The following article takes a look at the use of iPads as mobile devices in schools and is based on attending the Apple Birmingham Leadership Summit at Birmingham Science Park on 19th October, the pre-event discussions on EduGeek.net about questions which should be asked, discussions on Dr Brian Bandey’s eSafety Law in Education group on LinkedIn and from talking with colleagues in a range of schools across the UK.

For reference, this article is not intended to spark any pro- / anti-Apple discussions and where possible I will make reference to where models translate across multiple systems or where they differ. This is not meant to produce a definitive answer for any school about what to do with mobile technology.

—————–

I was pleasantly surprised to be invited to the latest in a series of Apple Education events a few weeks ago. An invite-only event too. After a relatively quiet spell, where Apple relied on Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs), Apple Solutions Experts (ASEs) and Apple Authorised Service Providers (AASPs) did all the work and interaction with schools, this year saw a veritable plethora of events supported and run by Apple, almost like a young butterfly coming out of the chrysalis … or was it a badger coming out of hibernation!

The event was to be run twice, on 18th and 19th October, and so I was happy to accept the invite. It would give me a chance to bring up a number of questions I had myself as well as many others I had been fielding from others … some from people not as supportive of Apple as I am. And before we go any further I should explain that most people regard me as an Apple Fanboi! … except when attending Microsoft events where I am often viewed as an Open Source Evangelist … or when attending Open Source events where I am sometimes looked upon as a Microsoft diehard. Sometimes you just can’t win!

Back to the preparation for the event. I know I had a series of question, but I knew that it would only be fair to allow others who couldn’t make it or weren’t invited to be able to take part. And so I started a thread on EduGeek.net to formulate the 5 important questions.

1) What are the plans for making integration of OSX.7 and AD actually happen and stay as something reliable?

 

2) Can Apple give examples, case studies and instructions about how to employ iOS Devices in a multi-device, multi-user environment … taking into consideration accessing and saving files, security, patch management, application deployment and configurations settings for accessing the network infrastructure? This includes working with educational networks where there are specific filters, proxies, firewalls, etc.

 

3) Can Apple be clear about how Apps are now to be licensed on iOS and LionOS devices, taking into account that this is for devices that are multi-user and users who will access multiple devices, especially in the light of recent changes to the iTunes ToS in the UK.

 

4) Can Apple be clear about what work they are doing with suppliers of educational resources and tools to help them provide stuff that will work across the range of Apple devices? If you can get Flash to work it would be a start!

 

5) When will Apple start giving information to people in schools instead of just saying “Go ask an ASE” … who are wonderful, but people in schools also want to learn and deploy things themselves (or have to, depending on the budgets).

(Sorry if it seems that I want to do ASEs out of some business …)

 

Reserve questions (in case anyone else asks one of the above or if there is a clear demonstration of it at the event)

 

6) Any chance of knocking another 20% off the price for schools?

7) When are you coming back to BETT instead of just being done by ASEs? (who are wonderful people … yada, yada, yada)

When can we stick OSX on kit other than Apple kit? We’ll pay! Honest!

The day started well, handed an iPad2 when I arrived … only to find I had to give it back at the end of the day. Still, there was WiFi available to use with my own kit to save having to setup / personalise another device.

We started with a breakdown of where Apple are in the education arena. About their trip in working with schools over the years, and where they saw themselves fitting today. Apple’s approach is based around 4 levels of literacy. Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Media Literacy and ICT Literacy. This was very much a case of looking how you teach their tech and use it … There were some interesting samples about how the world has changed … the 5 months / years to change Article published in hard copy for Encyclopaedia Britannica compared to 5 minutes on Wikipedia. On a personal note I tweeted about how this doesn’t take into consideration the weeks to argue with editors / mods about structure, verifying references and the in-fighting which goes on behind the scenes …

When talking with students Apple clearly see that in student desires they want … learning that provides the equivalent functionality as their social environment, learning that accommodates a mobile lifestyle, learning that adapts to individual learning style, and learning that encourages collaboration and teamwork.

To be honest, there were lots of stats about how the various markets Apple are involved in have grown and changed … and this is not meant to be a sales pitch so there is little point in me including them here … but I have to admit I do take all such stats with a pinch of salt, and that is with all companies. Talking about the iPhone having the first proper browser on a mobile device is spin … especially when I was using my P800 for it a while ago and I even had a tweet back talking about the Newton being the first circa 1994 and then Mobile Explorer in 2002-ish (@waltatek). So … stats … pinch of salt. No offence intended. A key comment though was that when you look at the adoption curve, for iPads we are still in the early adoption phase … so it is important to speak to the visionaries and those who have already been there. Frasier Speirs was highlighted as an example with the quote “It’s not the technology, it’s the content” and that ran true throughout the day.

