analysis of foodstuffs bought via cashless vending and correlated against attendance and attainment
Creativity SkillsCreativity is as important as literacy and a key skill required for problem solving and innovation The Dynamic Learning Environment provides a range of features to nurture creativity such as
bull A personalised digital workspace that is customised to suit the studentrsquos individual preference for colour layout and content
bull A range of tools that enable self expression such as blog audio video sketching and music in addition to specialist educational tools that stimulate sensory creativity
bull Promotion of team-based learning through assignment of team roles based on demonstrable strengths or developmental requirement
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 7
Achievement TrackingAchievement tracking enables ongoing and automatic analysis of student attainment by correlating each individual student against benchmark results and curriculum-defined competency templates It provides students with details on individual attainments and via Intelligent Intervention recommended actions for improvement It provides teachers with class year and school-wide reporting enabling identification of trends such as individuals or groups that require additional assistance Key uses of achievement tracking include
bull Automatic identification of students requiring additional assistance combined with a ldquoresources routerdquo that recommends support and learning resources
bull Automatic identification of peer reviewers subject matter experts and tutors
bull Automatic aggregation of results to provide per-class per-subject per-teacher and per-school attainment reporting
bull Flexible ad-hoc reporting to measure specific initiatives
bull Identification of changes in attainment pattern (eg pace and motivation) and recommendation of appropriate support resources
bull Parental advice based on analysis of cross-curricular activities
bull Create opportunities for collaborative skill development by matching students from different locations against attainment profile
Inspiration-led Collaborative LearningCollaboration between students enriches learning Inspiration-led learning delivers an inspiring stimulus that encourages students to continue working together after the original input The learning environment provides a range of tools to
bull Connect students to inspiring individuals andor inspirational speakers
bull Provide role models of success for students to emulate (eg twinning)
bull Provide opportunities to develop collaborative skills
bull Enable remote presentation of learning content
bull Stimulate engaging conversations between students and presenter
bull Provide greater interaction with key inspirational speakers as a filtered reward for those that have demonstrated receptiveness
bull Enable collaboration between students irrespective of geography
bull Search large quantities of resources and deliver targeted results (via Intelligent Intervention)
bull Develop ideas inspired by original input
bull Encourage students to seek out and engage with other points of view
bull Promote debate and engagement between collaborators in face-to-face or virtual groupings
bull Define mentoring arrangements between experts and novices
bull Enable students to collect contact details of those with whom they interact Contact details are virtual cards containing metadata about the card ownerrsquos skills This information can be integrated into Intelligent Intervention and be called upon as a future learning resource
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
8 Technology Guide
The Business of School
Currently many schools are operating in an environment of time and resource constraint Teachers are increasingly required to undertake administrative tasks in addition to teaching Whilst such activities are necessary they can have an adverse impact on the quantity of time available to focus on pupil attainment Analysis shows that a significant proportion of administrative time is expended on manual or siloed processes that could be automated thereby releasing time for the teacher to refocus on the educational requirements of students
The Business of School focuses on automating the availability of decision making data to improve efficiency of resources deliver greater educational impact and streamline the management of budgets and other fiscal responsibilities This is achieved using Business Intelligence technologies that extract correlate analyse and interpret information from a range of sources such as the Dynamic Learning Environment school management information systems (MIS) financial or budgeting systems and human resource (HR) systems Access to decision making information combined with the ability to view and interpret the data graphically enables identification of trends or potential outcomes that can be proactively managed A selection of examples is provided below
bull Automatic real-time reporting on the schools overall Key Performance Indicators (KPI) including educational financial and legislative commitments
bull Automatic notification of teacher illness with associated toolset to arrange class coverage
bull Online resourcing of supply staff
bull Timetable scheduling for rooms teaching staff learning resources and pupils
bull Financial services for budget planning and management
bull Advanced reporting enabling automated generation of standard and ad-hoc reports
bull Automated e-procurement of goods and services
bull School-wide view of student attainment
bull Customisable and extensible alerting (For example pupil non attendance dropping attainment level bullying behavioural issues etc)
Attendance managementSchools have a requirement to account for student attendance and participation the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision provides a range of tools and technologies to simplify the process but goes beyond the traditional physical boundaries to measure virtual attendance and participation Key examples are outlined below
bull Automated recording of presence attendance and participation
bull RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smartcards to enable automatic presence detection
bull Proactive parental alerting (email phone text) if a student is deemed absent
bull Aggregation of attendance data for analysis truancy-monitoring and funding purposes
bull Automation of attendance follow-up tasks (ie parent notification)
bull Attendance pattern information is transferrable between schools
bull Automatic correlation of attendance and academic performance
bull Ensure students do not truant internally during extended curriculum periods that require movement between areas teachers or between buildings
bull Automatically adapt to changes in timetable or room allocation
bull Collect information from pedagogical experimentation such as the room size requirements and expected student movements enabling greater accuracy in future planning
bull Provide students with increased spatial freedom without increasing the risk of poor safety or progress monitoring
bull Student name and photograph is displayed on teacher laptop to confirm (physical or virtual) attendance
bull Position-determining solutions such as wireless triangulation enables automated comparison of student position against an agreed set of patterns and can trigger alerts to appropriate individuals
bull Automatic integration of positional information into online collaboration workgroup
bull Permit or deny access to learning resources based upon physical location
bull Integration of smartcard and biometrics to provide secure and simple access to resources
E-ProcurementElectronic procurement provides facilities for teachers staff and pupils (subject to consent) to purchase goods and services from a predefined online catalogue of approved vendors Typical examples of goods include learning materials books and stationary but the concept could be extended to include procurement and scheduling of supply teacher resources
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 9
Users interact with the e-Procurement system via a well designed graphical interface that provides detailed information on the goods their associated costs and specification of quantity and delivery requirements e-Procurement is linked to the school HR and Finance systems for the purposes of approval and payment but also incorporates a workflow engine that manages the approval process and escalation paths for the transaction
e-Procurement provides transparency of each stage in the order process from the original purchase through to delivery and feedback on the quality of the goods It also provides an opportunity to increase operational efficiency by consolidation of spending and negotiation of preferential vendor rates
Cashless vendingAs an extension to e-Procurement cashless vending enables students to purchase items such as food or learning resources without the need to carry cash Payment would be made electronically through the use of a smartcard or a mobile phone eliminating the need to carry money The items would be charged against the studentrsquos school account which the parentrsquos can monitor and top-up as required
Aside from eliminating the need for cash electronic vending provides an additional stream of data regarding purchasing habits which can be correlated against attainment For example the nutritional value of food items can be analysed (by Intelligent Intervention) to derive healthy eating information enabling the system to take preventative action in extreme casesmdashsuch as triggering an alert if a diabetic child purchases high sugar content food items
Connected Citizen
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision identifies the school as a community hub in which teachers staff parents community leaders and other stakeholders provide a range of integrated services for the benefit of children and the broader community
From the perspective of the parent a childrsquos education is a constant and ongoing process Research demonstrates that active parental involvement in educational activities delivers a positive impact on attainment results The digital learning environment encourages involvement by connecting parents with a rich seam of information regarding the educational progress of their child and a range of supplemental activities in which the parent can support the learning process outside school Examples include
bull Online dashboard indicating student attainment enabling drill-down to subject and class
bull Additional learning resources to assist the student with course work
bull Educational resources for parents such as behavioural management guidance
bull Breakdown of school finances
bull Shared access to learning calendar and friendship networks
bull Subscription mechanism for alerting on critical issues such as lack of attendance dropping attainment levels behavioural issues etc
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
10 Technology Guide
Illustrating the ConceptsThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustration and some screenshots of how teachers students and parents might interact with the concepts of Dynamic Learning Environment Business of School and Connected Citizen which were defined in the previous chapter
TeacherAt present teachers perform a significant amount of manual analysis and reporting to determine the educational attainment profile of pupils These reports may be constructed on a per-pupil per-class or per-subject basis and usually require the use of multiple tools or data repositories
In many cases these systems will not automatically capture or share relevant data items necessitating manual aggregation of data from multiple sources Activities such as this are inherently time consuming and a distraction from educational activities Moreover they may not deliver all the necessary data points to proactively ensure that every studentrsquos educational welfare is being fully addressed
The Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision aims to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and provide an additional level of targeted information to ensure the educational needs of students are met in a variety of ways Examples include
bull A unified data repository and user interface providing access to all tools and resources for generating disseminating assessing collaborating and reporting on educational activities within the school
bull A digital workspace for each teacher which is individually customised to deliver content-specific dashboards with at-a-glance reports task lists lesson planning tools professional development plans and potential professional opportunities
bull Innovative tools to construct dynamic learning activities that engage students
bull Media recording facilities to create videos of lessons or other specific educational tasks
bull Tools for marking of assessments which automatically update student records