Some time was spent looking at iTunes U but there was a more comprehensive session later so I’ll cover it further down the report. Likewise iBooks and the use of ePub as a format was raised. The iBook Store is very novel-centric, but that is where the funds come in to do other stuff. Again, ePub covered in more detail later. Good examples of Apps given, dissection of a frog for science reminded me of Operation! but growing examples of good tools, many are free. I’ll try to set up a dedicated page to link to others who have better lists of these sorts of resources. VLE / LP providers are also making iOS friendly front-ends … Blackboard given as an example but I have also used the one from FirstClass too. Some opting for iOS friendly web front-ends instead. More about standards later!

And so we get to the first question I could ask. 4) Can Apple be clear about what work they are doing with suppliers of educational resources and tools to help them provide stuff that will work across the range of Apple devices? If you can get Flash to work it would be a start!

Apple are working with publishers to help them find easy ways to convert materials / resources. They are also linking them with iOS-using schools to try to help show the need to change, but the focus is on the drive from the education market as well as when resources need to change. A lot of video is now accessible via HTML5, but Adobe now also have tools to convert from Flash content. It was noted later on in a replied tweet that the output from this can sometimes be as resource hungry (if not even mores) than Flash itself. Time will tell.

Apple tends to separate things into 3 areas. Technology (which they do and they like to say they do it well … It tend to agree, other might not), Content (which they also do, or enable, or support) and Pedagogy (which they don’t do, but rely on us to provide that bit … but will support and help link people together in this area). As part of this Essa Academy was used as an example. The change in the school through introducing iPod Touches was immense. Improved parental engagement just the tip, but it was important to spend time looking at changing to take in all 3 areas above. Tech alone is not a fix! Also looked at examples of tech to save money … printing used as an example once more. I would be interested to see financial comparisons against saving through other changes in tech such as the case studies provided by MS when people move to Sharepoint … Don Passey’s research also key here. I am sure similar could be done via Open Source options too … cost savings through tech is almost tech-agnostic.

I did get a chance to ask about licensing and was told it was not explicitly being covered today but to ask again later.

The Primary school case study was interesting to here. An almost complete meltdown in tech (no explanation why) resulted in no engagement with tech, not enough time or resources to get it running properly and general frustration due to the impact on learning. Significant work was needed so research started. BETT was instrumental in looking at options and after consideration (and quotes, plans, etc) Apple was decided as the way to go. Initially it has been about rolling out iBooks but they are now planning stage 2 with iPads. The audit of software on PCs showed 75% of software not used. What remained was replaced with Mac equivalent or other options. Sometimes the publisher did a Mac version anyway. A fair bit of training is needed for new staff but pupils are fine. They even had to get more tech in due to rising demand. I have to note at this point that they could have done the same change through other options … either sticking with a Windows based solution or even tried open source but it is good to see the lengths they went through to evaluate the need and the reasons to change, including impact. I did note that there were frequent mentions about PCs being a barrier and Mac versions of software was simpler to use. Having used some of the programs which are cross platform and having spent time working with schools looking at transference of skills between programmes and platforms, I do tend to feel that some of this is a psychological barrier, but there is no denying that such a change can motivate people to be engaged with tech again. I just worry about moving from a school based on only one system … to it being based solely on another system. Most of the examples of programs used had their Windows-based equivalent (including Comic Life) but the key targets they set of engagement with tech, embedding ICT in learning (a lot of learner centric stuff shown …) and confident use of multimedia, were met easily.

The secondary school presentation gave a rounded snapshot of how the school was working and what they already did well. Some key points in the ethos of the school included making sure students understood that learning can be hard, a struggle, but effort is rewarded … perhaps not immediately, but it does come in time. There is nothing wrong with hard work. The school made good use of R&D time for staff to look at school needs. After some investigation the issues the schools had in the curriculum centred from it being a teacher-led model … and that suffered when there was a change of staff or illnesses. The change was needed to move to learner-centric. This also created the need for a device to be personal as learning is personal. The ‘Airplane’ scenario was mentioned again … this is where students describe lessons as being on a airplane. You face the front, are strapped in, have to turn all tech off for a few hours and just hope it gets you where you need to go! I did ask what comparisons had been done with other similar schemes (remember folks … 1 to 1 schemes are nothing new and some have had the same impact as the iPod Touch / iPad schemes … it is not about worrying that we are re-inventing the wheel … just that it is the exact same wheel instead of an improved model with better traction, less wear, etc) but the R&D had shown them what had worked well elsewhere. The finance around this is covered later on in the report … but yes, it costs a money, but the reduction in other costs (replacing labs, etc) helps. It was interesting to hear Prof. Stephen Heppell’s name come up in the discussion about the research for the right device too … and it is important to note that although the full scheme has only been running since Sept it had a pilot last year and has been 2 years in the planning. From personal experience I know that this is important!