bull Tools enabling collaboration with colleagues the broader school community and external entities such as other educational establishments
bull An Intelligent Intervention dashboard detailing the educational health and welfare of students Teacher Building the Activity PlanThe teacher can build a learning activity plan within their own Learning Portfolio using material from any internal or external content sharing mechanism In this screenshot a simple activity plan is being populated with information retrieved from Microsoft Encarta and inserted by ldquodragging and droppingrdquo into the Learning Portfolio The content and metadata becomes part of the teacher portfolio for future access and re-use and may include built-in questions to promote interactivity and understandingThe teacher has a view of all students involved in the activity and is able to provide individual guidance and receive questions (electronically or verbally) from pupils
Building the activity plan
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 11
Teacher Professional DevelopmentTeachers can create professional development plans to enhance their current skill profile In this example a professional development competency wheel is being used to search for specific courses or view competency profiles for various teacher roles The wheel provides guidelines for achieving educational excellence through the nurturing of talents in others such as colleagues educational partners and students
Teacher Learning Portfolio SummaryFrom the teacherrsquos perspective the Learning Portfolio provides a range of tools that enable
bull Quick and effective development of Learning Activity Plans
bull Formative assessment based on automated analysis of student progress
bull Creation and marking assessments
bull Collaborate with other teachers
bull Building of a professional development plan
bull Interaction and collaboration with students
bull Communication with parents
bull Identification of supportive learning material t o ensure student attainment
Student
Education changes lives It provides students with the academic and interpersonal skills to become confident self-reliant and collaborative citizens To achieve this education must take account of how students live their lives today and deliver educational content in a compatible manner The design goal for this scenario is the provision of an interactive engaging and stimulating environment that promotes learning through features such as
bull A graphically-rich learning environment that can be accessed from anywhere using multiple devices
bull Collaboration with other classmates on learning activities
bull Interactive online help and access to tutor groups
bull Teacher ldquopresencerdquo information to see who is online to provide help either when working at school or at home
bull Rapid feedback on attainment by reviewing ldquomarked workrdquo online
bull A calendar that provides a summary of all pending activities eg learning assignments
bull Secure access to Internet based services
Student Activity AlertingThe diagram opposite depicts an Ultra Mobile PCmdasha lightweight WiFi-enabled Windows PC that provides touch-screen and keyboard inputs When the student logs-in to the school network they can immediately view learning and additional activities that are relevant to them Upon selection of an activity the appropriate tool for the activity will be launched enabling the student to interact with the information
Creating the professional development plan
An Ultra Mobile PC
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
12 Technology Guide
Student Activity CollaborationIn this scenario two students are collaborating on a geography project They are using a SharePoint workspace for the sharing and storage of materials (documents files) and Microsoftreg Office Communicator 2007 (text audio and video) to communicate with each other The screenshot demonstrates the Instant Messaging dialogue between the students and the transmission of a file (photo) over Communicator for use by the other student in the geography project
Student Activity HelpThis screenshot depicts the use of Intelligent Intervention to assist the student with their activities Intelligent Intervention has performed a search of in-school and Internet data sources and identified a range of information related to the current learning activity In this case it has retrieved a mix of text and pictures through which the student can scroll The desired items can be dragged into the learning activity The solution uses SharePoint workspaces and Microsoftreg Office OneNote 2007 for collaboration and information sharing Teacher ldquopresencerdquo is displayed for additional lesson support
Using instant messaging to collaborate on a geography project
Using intelligent intervention to search learning resources
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 13
The Business of School
The Business of School focuses on the efficient use of resources to improve teaching educational impact student attainment and fiscal responsibility by providing a unified mechanism of reporting and management
Business of School Temporary TeacherIn the screenshot below the head teacher (or assigned deputy) has been alerted (by the Windows Vistareg Staff Organiser gadget) that a teacher has called in sick
Using the gadget the head teacher has connected to the supply teacher database and is searching for replacement coverage The database contains detailed information regarding supply teacher qualifications previous experience and other attributes so that a suitable replacement can be identified
Business of School Class RegistrationStudents are issued with a smartcard containing an RFID tag which is automatically detected by sensors located around the school The RFID system can also determine the location of a student (within the school) at any given time thereby enabling registration on a per-class basis This level of presence information can be integrated into the learning environment and exposed through multiple applications such as instant messaging or custom educational applications The screenshot below demonstrates a custom application in the form of a class registration view
Searching for a supply teacher
A class registration screen
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
14 Technology Guide
Conceptual Architecture
The conceptual architecture represents the first stage in translating the concepts defined in previous chapters into technical reality The diagram below depicts three layers core products and technologies denotes Microsoft servers and foundation technologies upon which the learning environment is hosted educational services are the specialist and custom developed components that deliver the functionality discussed in previous chapters user experience and lifestyle denotes user interface desktop productivity tools and devices through which users will interact with the system
Security is pervasive throughout each layer firewall network application server and malware technologies guard against unwanted intrusion whilst directory and identity management technologies provide granular security control over user access rights to applications data servers and services The architecture is designed to be open and extensible enabling information to be shared between components using industry standard data exchange mechanisms such as Web Services An open architectural approach simplifies the process of evolving and enhancing the system to support new functionality or technologies from multiple vendors
The remainder of this chapter explores the various technologies required to build the the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision
Conceptual architecture diagram
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 15
Core Products and Technologies
Components in this layer are the foundation technologies upon which the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is built
Intelligent InterventionIntelligent Intervention is a custom-developed service based upon the enterprise search functionality provided in Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an open and extensible platform for searching and indexing content from a variety of sources such as SharePoint servers Web sites file shares servers hosting Exchange Server and databases In addition to keyword searching Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables searching for people based on their location content affiliation or expertise
Intelligent Intervention builds upon these foundations to deliver contextual ldquosearch and helprdquo functionality for all user-facing modules in the learning solution and provides seamless searching of learning resources curriculum information external and internal data repositories images video metadata and text Intelligent Intervention can be used in a number of ways
bull Suggesting potential collaboration teams based on students shared interests (Using people search functionality)
bull Automatic scheduling of virtual teams through analysis of calendar and resource availability
bull Identification of relevant learning resources andor subject matter experts to enhance learning
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a core component of the solution It is a versatile collaboration platform that facilitates the storage dissemination searching and sharing of information relevant to the learning needs of the student Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a diverse and extensive feature set that can be customised and configured in many different ways In the context of a learning environment the following scenarios are envisaged
bull Information Disseminationmdasha mechanism for teachers to publish learning information to students on a class-by-class basis Such information may take many forms such as reading materials multi-media presentations an audio visual recording of the lesson (for replay later at home or on mobile device) homework calendar appointments etc
bull Information ConsumptionmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 provides a variety of mechanisms to connect students with learning information Examples include document repositories email web portals Wikis Blogs My Sites (personal web sites) and RSS feeds in addition to deep integration with Microsoft Office applications such as Mircrosoftreg Office Outlook 2007 (email diary tasks) Mircrosoftreg Office Word 2007 (word processing) and Mircrosoftreg Office Excel 2007 (spreadsheet) Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides an extensible application programming interface (API) to enable integration with additional custom systems or applications
bull Information Searchingmdashas the quantity of information within the learning organisation grows SharePoint Enterprise Search functionality makes it easy to locate relevant learning information irrespective of where it is stored or the format in which it exists Office SharePoint Server 2007 automatically maintains a secure index of all submitted data and enables teachers or students to perform keyword searching in a relevancy-indexed manner similar to that experienced on Internet search engines such as Live Search However unlike those systems Office SharePoint Server 2007 will only return results that are appropriate for the specific student to see
bull CollaborationmdashOffice SharePoint Server 2007 builds upon the concepts of centralised storage and access to learning information and enables people to collaborate either on the creation or consumption of information From the teacherrsquos perspective collaboration may provide digital workspaces for the creation of learning content This enables individuals to work together cohesively as a group sharing information ideas and content irrespective of location From the students perspective this may mean the creation of (secure) personal web sites (MySite) enabling the student to express themselves and share information with their friends or a digital workspace dedicated to a particular group learning task where individual students must work as a team to complete a particular learning exercise or project
bull Social NetworkingmdashThe significant uptake of popular Internet social networking sites such as Twitter Bebo MySpace and Facebook demonstrates the inbuilt human need for communication and social interaction Office SharePoint Server 2007 can provide similar features to these sites but offers a number of additional educational advantages
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
16 Technology Guide
SharePoint-based social networking provides a digital walled garden in which the student can communicate without fear of intrusion from external sources In addition as the student expresses themselves with information on their MySite combined with details of their interests or attainments the system can begin to form links between students based on their similarities or interests as well as their established friends SharePoint social networking offers another channel for students to form friendships and communication bonds within the school Digital communication can occur over a number of channels some examples of this include1 Instant Messagingmdashreal-time text messaging enabling one or more participants to ldquochatrdquo to each