Looking at the management of the devices (I’ll also cover some of this later) it is important to remember that these are regarded as personal devices and so the students and their parents look after them. Apps recommended by the school are free and anything that gets paid for is via the parents. As for the other part of management mentioned, the importance of a good WiFi solution was key to it working. Out of the various offerings they had there were some very cheap solutions … but it was doubtful that they would deliver … as mentioned before in other articles / blogs, cheap does not mean best value. You ned to select a solution which is fit for purpose and plan around the true needs … not allow it to be a limiting factor. I know other 1 to 1 schemes that have struggled due to this, including one school that has improved their wireless 5 times over the last 10 years … partly due to changing tech, but also due to needing to makes changes to get it just right!

The talk on finance of iPad/iPod schemes came directly from Apple Financial Services, where there is an Education team. iStudent covers the kit and the soft costs around it (within limits specified by financial regulations … IIRC it is 20% of a lease scheme can be soft costs but I’d need to check that again). So the cost covers the lease arrangement, the insurance, the warranty, case, support with parental contributions. It is possible to add work from ASEs / AASPs onto another deal but you would have to speak with Apple and their resellers for more details … but in comparison to other similar schemes I have seen for 1 to 1 offerings it is very comparable. Some of the value-added comes in the extent of the support and insurance … world-wide cover, the offering can be tailored into a range of options. The important thing is that there is a good option here which schools can make use of, but like all lease arrangements … plan how you are going to exit from it, how you plan to deal with the last 2 years in school for KS4 students, etc …

And then there was lunch. For someone on a diet … the Black Forest Gateaux was very nice. Oh well … more time on the Wii Fit to burn it off methinks.

We resumed the afternoon with Worcestershire County Council talking about their move to delivering resources via iTunes U. For those who have not come across it iTunes U is a section of the iTunes Store where you can freely access education videos and audio clips. These will range from MIT courses (wonderful examples for Physics), all the OU materials right through the the more recently acclaimed Khan Academy. Worcestershire County Council looked to take the existing resources they already had on video and which they already published to DVD. After work to encourage all staff to make materials public they hit a brick wall … permission. Although the existing permission slip allowed for publishing of materials to DVD and online, it was deemed that putting the materials into a system which could allow for them to be downloaded to an off-line device automatically was not covered. This was taken all the way to the ICO and had a lot of legal work done on it. A new permission form was agreed and now being used. Unfortunately this form is not in the public domain due to the legal specifics in it, but it might be an idea for a number of us to approach the ICO about a template which could be used. A job for another day perhaps … any volunteers? It is also important to remember that the materials are not stored with Apple … but on your servers. From personal experience of podcasts I know that it is key to understand RSS. It might even be worth looking at www.archive.org as an option for online storage. A question was raised from the floor about LA blocking the use of iTunes U. After a bit more digging it is not a technical issue but a permission issue … so I will be working out what exactly is entailed in giving permission for a school … I have a feeling a request might be coming my way soon!

The final session was the hands-on workshop. There was too much choice here and i could have gone to them all. Dave Baugh, Joe Moretti and Oscar Stringer (all from CrunchEd Productions) ran 3 of the sessions and I will link to any reports / blogs from those attending when I get them. I went to the session looking at the technical strand. I still had 3 questions to ask (4 if you include asking about licensing again).

I think I will leave the report there for the moment and cover the Hands-on workshop in a separate article … it will be lengthy enough on its own.

(originally published on Grumbledook.org)

I also took the step of leaving out several quite popular but older packages which have not been updated in quite some time, such as Project Dogwaffle which is still on its 2004 1.2 release and will probably never be updated again. Left out too were the ‘free’ cut down versions of commercial packages after one simply nagged me to death to buy the full version every time I clicked on a button and required schools to licence every installation of the software separately, or simply had a lot of greyed out options that would frustrate pupils and teachers alike if they tried to click on an item and have a box declare that this option was only available in the ‘full’ version. It simply is not worth the effort and distraction in using these when there are other free packages that do not do this.

So without further ado, let’s dig in to this bunch of creative lovelies.

TuxPaint:

Tux Paint is possibly the daddy of early years drawing packages, small and simple to setup with a lovely interface that almost anyone can get to grips with straight away. The layout gives ready access to the drawing tools, brushes, stamps, shapes and other items with large easy to recognise icons. If I do have any gripes about it is that you do have to configure the default save location (especially important on a school network) using the configuration utility to ensure all work is saved to the correct location, and it only saves in the PNG file format. It also has two running modes, full screen and windowed and it runs the windowed mode by default. I would suggest switching the shortcut for the full screen version. Also of note is that the setup now invites you to install the Google Toolbar, so watch out for this if you are installing it individually on multiple machines and are clicking ‘next-next-next-install’. That aside, this is possibly the best free program to bring out the creative instincts in younger children via their computers.

Pros

• Small installation size
  
• Easy to use and understand interface for all ages
  
• It looks fun (no mean feat with educational software!)
  
• Multiple platforms supported
  

Cons

• Lack of file type choice when saving pictures
  
• Requires some configuration when setting up for network use
  
• Inviting you to install the Google Toolbar on setup
  

Download: www.tuxpaint.org

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Paint.net:

Paint.net is a great little package taking up a mere 30MB of disk space on installation and has been around for some time now. It has a well laid out and deceptively easy looking interface that utilises 'common' icons to make locating tools and features simple, and it is this 'easy' interface that belies the power of this program. With a full feature set of layers, effects, image adjustment and support for a huge array of free plug-ins it makes a great stepping stone for learning the basics of how modern image editing software works before moving onto more fully featured packages such as Photoshop or GIMP.

 

Pros

• Great feature set
  
• Easier to use than Photoshop
  
• Support for major file types such as JPG, PNG, BMP,GIF and TIF
  
• A large array of free plugins
  

Cons

• Not strictly an ‘art’ tool but more aligned to photo editing
  
• No batch processing
  

Download: www.getpaint.net

Platform: Windows only

SmoothDraw:

I found SmoothDraw rather by accident and feel it should get a mention here as it seems perfect for many schools. SmoothDraw is a ‘freehand’ drawing package that allows users to select from a variety of drawing tools such as pens, pencils, felt pens etc. and draw images without the need for perfect curves and lines etc. It also has additional tools to add watercolour effects and smudging etc. The interface is basic and has all of the tools ready to hand to get creating images straight away, but for more advanced users there are more in depth colour and light handling tools hidden in the ‘Effects’ menu, as well as some tablet support for pressure/hardness. The only thing I would have liked to have seen is the ability to select and rotate parts of the image which I was unable to do. You can rotate the canvas/whole image but not a selected area. That aside, it’s a great basic drawing package that holds more interest than MS Paint. I highly recommend you take a look at this as it fits a gap between Tux Paint and more advanced packages.

Pros

• Saves to common graphic formats such as BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF and TIF
  
• Very easy to use
  
• Lots of drawing media to choose from
  

Cons

• Limited image handling/manipulation options
  

Download: www.Smoothdraw.com

Platform: Windows only

Inkscape:

Inkscape bills itself as a free vector graphics package akin to Adobe’s Illustrator, and it does indeed possess very similar capabilities. The interface is, and I have to be frank here, dating a little, but that is just me being picky as all of the tools you would require to crack on with creating vector art are bundled as standard. What I do find particularly impressive is the huge range of format options to save your work as. From SVG to EPS and even Desktop Cutting Plotter (DCP) the 23 file types it can handle show just how advanced and capable this package is. As with Paint.net it also has a large amount of free plugins to enhance the package. There is nothing that comes close to Inkscape when it comes to vector graphics in the free software world.

Pros

• Very fully featured
  
• Multiple platform support
  
• Large array of free plug-ins
  
• Mature product with lots of online tutorials and support
  

Cons

• Steep learning curve
  
• Starting to look a little dated
  

Download: www.inkscape.org

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

GIMP:

And we finally get to what could be the current pinnacle of free image manipulation/creation software. GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) has been around for 15 years now and is a very powerful image manipulation/creation utility which can be compared (somewhat) to Adobe’s more powerful Photoshop, but with a download of less than 20MB and taking up only 112MB when installed it is a lot more svelte than its commercial counterpart. Once installed, GIMP can also confuse new users with its ‘floating’ menus and work spaces which are divided up into the main image screen, toolbox menu and layers menu. You can however, can obtain variants such as ‘Gimphoto’ which try and give GIMP a more Photoshop look and feel, but with a little training the interface reveals itself to be very intuitive and easy to use. All in all, GIMP is a solid, reliable and well supported package with a huge user and development base. Just don’t expect staff and pupils to be able to get to grips with it without some training!

Pros

• Very fully featured and mature product
  
• Extensive image editing/manipulation features
  
• Powerful
  
• Huge array of free plugins, extensions tutorials and support
  
• Multiple platform support
  

Cons

• It’s not Photoshop. Don’t expect it to have the latest features that Adobe include in their package
  
• It takes time to learn
  
• The name!
  