other through the exchange of text messages which appear instantaneously on the participants screen Not to be confused with email or ldquotextingrdquo instant messaging has a number of distinct advantages the conversation can be expanded to include multiple people data can be exchanged between parties by dragging files into the conversation and video-conferencing can be achieved through the addition of webcam facilities
2 SharePoint MySitemdasha secure personal website (internal to the school) belonging to each individual student There are two aspects to this site a private view of student information that is relevant to their learning (eg attainment outstanding homework assignments calendar shared workspaces emails friend tracker etc) and a public view that is accessible to the broader population of the school The public site is analogous to standard web-pages but is confined within the school network
3 Blogmdasha blog is a text-based journal that can include graphics video and links to other content It is a means of expressing creativity and sharing information with classmates Blogs encourage participation through the use of comment facilities enabling students to contribute to the theme of discussion
4 Wikimdasha wiki is a collection of web pages that multiple students can update or modify Wikis are an example of collaborative communication where individuals work as a team to develop a body of knowledge and share this with a wider audience
A key theme of all the above is safety Social networking is an integral part of the Web 20 world with which students will become quickly acquainted However unlike the Internet the Office SharePoint Server 2007-based solution will ensure that communication occurs within the safety of the (digital) school walls
bull Business Intelligencemdashaside from activities directly related to the transfer of educational knowledge to students a considerable portion of a teacherrsquos time is spent attending to matters relating to the operation of the school Office SharePoint Server 2007 can aid productivity in this area through the automation of repetitive data acquisition tasks and customised data reporting
The SharePoint Report Center enables targeted presentation of relevant school performance indicators using Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards which can be displayed as part of a web portal or Office Excel documents BI reporting is not limited to information stored directly within Office SharePoint Server 2007 the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Business Data Catalog (BDC) enables extraction of information stored within other systems
bull Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a number of mechanisms that simplify the capture storage and verification of information using intuitive electronic forms Microsoftreg Office InfoPathreg forms enable information to be captured on a variety of devices (mobile laptop desktop etc) using a combination of text digital ink and voice This information can be transferred into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent analysis sharing or collaboration
In addition to capturing information Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a flexible workflow engine enabling the system to automatically take action upon the supplied information Workflows are a series of automated procedural tasks that can be applied to the captured data items reducing the need for human intervention The workflows can be enhanced and modified by the system administrators using tools such as Microsoftreg Office SharePointreg Designer 2007 or Microsoftreg Visual Studioreg
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 17
The SharePoint Learning KitAs illustrated by the brief overview Office SharePoint Server is a complex product which can perform a wide variety of functions It is an application platform upon which a range of specific solutions can be developed This is demonstrated by the broad range of 3rd party developers and Open Source communities who have created plug-ins and bespoke solutions for it One relevant example is the SharePoint Learning Kit (SLK) which provides a mechanism of translating almost any document into a digital learning resource
The SLK is based upon the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) which is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based learning that supports interactive branching multi-media and active content in addition to assignment delivery tracking and grading The following diagram provides an overview of a typical SLK scenario
Notification and Alerts
Notification facilitates the automatic real-time delivery of messages to individuals (or systems) based upon events that occur within the school Notifications could take the form of email but may also be an instant message a mobile phone text message a task entry on a SharePoint dashboard or a range of other possibilities Notifications are triggered by events such as timetable changes student course submission teacher off sick server offline etc The cause of the event will determine the priority of the notification and who the recipients should be enabling proactive attendance to issues as they arise
In a scenario where a teacher calls-in sick notification could raise an appropriate alert and Intelligent Intervention could compile a list of substitute teachers for selection by the event recipient From a product perspective Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 Office Communications Server 2007 and SQL Server 2008 provide an integrated platform to deliver notifications and alerts
Presence
Presence is a function of Office Communications Server 2007 instant messaging technology and displays the online status of a system user In its basic form presence is a means of determining if a user is available to communicate over instant messaging Example indicators include online offline away busy do not disturb etc However with additional integration of presence within Exchange Server 2007 Office SharePoint Server 2007 and custom school applications such as attendance management the concept can provide a much richer level of detail such as location or current activity of the student
SharePoint Learning Kitmdashprocess flow
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
18 Technology Guide
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Office Communications Server enables real-time communication between teachers and students irrespective of physical boundaries Communication can take many forms such as instant messaging audio-video dialogues web conferences or application sharing
Web Conferencing enables students inside and outside the school to safely participate in lessons Conferences can be ad-hoc or scheduled (using Exchange and Outlook) and may also include external parties (such as parents) Interactive data collaboration is a core aspect of web conferences and Office Communications Server supports a rich mix of possibilities including Microsoftreg PowerPointreg files applications and desktop sharing multimedia files virtual whiteboards text annotations and question and answer sessions
Office Communications Server also provides Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality which when combined with an external telephone network enables users to make and receive external phone calls on their PC VoIP can be integrated with Exchange to provide a full unified communication experience and deliver a range of ancillary functionality such as call forwarding caller ID voice mail and automatic call routing
Office Communications Server is not limited to providing communication within the boundaries of the school it can be configured in a federated mode to include external schools or organisations and also facilitate interoperability with public Internet-based instant messaging systems such as Live Messenger Yahoo or AOL
In addition to real-time communication Office Communications Server enables users to publish or subscribe to extended presence information about the user Presence is information about the user such as status location and calendar information which conveys the ability of the user to participate in conversation
Office Communicator 2007Office Communicator is the client side component of Office Communications Server and is the unified communications tool that enables teachers and students to interact with each other It delivers instant messaging voice and video to the desktop but also integrates with Microsoft Office system products such as Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Groove and SharePoint Server to provide presence information and enable users to connect with each other in the context of the data they are viewing
Microsoftreg Messengermac7Messengermac7 is the latest Microsoft instant messaging client for the Apple Macintosh platform It provides support for both Internet messaging and Office Communications Server 2007 When connected to an Office Communications Server environment the client provides multi-party audio and video conferencing in addition to instant messaging
Office Communicatormdashscreenshot
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 19
Microsoft RoundTabletradeRoundTable is an advanced collaboration and conference device that works in conjunction with Office Communications Server and Office Communicator to provide a virtual 360-degree view of the conference room It provides high quality audio and video that automatically tracks the flow of conversation among the multiple speakers in the room and high resolution video of the active speaker
Microsoftreg Office Live MeetingOffice Live Meeting provides web conference facilities similar to that offered by Office Communications Server but Live Meeting is an off-premise solution hosted by Microsoft and available over the Internet
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Exchange Server is a high performance email and messaging system that enables delivery of email on a range of devices including the connected desktop computer roaming laptop mobile phone and Internet browser In todayrsquos world email is considered as essential as the telephone therefore a resilient and scalable messaging system is mandatory for many organisations Exchange Server meets and exceeds these requirements delivering a number of additional features that are of particular relevance in the education scenario
bull SpammdashA concern for email users particularly in a secure educational environment is the threat of unsolicited email originating outside the school Sometimes referred to as spam Exchange provides a number of inbuilt technologies to mitigate against this Safe Sender Aggregation Lists are lists of external users determined by Outlook that are permitted to send email Outlook E-Mail Postmarks is a mechanism of embedding additional (digital postmarking) information into the email If an email is received without a postmark it is deemed to be spam and rejected Spam Quarantine automatically identifies messages it suspects are spam and places them in quarantine for inspection by the administrator who can choose to delete or release messages to the user Content Filtering automatically inspects the content of the message for particular phrases to determine the intent of the message
bull Regulatory Compliancemdash Exchange automatically encrypts all messages as they are transferred between servers or to the client Within the school there will likely be policies that determine the size of a mailbox the length of time a message can be retained after it is deleted and age limits on certain folders Messaging Records Management enables detailed configuration of the email journey through the system to ensure it is stored achieved journaled deleted or formatted appropriately Rules can be defined to take specific action pending identification of certain content thus providing additional child protection
bull High AvailabilitymdashExchange Server 2007 is designed for high availability and supports multiple front-end servers multiple email routes between Exchange sites and the Internet and clustering of mailbox servers Exchange provides Cluster Continuous Replication to ensure that data stores are synchronised between the various nodes in the cluster and allows for the implementation of a variety of storage options such as direct attached storage serial attached SCSI and Storage Area Networks
A Microsoft Roundtable device
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
20 Technology Guide
bull ScalabilitymdashExchange leverages the benefits of 64-bit hardware and the 64-bit Windows Server operating system to provide a significant increase in performance and scalability Whilst 32-bit architectures allow support for up to 4Gb of addressable memory 64-bit architectures currently provide between 16-64Gb of addressable memory in addition to faster processor operation and larger cache all of which enable the delivery of a faster service with fewer hardware resources
bull CalendaringmdashExchange enables users to manage their calendar online and share it with other individuals to allow students or teachers to schedule appointments with groups or individuals Online calendaring integrates with other school systems to simplify and automate the process of diary management For example registration for online or onsite events rescheduling of rooms change to location change to duration or list of attendees
bull Unified Messaging enables the integration of various messaging media such as voice mail email and faxes into the Exchange mailbox This means that data from these separate channels can be accessed using familiar clients such as Microsoft Outlook or via the web using Outlook Web Access The information can also be accessed over the telephone using Outlook Voice Access Outlook Voice Access is advanced speech recognition software which enables teachers to call the Exchange server from a standard telephone and interact with the server by speaking to it This enables teachers to listen to emails look up contacts or move calendar appointments without recourse to a computer terminal
bull AnyWhere AccessmdashExchange Server 2007 extends the ways of accessing information on the server Microsoft Outlook (PC) and Microsoftreg Entourage 2004 for Macintosh (Mac) can connect to the schools Exchange Server via the Internet using RPC over HTTP without requiring a VPN or special firewall configuration Outlook Web Access is a browser-based alternative to the full Outlook client and provides Internet-based access to email calendar task contacts SharePoint sites and files Exchange ActiveSync enables over-the-air synchronisation of Exchange information with mobile devices such as Windows Mobile and other licensed systems such as Nokia Sony Ericsson Palm Symbian and Apple iPhone
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 is the scalable data repository for all server components within the school infrastructure More than just a relational database SQL Server 2008 enables the learning environment to capture store analyse and interpret a wide variety of information and deliver this information to a range of different applications and devices including servers desktops and mobile systems There are a number of features which are particularly relevant in an educational environment
SQL Server 2008 product overview
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
Technology Guide 21
bull Rich Datamdashapplications generate and consume a wide variety of data types such as pictures video streams audio content and geo-spatial information SQL Server provides new mechanisms for storing interpreting indexing and searching such information The new FILESTREAM datatype enables large binary items such as documents or images to be stored on the NTFS file system combining the benefits of transactional (database) consistency with efficient file-level access
bull Secure DatamdashSQL Server provides tight integration with Active Directoryreg and builds upon this to deliver seamless encryption of databases along with detailed auditing of data reads writes and modifications Detailed auditing enables compliance with relevant regulatory requirements
bull Continuity amp PerformancemdashSQL Server 2008 is designed for maximum availability ensuring access to data at any time Features such as backup and data compression enable efficient storage or transmission of data between systems whilst the Resource Governor enables prioritisation of specified workloads to ensure consistent and predictable performance
SQL Server provides a platform onto which a wide variety of data can be stored categorised searched and managed Moreover this repository will seamlessly integrate with the broader technology portfolio to enable the consumption analysis and rendering of this information through the appropriate services and applications In the educational context this provides a means of analysing information to identify trends or concerns regarding the educational welfare of students
Data Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Services enable the creation of data cubes which are multi-dimensional data structures that enable fast access to high volumes of aggregated data These cubes can be mined for information regarding trends which might otherwise not be visible For example in the proposed scenario the school will collect information about the student as they progress through the school day - registration attainment homework completion food purchases etc Analysis Services make it possible to identify patterns in data such as the correlation between nourishment and attainment This information can be rendered pictorially or textually and can be used as an alert for staff andor parents to take corrective action
The above is merely one example of the proactive indicators that could be mined from the data SQL Server 2008 contains a rich set of analytic algorithms many of which were developed by Microsoft Research to solve common business issues but the architecture is extensible to allow specialist plug-in algorithms for specific needs
SQL Server 2008 enables non-technical users to benefit from predictive analysis by integrating Data Mining Add-Ins into Microsoft Office 2007 Table Analysis Tools for Excel 2007 abstract the complexity of data mining by presenting an intuitive task-based interface that enables users to explore and discover information The Data Mining Client for Excel 2007 offers data mining tools that provides more advanced users with greater degrees of control and configuration whilst Data Mining Templates for Visio enable users to create graphical visualisation of the data mining model
Data mining tools in the 2007 Office system
22 Technology Guide
The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a flexible desktop tool for teachers but for highly specialised Business Intelligence requirements the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio provides a programmatic means of developing Business Intelligence solutions This toolkit provides a range of technologies to help BI designers quickly create test implement and deploy data models that can be reused by the broader educational organisation
SQL Server Reporting ServicesIn addition to the interpolation and extrapolation of predictive information there is also a requirement to present standardised data items in a meaningful way as part of the ongoing management cycle of the school In order to make effective managerial decisions teachers require access to informative and intuitive reports that combine data from multiple sources and represent the information using a mixture of numerical textual and graphic visualisation Reporting Services provides a set of tools that address the scenario in the following ways
bull Managed Reporting ndash facilitates the creation of rich automated reports and enables teachers (with appropriate access) to view the information through a web browser It also supports report subscriptions enabling information to be pushed to teachers either on a scheduled basis or upon occurrence of a specified data parameter
bull Report Builder ndash enables teachers to create their own reports on an ad-hoc basis without detailed knowledge of the underlying data structures It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface enabling the rapid creation and formatting of visually appealing reports
bull Embedded Reporting ndash enables reports to be embedded directly into applications or web portals so that teachers can consume the information in context of their current activity Deep integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables delivery of reports through a central report library or through the use of personalised dashboards
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 builds upon the features delivered in SQL Server 2008 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a set of easy to use tools that enable monitoring analysis and planning for the educational organisation It provides the ability to view and interact with data graphically through the use of dashboards key performance indicators heat maps graphs and charts and enables decision makers to quickly identify and act-upon relevant information
For example the head teacher could define a timetable for the school year which maximises the use of resources such as meeting rooms learning spaces lecture halls full time teachers supply teachers curriculum and learning sessions This information (and the interrelationships between it) can be graphically represented Should there be any changes to the underlying data this will automatically be reflected in the model
Technology Guide 23
Windows Server 2008
A server operating system is a core requirement for any secure scalable manageable and responsive IT infrastructure Windows Server 2008 is the latest Microsoft server operating system and delivers a number of significant advantages over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 shares its code-base with the desktop operating system Windows Vista and builds-upon the administrative deployment and feature advancements debuted in Vista Windows Server 2008 is the foundation upon which the robust education IT infrastructure will be built It provides the following features
bull Directory Service ndash in an environment where child safety is paramount managing security and integrity of the IT infrastructure is of critical importance Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) provides fine-grained control over access to systems and data ADDS in combination with Group Policy enables detailed security and configuration settings to be applied to servers workstations or applications on a group location or individual basis
Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) extends the functionality of Active Directory to enable seamless and secure inter-organisational operation providing ldquosingle sign onrdquo capabilities for teachers students or trusted external individuals
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) provides a lightweight directory service specifically for custom applications data centre or perimeter-network scenarios ADLDS operates in tandem with ADDS and enables administrators to preserve infrastructural architectural integrity by separating the storage of school security principals from (custom) application-specific information which are typically managed and maintained by different organisational entities
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) extends the security model to enable the school to determine how data is used once it is in the possession of the recipient For example ensuring that a Word document (which has already been downloaded to a local device) can only be opened by an authorised user prevention of email from being forwarded or printed by the recipient expiration of access to content after a specified period of time
bull Terminal Services is a thin-client technology which enables standard desktop applications to be installed and run from the server whilst the screen display keyboard and mouse are delivered to a remote computer Thin-client technology provides a number of potential advantages in the educational environment such as reducing the need for local software deployments and enabling Windows applications to be delivered on a broader range of devices such as legacy hardware Apple Mac Linux Solaris or mobile platforms
Terminal Services can provide a full desktop environment or using the new Remote Programs functionality launch the hosted application seamlessly onto the client desktop Remote applications appear as if they are running locally but in reality are running on the server
The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the presentation protocol which encapsulates the user experience data (screen keyboard etc) and enables redirection of local client-side devices such as CD-ROMs printers sound-cards etc so that they seamlessly integrate into the Terminal Server desktop There have been a number of enhancements to the protocol to provide parity with the rich user experiences delivered by Windows Vista Enhancements include support for Aero Glass desktop theme ClearTypereg font smoothing and the Windows Presentation Foundation
Terminal Services Web Access enables Windows applications to run within a web browser When combined with the Terminal Services Gateway Service this functionality can be securely extended onto the Internet enabling schools to provide home access to specialist learning resources without the need to install any software on the client PC Office SharePoint Server 2007 integrates with Terminal Services to provide a targeted and manageable mechanism of offering remote desktop learning services to the students