Download: www.gimp.org

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

And that about wraps it up. We hope you have found this list useful and if you can think of a package we have left out of this little round-up please let us know and we’ll take a look with teh possibility of updateing the article in the future, but please note that packages should be not trialware or limited functionality ‘free’ editions of commercial products, they must be free to use fully functioning utilities. Enjoy.

Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory - October 2011

This Critical Patch Update contains 20 new security fixes for Oracle Java SE. 19 of these vulnerabilities may be remotely exploitable without authentication, i.e., may be exploited over a network without the need for a username and password. (Source)

Java SE Runtime 6u29 (Click here for JDK)

Download (Direct Links: 32-bit / 64-bit) / Release Notes

Java SE Runtime 7u1 (Click here for JDK)

Download (Direct Links: 32-bit / 64-bit) / Release Notes

http://i.imgur.com/QQdFV.png

Please note that this article is in no way supposed to be an authoritative guide, just a quick look at how things functions and any new or changed features I come across. As this isn’t even a beta expect many things to change as time rolls on as well.

Introduction

I think it would be fair to say that many of us have been waiting with baited breath for this first glimpse of Windows 8, and for me to see this version running on a tablet has been a revelation, but there are some things that need to be pointed out. It is in no way a finished, or even a beta version. This preview is, I suspect, solely designed to allow developers to get to grips with the new Metro interface and begin to develop apps for it. In fact, many of the pre-installed Metro apps are either incomplete or fail to work at all on the RM Slate due to what I suspect is the graphic hardware limitations of the device. In fact, possibly the best performing app that I have come across is Internet Explorer, but even then, it is lacking some configuration options within Metro.

Many control panel and configuration apps fail to work correctly, but this could be down to driver and other issues.

RM Slate Hardware Spec

Just to give you an idea of what kind of platform you can expect W8 with Metro to run on. Please note the RM Slate is also known as the Pegatron Masterpad and has, I suspect, been OEM'd throughout the world under a variety of different names.

Intel Atom N450 hyperthreaded 1.6Ghz processor

2GB DDRII 667 RAM

32GB SSD

64MB Intel 3150 graphics

11.6" 2 point capacitive touchscreen running @ 1366x768

Atheros AR9002WB-1NG Wireless

Installation

I decided to do a fresh, clean installation using a Samsung external USB CD/DVD drive from the downloaded x86 version of W8, this was because only x86 drivers were available from the RM support site. The installation process was very smooth and I could thankfully use the touch screen for the few configuration options that were offered (region/KB selection, disk setup) during the initial setup process. The actual setup took about half an hour, but that may have been down to the fact I had accidentally unplugged the slate and it was running on battery! I shall have to repeat this in the future to see if it is any faster running from a mains charge.

Once the initial setup is complete and the system files have installed you are asked to fill out user details, including the option to link your account to Microsoft’s Live services. You should note that the initial build I am working with has little or no actual software installed and I had to download the Live Essentials suite from Microsoft to add Messenger because If it was there as part of the initial build I couldn’t find it.

Once done you are faced with a rather lovely splash screen which you can sweep up and away with the deft flick of a finger to reveal the real login screen and the wonderful new Microsoft on-screen keyboard, which is worlds away from the awfulness of the old one. Simply enter your password and you’re in, being faced with the new Metro interface full of applications and shortcuts to Internet Explorer, Tweet@rama (a Twitter client) and the Socialite Facebook app. More interestingly, there is a link to ‘Control Panel’. Don’t confuse this with the ‘real’ control panel; this panel is mainly orientated towards user enhancement and environment settings. For more down and dirty configuration you will have to find its more fully featured cousin lurking deep within via the ‘More Settings’ option at the bottom of the user control panel. One very nice feature I have noticed lurking at the bottom of the general settings page of the new control panel is the ability to do twe previously awkward tasks from within Windows

1. Reload all of the orgional Windows files without affecting files or settings in case of any issues that may occur.
   
2. Do a 'factory reset' of Windows and restore it to it's origional freshly installed state.
   

I suspect these two feature will save EduGeek members a lot of time and effort in the future.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11346[/ATTACH] The start screen. Swipe this up to reveal the login screen.

The login screen.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11345[/ATTACH] Welcome to Metro. It's fast and it's slick. Just don't expect much from the pre-installed apps.

The two magic reset functions in the new look control panel.

Navigation

Before we go further I’ll have to explain how the touch controls work to make you better understand how it all operates.

The touch controls operate as all touch controls do. Scroll left, right and up and down where required, but the touch interface in Windows 7 also has several pop-out and up-menus.

For instance if you are in the main Metro interface and drag out from the right hand side of the screen a menu appears allowing you to search, share, access the start menu (in this case the metro start menu), connect to devices and access settings.