bull Microsoftreg Hyper-Vtrade Server is a hypervisor virtualisation technology that enables Windows Server 2008 to run multiple operating systems (and attendant applications) at the same time Given the appropriate hardware Hyper-V Server makes it possible to reduce and consolidate the number of servers within a school reducing the costs and complexity of management
24 Technology Guide
bull Network Access Protection (NAP) is an automated configurable and extensible security mechanism for ensuring that remote computers such as portable learning devices home PCs or visiting laptops are appropriately patched and do not pose a security threat to the school network Upon connection network access is restricted to a quarantined portion of the network whilst configuration of the device is analysed Analysis will check for specific applications patches virus scanners etc If the device is deemed non-compliant automated remedial action can be taken after which it will be granted access to the secure school network
bull BitLockertrade is a full disk encryption mechanism that mitigates against unauthorised data access in the event of computers being lost or stolen BitLocker is available on both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems
bull Network file storage is a core element of a digital learning infrastructure Windows Server 2008 delivers a number of file storage advancements which improve on speed bandwidth overhead manageability and recovery Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) takes automatic backups of the files and folders on the server and maintains a version history archive Not only does this provide a version chronology as documents evolve and change over time it also enables recovery of accidentally deleted files or older document versions
The Distributed File System (DFS) enables a unified logical file-structure to be created from a disparate file shares Moreover it provides an efficient multi-master replication engine to keep files and folders synchronised over limited bandwidth connections and enables local distribution of files to prevent unnecessary traversal of wide area networks
Windows Server 2008 works in conjunction with enhancements in Windows Vista to improve speed of data transfer for file or printer-related activity by offloading some computational activities onto the desktop PC Integration of Windows Search technology allows users to quickly locate information stored on the servers Offline Files enables Vista to cache shared files for offline access and any changes made to these when offline are automatically synchronised next time the user connects to the network
bull Internet Information Services (IIS7) is a set of technologies that enables delivery of Internet-based services and applications IIS is required by other products such as Office SharePoint Server Exchange Server or SQL Server for provision of their internet-facing services IIS7 contains many enhancements over its predecessor most notably the modular architecture which improves security by reducing the potential attack surface and a new API model providing developers with direct NET Framework interoperability in addition to overall improvements for management configuration and performance
Microsoft Forefront
Security is a core requirement Microsoft Forefront is an integrated suite of defence-in-depth security products which protect school resources and facilitate secure access to application servers and data An overview of the products is provided below
bull Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for desktops laptops tablets and server operating systems It guards against spyware rootkits viruses worms and Trojan horses
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server protects Exchange 2007 messaging systems from the propagation of viruses or spam by including multiple industry-leading anti-virus scan engines which inspect (and intercept if necessary) messages as they flow through the system
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint uses multiple scanning engines to automatically scan information submitted into Office SharePoint Server 2007 for viruses or malware It also protects against submission of inappropriate content such as bad language and can be configured to reject specific types of file (for example EXE files) which may create security exposures
bull Microsoft Forefront Sever Security Management Console is a web-based management console for the Forefront product portfolio It provides a centralised aggregated view of security enabling preventative and corrective actions such as deployment of agents update of virus signatures and comprehensive report generation
Technology Guide 25
bull Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communication Server provides virus and content scanning for Live Communication Server conversations and file transfers It provides a set of pre-defined and extensible dictionaries that administrators can use to scan messages for profanity harassment racial discrimination and other inappropriate content
bull Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2007 provides network edge security to protect the school from Internet-based threats such as network intrusion IP flooding and malware It provides mechanisms for the secure publishing of services such as Exchange or SharePoint and VPN technology to ensure secure networking over public networks
bull Microsoftreg Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 builds upon virtual private networking functionality provided by the Threat Management Gateway to securely deliver internal line of business applications over the Internet IAG 2007 provides an SSL virtual private network web application firewall and endpoint security management to enable access control authorisation and packet inspection for a wide variety of applications IAG supports a range of client devices including PC Mac and Linux systems
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
BizTalk Server is a business process management server that enables information stored in a wide variety of systems to be integrated into a cohesive business process In many cases line of business applications do not seamlessly share data with each other but BizTalk facilitates inter-application communication through the use of ldquoadaptersrdquo which translate proprietary data protocols and enable data conversion and transfer between systems
Transfer of information between systems is generally required as a result of a business process Business processes are typically long-running events that span systems and people and have logic data acquisition transformation and routing requirements BizTalk orchestration provides a range of tools to simplify the design and implementation of complex business processes
In addition to line of business application integration BizTalk Server provides comprehensive support for industry standard Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) including X12 EDIFACT and HIPAA over the Internet to provide Business to Business (B2B) integration In the context of schools Biztalk Server provides a platform for the secure exchange of pupil information between learning organisations or sharing of information currently locked in proprietary school management information systems
BizTalk Server provides integration with RFID systems RFID is Radio Frequency Identification technology and is a means of identifying a person or object using tags Tags are small transponders that can be embedded into cards or labels and communicate with readers located throughout the school It is envisaged that the student would be provided with a smartcard containing RFID tag which will enable automatic registration of attendance in class
An RFID Tag
26 Technology Guide
Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a comprehensive suite of products that enable centralised management of the Microsoft estate encompassing all devices from mobile phones through to servers in the data centre System Center enables school IT administrators to capture and aggregate knowledge regarding infrastructure policies and processes in order to deliver a manageable and automated operational environment that is cost-effective responsive and available An overview of the products is provided below
bull System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides centralised analysis configuration inventory and deployment of applications operating systems and security updates for Windows desktop and server systems Configuration Manager integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualisation products to support physical and virtualised environments
bull System Center Operations Manager 2007 provides proactive health monitoring for desktops servers and services within the IT estate to ensure that systems are performing within acceptable tolerance The captured data is analysed for anomalies and if any are detected corrective action can be taken ndash either automatically or by alerting the necessary technical personnel
bull System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 is an integrated data backup and recovery solution that protects SQL Server Exchange Server Office SharePoint Server Virtual Server and file shares It provides continuous data protection by capturing byte-level data changes using application-aware agents and writing these to a disk based backup system Data Protection Manager enables end-users and administrators to quickly recover data without recourse to tape although tape is supported for archival purposes
bull System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools for centrally managing a virtualised environment It enables fast physical-to-virtual migration automated provisioning of new machines intelligent workload placement analysis tools to identify potential consolidation opportunities and optimisation of virtual machine performance
bull System Center Capacity Planner 2007 aids the planning and design of scalable infrastructures for technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and System Center Operations Configuration Manager It provides capacity models best practice guidance and hardware-specific information to enable school IT administrators to design a scalable architecture
bull System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 provides centralised over-the-air control of Windows Mobile 61 devices to enable software deployment device inventory device encryption remote enabling or disabling of mobile applications and device erasing In addition it integrates with Active Directory and mobile VPN functionality to provide secure and authenticated access to information on the school network
bull System Center Service Manager is a service desk solution that provides IT helpdesk staff with automated solutions for managing infrastructure services and responding to user support requests Service Manager delivers deep integration with System Center Windows Office and Visual Studio products implementing a set of automated of ITIL-based processes from the Microsoft Operations Framework
Microsoft Application Virtualization 45
Application Virtualization enables applications to be deployed to desktops on a real-time as-needed basis Applications are not installed on the desktop in the traditional sense they are streamed into a locally-installed sandbox execution environment where they are cached and run The sandbox environment virtualises operating system services such as the registry configuration data files COM components and user profile information so that the streamed application does not interfere with the configuration of the underlying operating system or other applications The ability to abstract the virtualised application assists in situations where applications conflict or are incompatible with each other due to DLL dependency or overwriting of common configuration settings
Technology Guide 27
Prior to being virtualised applications must be prepared This is one-time operation achieved through the use of sequencing tools which unpack the application and translate it into an appropriate binary form for streaming When the user runs the application for the first time the sandbox rapidly retrieves (streams) the necessary code components over the network from the sequenced file and caches them in the sandbox The remaining code components are retrieved on an as-needed basis
Application Virtualization integrates with Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager to provide centralised policy-based control for application publishing and detailed configuration of the client environment In educational establishments with a large variety of bespoke applications Microsoft Application Virtualisation reduces configuration complexity and regression testing requirements enabling rapid provisioning of educational applications to any compatible desktop device at any time without the overhead of compatibility issues or complicated setup routines
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Desktop Virtualization enables desktop PCrsquos to run multiple operating systems at the same time It facilitates the creation and management of virtual machines which are virtual instances of the physical PC into which different operating systems and applications are installed From an educational perspective there are two primary benefits of this technology
bull StandardisationmdashSome applications mandate a specific version or configuration of the operating system This may not be in-line with the IT policies of the school For example an application requires Windows 2000 but the school PCs are running Windows Vista Rather than deviate from the standard build the application can be deployed in a virtual machine along with an appropriately configured Windows 2000 operating system Since both components are virtualised there are no compatibility issues with the standardised desktop environment and no requirement to compromise the build of the physical PC
bull ProvisioningmdashVirtualisation uses virtual hard disks In physical terms this is a single file (VHD) which represents the contents of a hard disk in a virtual machine In the example above the VHD contains the Windows 2000 operating system with the associated application and data files In other words this single physical file represents thousands of virtual files
Using the concept of VHDrsquos school IT administrators can develop a standardised desktop build containing all the required components and configuration settings and deploy it to any PC capable of running the virtual environment Since the virtual environment is self-contained there is no requirement for additional testing installation of drivers or subsequent configuration The deployment of virtual machines becomes as simple as transferring a single file to the desktop
From the perspective of the user experience switching between virtual machines is as simple as switching between applications However the experience can be streamlined by configuring applications to be ldquopublishedrdquo meaning that they are displayed directly on the physical PC desktop rather than on the virtual PC desktop
In addition to the above Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides centralised management tools to automate the distribution and configuration of the desktop environment
28 Technology Guide
User Experience amp Lifestyle
This section provides an overview of user-facing technologies with which the student and teacher will interact Technologies in this layer define the user experience for the digital learning environment
Windows VistaWindows Vista is the operating system for desktop laptop tablet and Media Centre PCs It is a significant upgrade from its predecessor Windows XP The most obvious change is the redesigned user interface utilising the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Direct3D technologies to deliver a compelling user environment that is both aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive thereby providing a simpler more efficient user experience WPF provides a foundation upon which to build visually-compelling educational applications
Vista improves security through integration of automatic patch updating email spam filtering website phishing detection parental controls malware detection BitLocker drive encryption integrated firewall and User Account Control - all of which work together to prevent installation of unwanted or malicious code and ensures system access is only provided to those with appropriate authority Vista incorporates a range of productivity features such as
bull Instant Search - enables quick identification and retrieval of information stored on the computer such as files emails or applications Search analyses and indexes file contents so users donrsquot have to remember filenames merely typing in a few words contained within the file is sufficient Search is seamlessly integrated into the Start Menu and Explorer windows making it even easier to find information
bull Windows Sidebar is a transparent panel located on the side of the screen where users can place Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are specialised visually attractive mini programs that give staff or students access to relevant information without cluttering the desktop environment Examples include the staff organiser which shows the whereabouts of staff and student calendar gadgets detailing learning activities and tasks
bull Windows Meeting Space enables users to collaborate by sharing applications or entire desktops using peer-to-peer communication This technology enables ad-hoc creation of collaborative working environments for groups of people who are in a remote location and do not have connectivity to the school environment
bull Windows Speech Recognition enables users to interact with the computer by voice enabling dictation of documents or the use of voice commands to launch applications
bull Windows Mediareg Player 11 provides playback of audio or video digital media The user interface has been updated to reflect the Vista aesthetics and search functionality is integrated into the media library enabling the storage and cataloguing of offline content The content of the media library can be shared (or synchronised) with other devices such as Xbox360trade Windows Mobilereg phones and portable media players
bull Microsoftreg Internet Explorerreg 7 provides a faster web browsing experience a new user interface tabbed browsing accurate web page printing parental controls (to block child access to objectionable content) and security protection to guard against malicious software and phishing attacks
Windows Vista Start Menumdashinstant search
Technology Guide 29
Vista also delivers a range of enhancements to assist management and maintenance of the platform
bull Built-in Diagnostics is a collection of instrumentation troubleshooting and resolution logic for disk memory networking and resource subsystems which aims to reduce downtime and inconvenience
bull Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting are diagnostic tools that help users identify potential networking issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
bull Windows Backup amp Restore provides a range of features to simplify and automate the process of backing up information stored on the Vista PC This includes data files the complete operating system or individual configuration changes
The 2007 Microsoft Office SystemThe 2007 Microsoft Office system is an integrated suite of desktop productivity tools that enables users to produce and consume information An overview of the Office components is provided below
bull Office OneNote is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way of gathering and organising notes OneNote enables pupils to capture information in a variety of ways including audio and video recordings handwritten text web research screen clippings drawings and pictures It provides powerful search capabilities that go beyond traditional text-based searching For example the ability to locate spoken words in audio clips or text contained within scanned documents or pictures Students can also choose to share pages of their notebook so that other can contribute
bull Office Word 2007 is an authoring program that provides a comprehensive set of multi-lingual writing tools enabling students to create and share documents for electronic or paper publication It provides functionality that assists and simplifies document formatting and a range of integrated research tools such as encyclopaedia thesaurus and spell checker
bull Office Excel 2007 enables students to create and format spreadsheets in addition to analysing and sharing numerical information as part of the learning process For teachers and school administrators it provides rich data visualisation high quality charts or graphs and PivotTable views Excel integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable the sharing of information or collaboration on its creation
bull InfoPath 2007 is an information-gathering application that enables the rapid creation and deployment of electronic forms to gather information InfoPath integrates with SharePoint Forms Services to enable delivery of forms over the Internet in addition to integration with Outlook e-mail and mobile devices
bull PowerPoint 2007 facilitates rapid creation of high-impact dynamic presentations that can be delivered in-class or over the web using Office Communicator Live Meeting Office SharePoint Server or conferencing technologies It provides a range of tools to simplify the creation of graphically appealing content and enables real-time annotation of slides The presentations can be archived and searched in Office SharePoint Server 2007 for subsequent reuse or revision
bull Outlook 2007 works in conjunction with Exchange Server 2007 to provide an integrated calendar email contact and task management system that makes it easy to find categorise and share information with others
bull Publisher 2007 is a desktop publishing application for the typesetting of graphical and textual information Publisher provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface and a library of hundreds of templates for newsletters brochures flyers websites etc to simplify and accelerate the publishing process
Office OneNote 2007
30 Technology Guide
bull Visio 2007 is a diagramming tool enabling the creation of business graphics depicting a wide range of scenarios such as flowcharts network diagrams business processes data models software diagrams office layouts and mind maps It can also consume information from other data sources to automatically create or populate diagrams
bull Project 2007 is a robust project management tool that enables efficient and effective management of schedules costs resources and dependencies The graphical user interface enables experimentation with ldquowhat ifrdquo scenarios allowing project managers to test impact of potential changes to the project schedule
bull Groove 2007 is a collaboration program that enables small teams to collaborate on specific projects and provides a single convenient location on each memberrsquos computer for storage of tools and information relevant to the project
bull Access 2007 is a desktop database that enables the rapid creation of bespoke data driven applications Access provides an intuitive wizard-driven interface that simplifies the design of data capture forms and reporting output It integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to enable sharing of information and building of collaborative workflows and can also integrate with InfoPath and Outlook as a means of data acquisition
Windows MobileWindows Mobile is a compact version of Windows designed to run on mobile devices such as PDAs and mobile phones Available from a large number of mobile network providers and handset manufacturers it is based on the WindowsCE codebase and delivers a familiar Windows user interface for end-users and a consistent API for developers Windows Mobile enables users to access their information anywhere at any time either over the Internet or through synchronisation with a PC Data such as Office documents and media files can be downloaded for offline review or playback using built in Office Mobile or Media Player Mobile technologies
Internet access is provided through WiFi 3G EDGE or GPRS connectivity enabling users to browse the Internet using Internet Explorer Mobile chat with colleagues using Office Communicator Mobile or search for maps driving instructions traffic updates or people with Live Search for Windows Mobile
In addition Windows Mobile provides an extensible development platform for the creation of custom software and integration with school infrastructures Microsoft Visual Studio provides a full suite of development tools for the mobile platform enabling developers to quickly translate their existing Windows knowledge onto the mobile platform In an educational context Windows Mobile can be utilised in a number of innovative ways including remote email and lesson calendars social networking payment of school meals offline review of recorded lessons offline review of PowerPoint or Word documents completion and submission of homework via SharePoint forms
Technology Guide 31
Zunetrade Media PlayersPortable media players provide another distribution mechanism for learning content such as pre-recorded lessons presentations speeches revision notes or audio-books Zune is a portable media player that enables mobile playback of audio video or picture content It is available in a range of different configurations the largest being an 80 GB version with sufficient storage for every lesson the student will encounter during their school life Information can be transferred to Zune via synchronisation with the studentrsquos PC or via built-in WiFi technology enabling Zunes to share files without the need for a computer