If you drag up from the bottom of the screen with an application open you can access extra features and options. For instance, there are 2 Internet Explorer interfaces. One ‘classic’ and one designed for Metro (Please note the metro version of IE does not work with Flash or Java, however the classic does. Very strange!). The Metro IE is much smoother in finger operation and dragging up from the bottom of the screen reveals the address bar whilst at the top are open tabs. If you have no tabs open it will show the most frequently accessed sites arranged as tiles. Some of these currently prove to be a little awkward as you need a multi-touch screen to raise the menu and hold it there whilst a second press is required to activate a control. Still, it’s not even a beta, so I can really complain.

If you have open applications you can sweep from the left hand side of the screen to the right to scroll between them, and if you halt part way you can split the screen between the 2 screens, or further to show the open screen and other open apps in a split screen.

Pinch and zoom also works very well with multi-touch screens with text resolved very nicely indeed.

You should also note the new Explorer interface with its ribbon layout. This new ribbon is very, very finger friendly and renaming, moving and working with files via touch has never been easier negating the need to touch-and-hold for right click options.

The onscreen keyboard showing shortcuts in Internet Explorer 10 Metro.

The split screen you can get by part way scrolling between open applications.

Pinch and zoom resolves text nicely on the RM Slate.

Metro

Once you have installed Windows 8 and logged on for the first time you will be presented with the new Metro interface. This is designed almost solely as a touch interface and the myriad of apps laid out in tiles make for easy access. What you will also find, once you begin to install other software, is that their shortcuts appear on the far right-hand side of the interface (you’ll have to scroll to them) including many links that, to be honest, should not have been there such as uninstall and configuration links. I have no doubt these will be sorted out in later test releases.

When you open any Metro based app it will open within the Metro desktop shell, opening any other software you have installed will open the classic desktop and run from there instead, and all of the ones I have installed so far from Windows Live Suite to Outlook 2010 work fine with touch, and the new on-screen keyboard is always at hand via a keyboard icon which appears next to any text box you touch.

Unfortunately, it must be said, many of the pre-installed Metro apps are not very good, incomplete or just don’t seem to work at all. Admittedly, they are there as either ‘proof of concept’ or simply to demonstrate certain techniques for app development. The most complete application has to be Internet Explorer and I have to admit to being very impressed by it. It has a simple but elegant method of operation and is very intuitive to use. Other apps such as the Facebook, Twitter and News clients have minimalistic interfaces and functionality, but again, I suspect they are simply there to show off various development techniques.

I also cannot currently find any way of managing or removing Metro apps, so if anyone can let me know it would be much appreciated.

The Metro interface showing newly installed non-Metro programs. Note uninstall applications also listed!

The new contol panel.

Internet Explorer showing tab shorcuts and URL bar. This is accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen in IE.

The ‘classic’ shell

The classic windows desktop and explorer shell is still present but seems to take second place to Metro. This is, I suspect, because Microsoft want people to develop Metro apps, and as all ‘normal’ Windows applications I have installed seem to work fine, most effort will be placed on Metro with the classic shell seeing some minor tweaks and improvements in the early stages of W8 development.

The 'classic' desktop and explorer shell showing the new tabbed interface.

The 'real' control panel. Note the 16 bit application support app in the top left hand corner.

The new task manager showing the performace report. This screen grab was from a VM, so please don't think I have an uber tablet!

Task manager showing running processes. Note the 'suspended Metro app. Metro apps are automatically suspended when not in use to save processor power.

The RM Slate and performance

I have to admit to being more than a bit impressed as to how the RM Slate handled Windows 8. I honestly didn’t think the hardware would have been able to run it competently. But it does. All Metro scrolling and desktop effects are nice and fast with no discernible lag or lack of response to touch commands. The tablet also boots in about 10 seconds (after the BIOS splash-screen closes).

To get it working correctly though, you will have to download and install the slate drivers from here: RM Slate 100 driver collection (Microsoft Windows 7 - 32 bit) [M11JB / 0ALC269 / 0GMA500 / AR9002 / AX88772]

You will experience driver installation errors stating that a particular driver package is not designed for this version of Windows when installing, however, simply install them using compatibility mode for Windows 7 and all will be fine. You may also see a bit of a performance gain in using an SD card as a ReadyBoost drive.

Another thing you will find is that the screen does not auto rotate, and you will have to use the Millenium application to to this. The g-sensor is correctly registered in device manager and it is set to rotate in the screen controls. I presume this is a Windows problem, so I will await further W8 releases with interest. I have also seen that when the screen is rotated into portrait mode Windows has problems fitting web pages to the screen correctly.

Battery life is also good, and I have got almost 4 hours browsing with some life still left in it to run on standby overnight. Remember to turn down the screen brightness to about 50% to save power and turn off Bluetooth. It is just a shame that the wireless controller has no power options available which would have helped considerably.