Media Player technology is also integrated into the Windows Mobile platform The majority of Windows Smartphones and PDAs will be able to download and play audio-video content using the built-in Windows Media Player
The Zune portable media player
32 Technology Guide
Development Technologies
Previous chapters have provided an overview of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision and the products which can deliver upon it Existing Microsoft products deliver the majority of functionality required but some of the highly specialised educational concepts will require custom development The specifics of development will vary according to individual school requirements It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed review of the full development portfolio however there are a number of development technologies that are relevant irrespective of the local implementation
Visual Studio 2008 is the latest integrated Microsoft development environment It provides a new generation of tools to develop applications for web server desktop and mobile scenarios The development environment combined with the underlying Microsoft technologies enables developers to rapidly extend or customise existing product functionality to deliver innovative technology solutions Visual Studio provides all the tools necessary to code test and debug applications for any component in the Microsoft estate and supports a broad range of languages including C++ C Visual Basic F and IronRuby
Windows Presentation FoundationThe Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a graphics engine that is built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and available for installation on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 It enables creation of graphically compelling applications and user interfaces that are visually-appealing and fun to use It is anticipated that the majority of student-facing applications described in the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will utilise WPF
WPF is built on the same technology that powers todayrsquos high resolution games and enables delivery of 2D3D imagery typography animations digital ink static graphics audio and video Despite the apparent complexity WPF simplifies the process of developing user interfaces through the use of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)
XAML is a derivative of XML and is a declarative language used to specify the layout and behaviour of the user interface In traditional application developments the user interface is implemented by the application developer as an integral part of the application coding exercise The use of WPF and XAML enables the interface to be developed by different individuals (for example designers who are specialists in interface design and user experience) and once complete the interface can be seamlessly bound to the applicationThe process of creating the interface is further simplified by the use of Microsoft Expression Blend Blend is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio Suite and is a GUI-based design tool that the designer would use to model and test the user interface
Microsoftreg Silverlighttrade 2Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that provides a subset of WPF technologies enabling delivery of interactive and graphically-compelling applications within a web browser Silverlight is available for PC Apple Mac and Linux operating systems It is envisaged that the web-based components of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision would be delivered using Silverlight
Visual Studio Tools for OfficeVisual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) enables development of add-ins for the Microsoft Office platform Using VSTO the Office products can be extended to provide deep integration with the learning environment so that users can perform educational tasks inside an Office application This approach simplifies the user experience and reduces the need to develop stand-alone applications
For example suppose a student submits an essay composed using Microsoft Word An add-in could be developed that enables the teacher to mark the assessment directly within the document The teacherrsquos grading and comments would be automatically transferred into the appropriate learning environment repositories for future analysis and ongoing monitoring of educational welfare and progress VSTO provides the necessary development tools to
bull Develop NET components which run inside the Office applications
bull Customise the Office Ribbon user interface
bull Develop and debug SharePoint workflow components
bull Extend Outlook forms to enable capture and linking of data between systems
bull Package and deploy add-ins
Technology Guide 33
Windows Mobile DevelopmentMobile devices play a significant role in enabling anywhere access to the learning environment Windows Mobile is a version of Windows designed for use on mobile phones personal digital assistants and other solid-state devices From a user interface perspective it provides a similar look and feel to the desktop environment along with mobile versions of applications such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office From an underlying hardware (ie processor memory etc) and operating system perspective there are a number of significant differences that means the platform cannot run native desktop PC applications However Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive environment to enable development of custom mobile applications From a development perspective Windows Mobile hosts a familiar set of Windows APIrsquos and a compact version of the Microsoftreg NET framework which simplifies the process of developing (or porting) applications onto the platform
34 Technology Guide
Physical Design Considerations
Development of a physical design for the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision will require detailed analysis of individual school requirements constraints and costs However it is expected that the design will fall into one of the following categories1 Local deployment within the school2 Centralised hosted service supporting multiple schools3 Hybrid approach where the school hosts some services and subscribes to others
In the local deployment scenario the school is responsible for hosting managing maintaining and evolving the software and servers components to meet ongoing educational needs By contrast the centrally hosted model is delivered by a specialist online service organisation that is fully responsible for the provision and evolution of service Irrespective of the chosen hosting approach there are a number of pervasive design requirements
bull Reduced server footprint within the schools Fewer servers equate to lower costs
bull Centralised infrastructure (where possible)
bull Responsive core services such as logon name resolution information storage and retrieval desktop provisioning and information searching
bull Scalability and availability of service through use of failover clustering and automated provisioning
bull Compliance with security regulatory and legislative requirements for sensitive information
bull Responsive user experience
Centralised Model
In order to deliver cost efficiencies and economies of scale it is envisaged that the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision learning environment will be implemented on a geographical basis and hosted in appropriately equipped data centres Schools will connect to the data centres via VPN and access a secure customised personalised and partitioned digital learning environment tailored to the needs of the individual schoolCentralised hosting is delivered by a specialist online services provider that manages maintains and evolves the learning environment This model abstracts the school from the technical complexities of the solution enabling the school to focus on the educational functionality requirements It is anticipated that the centralised model will deliver the best return on investment as it benefits from efficiencies in standardisation and consolidation of hardware scalable secure and connected network infrastructures and consistent operational management processes and procedures
Despite the advantages this model may not be suitable for all schools For example
bull A centralised model requires all data transfers and user interactions to traverse the wide area network In order to ensure a responsive user experience the wide area network must be capable of handling the necessary data transfers in a timely manner Moreover network failure would render the system inaccessible
bull There may be regulatory constraints which require some data or services to be physically hosted within the school
Local Model
The local model deploys all technology components within the physical school infrastructure The school IT staff are responsible for ongoing management maintenance and evolution of the learning environment Depending on the scope of requirements this is likely to be a significant undertaking and will require security development architecture operational management networking and infrastructure skills The local model has a number of benefits including
bull Local storage of data
bull Freedom to design and implement bespoke architecture for individual school
bull Full local control over the IT estate
bull Fast local area network access to locally stored information
bull Resilience in event of WAN failure
Technology Guide 35
A core theme of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision is extension of the learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of the school Provision of remote access via the Internet enables the learning experience to be more inclusive and encompassing The local model must provide the necessary secure networking infrastructure to enable connectivity with the outside world Costs are a significant consideration in the local model Hardware software and the appropriate technical skills to develop and maintain the solution must be carefully contrasted against the centralised approach to determine best value
Hybrid Model
The intermediate option is a hybrid solution which places a few specific services within the physical school for the purposes of resilience and performance but subscribes to a range of centrally hosted services provided from the data centre It is likely that the hybrid model will provide the best balance of cost efficiency resilience performance and flexibility for schools that cannot embrace a fully centralised approach However the determination of which services should be hosted locally will vary The following considerations should be applied to each potential service to determine if it is suitable for local hosting
bull The service has no inherent WAN dependencies
bull The service is unique to the individual school
bull The service has a significant network bandwidth overhead
bull The service requires proprietary hardware or software unique to the school
bull The service must be available in the event of a WAN outage
bull There are legislative requirements to hoststore servicedata within school
bull School IT can meet necessary Service Level Agreements
bull School IT can provide responsive robust and scalable hosting environment with the necessary operational management tools processes and procedures
For each service if the answers to the above questions are predominantly ldquoyesrdquo then the service may be a candidate for local deployment
Desktop Delivery
Schools have an ongoing requirement to manage the endpoints through which staff and students will interact with the system Endpoints are desktop laptop or mobile computers used within the school environment and must be provisioned and maintained to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate software and security patches
System Center Configuration manager enables the centralised management of the desktop and server estates in addition to remote installation of software and application updates It supports the concept of distribution servers located within the schools enabling software images to be deployed over the school LAN whilst maintaining centralised control at a geographical level However this approach may not be appropriate for all scenarios Thin client or virtualisation technologies provide an alternative means of management
bull Terminal Services provides a means of installing and running desktop applications on central servers but delivering the screen keyboard and mouse data to the endpoint This eliminates the need to install an application on local devices and simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications However thin client is dependent on an active and responsive network connection and some applications (such as graphically intensive multi-media) are not best suited to the environment
bull Microsoft Application Virtualization provides a means of streaming installation of an application to the desktop on an as-needed basis A benefit of streaming vs traditional installation is that it consumes less installation bandwidth since it only transfers the necessary data items required to run the application as opposed to the full complement of files required for the local installation
bull Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization provides a means of deploying and managing a full virtualised environment (operating system and applications) to a client PC This approach can be used as a means of deploying full desktop solutions or individual applications that have specific operating system dependencies
36 Technology Guide
Glossary
NET Encompassing term to describe Microsoft strategy development tools and servers for development of scalable Enterprise applications
NET (compact framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on mobile hardware
NET (framework) Language independent runtime environment for the hosting of NET applications on desktop and server hardware
3G 3rd generation cellular network provides high speed data download
Aero Glass The user interface provided by Windows Vista
API Application programming interface
Bebo Social networking web site
BitLocker Full disk encryption ensures that contents of hard drive cannot be accessed if physically stolen
Blog Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Data Catalog (BDC) Online web journal Contains text images and links to other sites
Business Intelligence (BI) Technologies which collect analyse aggregate interpret and present business information
C A Microsoft developed programming language based on C++ but designed to be simpler and more robust in terms of type and bounds checking portability and garbage collection
CallerID Telephone service which displays the callerrsquos number
ClearType A font rendering technology which improves appearance of text on LCD monitors
COM componet A software library that uses Microsoft Component Object Model
Dashboard Analogous to a car dashboard the digital dashboard displays high level business information in a simple to understand graphical format
Digital Ink Handwritten notes captured using a pen digitiser or Tablet PC
Direct 3D Part of Microsoft Direct X a set of specialist graphic APIs focused on 3D graphics
Directory (service) Refers to Active Directory which provides authentication and authorisation services
DLL Dynamic Link Library - shared code library for Windows
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution ndash a cellular network data transfer technology
EDIFACT A standard developed by United Nations for the transfer of electronic data
Encarta A digital multimedia encyclopaedia
Technology Guide 37
Enterprise Search Mechanism of indexing and searching content throughout the enterprise irrespective of underlying systems in which the data is stored
e-procurement Purchase or sale of goods over the Internet
Excel Spreadsheet software
Expression Studio Suite of creative tools for the development of web-based applications and multimedia content
Facebook Social networking website
Firewall Network security technology which controls external access to network resources
Gadget (vista) Small graphical application that runs on the Windows Vista desktop
GPRS General Packet Radio Service ndash cellular network data transfer technology
Group Policy Feature of Active Directory that provides centralised management and configuration of users and machines within an Active Directory environment
GUI Graphical User Interface
HIPAA Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act ndash electronic data exchange standards
Hypervisor Virtualisation platform that enables multiple operating systems to be run concurrently on a host machine
Identity Management A set of tools and processes for the electronic management of user identities
InforPath An XML-based tool for the capture of information on electronic forms
Instant Messaging Chat technology that provides real time textual communication between multiple parties
Intelligent Intervention Key concept of the Microsoftreg Innovative Schoolsrsquo vision Contextual searching functionality
ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library ndash concepts processes and procedures for managing information technology systems
Malware Malicious software designed to infect and damage computer environments
Metadata Additional information associated with files to describe their content purpose or association
Mircrosoft Live Search Web search engine
Microsoft Operations Microsoft implementation of ITIL best practices
Framework (MOF)
MySpace Social networking website
38 Technology Guide
NTFS New Technology File System ndash file system used by Windows 2008 and Vista to store secure and retrieve data on disk
Office Communicator Unified communication client that provides instant messaging and video conferencing
Office Fluent UI See Ribbon (Office)
OneNote Application for note taking and multi-user collaboration
PDA Personal Digital Assistant ndash handheld computer device with touch screen interface that provides email calendar task and contact information Usually enables connection to Internet
Phishing An attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information such as credit card details
Plug-in (browser) Software component that extends the functionality of the web-browser Eg Windows Media Player enables playback of videos
Plug-in (office) Software component that extends functionality of Microsoft Office products
Postmark (e-mail) Mechanism of preventing email spam
Registry (Windows) A windows repository for storage of operating system and application configuration information
RFID Radio Frequency Identification ndash a means of remotely retrieving formation from tags embedded in smartcards
Ribbon (Office) New user interface for Microsoft Office which changes to reflect the userrsquos current activity
Rootkit Malicious software that embeds itself on computer and enables unauthorised user to take control of machine
RPC over HTTP Remote Procedure Call over Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a means of enabling access to Exchange systems over the Internet without opening unnecessary ports on the firewall
RSS Really Simple Syndication ndash a set of web feed formats that enable publishing or subscription to frequently updated content such as news blogs etc RSS Readers aggregate content from many sources and present it in a single interface
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface ndash standards for physical connection and transfer of data between devices
Sequencing (virtualisation) A means of preparing an application for subsequent deployment onto Microsoft Application Virtualisation
SharePoint Designer Web design application enabling construction of HTML pages for SharePoint
SharePoint Workspaces Virtual working environment
SmartCard Similar in form to credit card and contains microprocessor and memory
Technology Guide 39
SmartPhone A mobile phone which provides some computing functionality and Internet connectivity
Spam (email) Unsolicited junk email
Spyware Software component unwittingly installed on computer which collects personal information such as web browsing habits
SSL Secure Sockets Layer ndash means of encrypting and transferring information over the Internet
Storage Area Network A resilient high-speed data storage architecture that connects devices such as disk arrays tape libraries and optical jukeboxes
Tablet PC Laptop PC with pen interface enabling the capture of handwriting and translation into text
Twitter Social networking website
UMPC Ultra Mobile PC ndash a specification for a small form factor PC that runs a full copy of Windows
User Account Control (Vista) Windows Vista security feature which ensures applications are not unnecessarily granted higher security privileges than required
Visual Basic (NET) A popular object orientated computer language
Visual Studio Microsoft integrated development environment for the development of Windows software
Voice over IP (VoIP) Enables transmission of voice over Internet or other packet-switched networks
VPN Virtual Private Network ndash technology that uses public networking infrastructure (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individuals with secure and private access to resources within their organisation
VSTO Visual Studio Tools for Office ndash enables development of add-in components for the Microsoft Office programs
WAN Wide Area Network ndash a network that covers a broad geographical area
Web 20 Term that describes current web trends of information sharing collaboration and creativity
Web Services A web-based API designed to enable machine to machine interaction over a network
WiFi Umbrella term for a range of technologies and standards that enable wireless network connectivity
Wiki Collaborative website maintained by a community of people
Win32 API Set of programming interfaces provided by the Windows operating system
Windows CE Version of the Windows operating system intended for embedded or real-time devices
40 Technology Guide
Windows Media Player Enables playback of audio or video content
Windows Presentation Graphical subsystem of the NET Framework
Foundation (WPF)
Workflow Sequence of operations which are performed in predetermined order
X12 The US national standards body for development and maintenance of electronic data interchange standards
XAML Extensible Application Markup Language ndash based on XML and used in NET to define user interfaces and workflows
Xbox 360 Microsoft developed video game console
XML Extensible Markup Language ndash enables sharing of structured data between systems
Zune Portable media player enabling playback and sharing of audio and video content
Technology Guide 41
ReferencesHostingWindows Server Hosting Guidance Dynamic Systems InitiativeOptimise and Secure Your Core Infrastructure
HardwareWindows Ultra-Mobile PCWindows Mobile DevicesZuneMicrosoft RoundTableXbox 360
Development ProcessesPrivacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and ServicesDeveloper patterns and practices
Products
Operating SystemsWindows VistaWindows XPWindows Mobile 61Windows Server 2008
OfficeOffice 2007 SystemOffice 2008 for MacMicrosoft Office Live MeetingMicrosoft Office MobileMicrosoft Outlook MobileTechnical Resources
Web BrowsingInternet Explorer 7Internet Explorer MobileTechnical Resources
SearchingWindows Search 40Search Server 2008FAST - Enterprise SearchLive Search for Windows Mobile Technical Resources
Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player 11 for Windows VistaWindows Media Player Mobile
Instant MessagingOffice Communicator 2007Windows Live MessengerMicrosoft Messenger for Mac Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile
42 Technology Guide
Exchange Server 2007Product OverviewUnified Messaging Mobile Messaging Technical Resources
Office Communications Server 2007Product OverviewUnified CommunicationsTechnical Resources
VirtualisationTerminal ServicesVirtual PCVista Enterprise Centralised DesktopHyper-V ServerApplication VirtualisationSystem CenterTechnical Resources
Office SharePoint Server 2007Collaboration and Social ComputingPortalsEnterprise SearchEnterprise Content ManagementBusiness Process and FormsBusiness IntelligenceTechnical Resources
BizTalk Server 2007Microsoft BizTalk Server Key CapabilitiesMicrosoft BizTalk Server RFIDMicrosoft RFID Technology OverviewTechnical Resources
SQL Server 2007Product OverviewAnalysis Services Business Intelligence Reporting ServicesData Platform DevelopmentSQL Server Compact Edition (mobile)Technical Resources
Performance Point Server 2007Product OverviewDashboards and ScorecardsPlanning and ForecastingManagement ReportingTechnical Resources
System Center 2007System Center Configuration ManagerSystem Center Operations ManagerSystem Center Data Protection ManagerSystem Center Virtual Machine ManagerSystem Center Capacity PlannerSystem Center Mobile Device ManagerDesktop Optimization PackTechnical Resources
Technology Guide 43
Microsoft Forefront Product OverviewMicrosoft Forefront Client Security Forefront Security for Exchange ServerForefront Security for SharePointForefront Server Security Management ConsoleMicrosoft AntigenIntelligent Application Gateway 2007
DevelopmentVisual Studio 2008NET FrameworkVisual Studio Tools for Office SilverlightExpression Studio 2Vista GadgetsOffice Fluent User Interface
For More Information ContactMicrosoft Corporation One Microsoft WayRedmondWA 98052 USA wwwmicrosoftcominnovativeschools
copy 2008 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved This summary is provided for information purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States andor other countries Registered Office Microsoft Limited Microsoft Campus Thames Valley Park Reading RG6 1WG Registered in England no 1624297 VAT no GB 7245946 15