But these are minor issues I feel, and the RM Slate does deliver an excellent tablet experience in the week I have been using it. In fact, I took it home this weekend and never once used my laptop to work on. It is quite clear that Microsoft have spent a lot of time and effort ensuring that they get this right, particularly in light of their other various efforts involving Windows XP and 7 on previous tablet devices. It simply was not good enough to allow you to use touch on a conventional Windows interface, and since Apple decided to show the world how it should be done they have had to take notice. And happily they have.

To summerise I shall finish with a list of pros and cons to make it easier for you to see the main points:

Pros

1. The hardware is (currently) more than capable of running Windows 8 and the Mero interface.
   
2. Many drivers are installed as part of the standard build, but you will have to add in the 'real' drivers later.
   
3. The Metro interface works wonderfully and is very intuative and easy to use.
   
4. IE 10 for Metro. Finally, a version of IE I can use!
   
5. Current Windows software can be installed and used painlessly.
   
6. The onscreen keyboard is a huge improvement over the Vista/W7 version.
   
7. A good battery life of up to 5 hours.
   
8. The ability to repair Windows system files or reset the device to factory defaults from within the operating system.
   

Cons

1. Some Metro apps are not fully finished and some do not work at all due to hardware limitations.
   
2. The screen does not auto-rotate. You have to do this manually via the Millenium application.
   
3. Only Metro apps will alert you to changes and notifications. Messenger and Skype run in the classic desktop and as such you cannot see if they have new messages for you unless you have the volume turned up.
   
4. There is no ability to install or remove or otherwise manage Metro applications.
   
5. The 32GB SSD drive may prove to be a bit small for some.
   
6. Lack of Flash and other third party plugin support for Metro IE 10. It renders a lot of web pages ugly without it.
   

In short, if you have currently manage RM Slates, or are considering purchasing Windows 8 to run on a tablet platform then I can assure you that things are looking good. So far. Hopefully Microsoft will add to this current base OS model without affecting the performance at all, and if this is the case it will be interesting to see how the price of the RM Slate holds up against tablets released with it on next year. It could make W8 tablets even cheaper to implement in schools as long as RM's priceing remains constant.

• A Windows Live account i.e. a Hotmail address for each child and one for yourself to administer the controls.
• A computer running Windows XP (SP3), Vista* (SP2) or Windows 7**
• Windows Live Essentials suite - Install it from here and ensure that Family Safety is checked: Windows Live Essentials 2011 - Download free Microsoft programs.
• User accounts for each child you intend to apply restrictions to on the PC.

*Windows XP and Vista operate differntly from Windows 7. Please read the Windows XP/Vista notes at the bottom of the article.**

Please also note that all screen grabs are from the Windows 7 Parental Controls client. Once you've installed Live Essentials go to control panel and open the 'Parental Controls' application you will now find in there, or in the case of Windows XP and Vista you can access it via the Start-Programs-Windows Live-Windows Live Family Safety link. You should also note that with the Windows 7 client the control panel application has a drop-down box labelled 'Select a provider' in the additional controls section at the bottom. This part is designed to integrate third party applications into the parental controls suite, but as of yet I have not found any! Apparently if you have one installed then they will appear in the drop down box and you can select that over the Microsoft controls.Once you have selected the account you wish to manage it will then ask you to login with your Hotmail (Live) account details, once you have done this you will be taken to the account settings page via your default browser as all the config pages are web based. Now I won't bore you with details because it is so well laid out and simple to use it is obvious a lot of time, effort and thought had gone into the design. Almost all the controls are based on easy to understand check boxes and drop-down menus. Essentially from the account page you can set the following items accessed via a menu on the left hand side:

• Web filtering - Where you can set a filtering level for all the internet your child might access.
• Web filtering lists - You can block individual sites and domains here.
• Activity Reporting- Shows what sites have been visited and when.
• Contact management - This part allows you to restrict what messaging and email contacts can be used. This only works with Hotmail and Messenger BTW. What is really neat about this is that Hotmail and Messenger will be restricted regardless of where your child logs on and on what computer.
• Requests - When your child encounters a blocked website they can request its unblocking here.
• Time limits - Restrict the times your child can use the computer.
• Game restrictions - Block access to games by their age rating. Nice feature.
• Program restrictions - Be able to block access to individual applications and games on the computer.Each of these modules can be turned on or off and are off by default.I've included below a some screen grabs of each page just so you can get an overview of just how easy it is to use.

 

 

 

 

Web filtering allows you to set a filtering level for your child.

Be careful though, set it too strict and you may be limiting the sites they can access as the screen grab below shows when I set the filtering to 'Child Friendly'.

 

 

 



 

Safe, but limited. However, you can manually add sites if you wish.

 

 



 

Any attempt to to access a blocked site will result in this page being displayed with an easy to use system for requesting the unblocking of web pages.

The 'Ask in person' will connect you via Messenger to speed up the process.

 

 


 

 

 

 

Web filtering lists allow you to manually block or allow sites.

 

 



 

 

Activity reporting gives you a good overview of what sites and programs your child has been using.

This even works for in-private sessions in both Firefox and Chrome.

Internet Explorer did not allow the user account in-private privileges.

 

 



 

 

 

And here is a list of programs used by the protected account.

 

 



 

 

Requests to unblock sites can be accessed via the 'Requests' menu.

 

 


 

 

 

Preventing unauthorised computer use is easy from the 'Time limits' menu and any attempt to logon will result in an access denied because of time restrictions message.

 

 




 

 

Setting restrictions on games has never been easier now that games have age ratings. You can also block older games in the program restriction menu.

 

 



 

 

Program restrictions allow you to block access to programs or groups of programs from an easy check-box menu.

Be careful how you use this though as it may have unexpected consequeces with inter-related programs.

 

 



 

 

 

The message a user recieves when trying to use an unauthorised program.

All-in-all, I'm really, really impressed by this little used and even littler publicised suite of controls. If I were Microsoft I would ensure that any Windows 7 promotional campagn aimed at home users had these promoted at at the forefront of each advert, but sadly they are hidden away in the basement of the control panel. Well, at least you guys now know about them and can spread the word. The few gripes I do have are more concerned with features I would have liked to have seen, but given it's ever evolving nature there is a chance these could be introduced at a later date. These include:

• The ability to remotely store and view chat logs, although some may view this as an invasion of privacy, and there will be some debate as to at what age it would be suitable to allow your kids to either have access to Messenger, and at what age to let them have unsupervised use of it.
• The possibility of setting time restrictions to games or applications (no fragging until your homeworks done!) .
• The reporting of control violations (or attempted violations to be more accurate)

But negatives aside there is a great deal to like, and not just about how easy and thorough the controls are. I also have to give credit also goes to these features.

• Roaming administration - I orginally did the configuartion in the EduGeek office on a desktop PC. When I neeed to test some features out at home I set up my laptop and found to my utter joy that I could administer the controls from anywhere as they are web based. Also requests for sites/programs to be unblocked come direct to the admin console and not to an email address, so you can see at once any that need addressing, no matter where you are, even to a Windows XP virtual machine.
• Easy transfer of settings - The web based admin tools give you the option to easily move computers settings applied to one computer or user to other computers/users as well.
• Security - There is no opportunity for children to attempt to circumvent the controls you put in place when logged on and as you use your live account details, not your desktop login to administer the restrictions. This makes it harder for children to guess or access the management console.

After spending quite some time over the past few days playing with these tools it occurs to me that at primary school level, Microsoft really have an application that, with a little modification and AD integration, could provide a very, very valuble and easy to use method of low end classroom management, but for home users with children this feature has been so overlooked and that it is almost criminal. It is an amazing suite of controls that is, best of all, totally free. If you have children who use a computer at home (or even roam with a laptop) then you should aquaint yourself with these tools as a matter of priority.

*Notes on Windows XP - It became apparent during testing that with Microsoft winding down support for XP the Microsoft Family Saftey tools had their main focus on Windows 7 and Vista. The Windows XP client has not been updated to the current 2011 standard and some functionality was missing. This included:

• Time limits
• Program restrictions
• Game restrictions

However web filtering, activity reporting, Messenger and Hotmail restrictions still worked perfectly. So if your children have access to XP based computers or laptops don't expect the kind of control you can apply to Vista or Windows 7.

*Notes on Windows Vista - After installing the Vista client I opened the Parental Controls in control panel only to be given a limited set of option, and no access to the online controls. I later found out that the new client has to be accessed via the Start-All Programs-Windows Live link, so please disregard the control panel item when using parental controls as you will not get the full feature set.

We's like to know about what software and services that you were previously given 'free', are you now having to purchase yourselves, and what do you now consider to be an unnecessary luxury? If you want please tell us all what it was you had before, and what it is you are now to use, as well as what you are to no longer renew. Actually, let us know if something that you are not going to use any longer would have been used if you had the money to pay for it. We think the answers are going to be very interesting indeed, with a big shift between service providers and software houses, and a whole markety which was almost prevoiusly closed by long term deals being opened up again.

Simply use the code 'edugeek-lwf' when registering here: Learning Without Frontiers - Registration

The program and list of speakers for the event can be found here: Learning Without Frontiers - Confirmed Speakers

It looks to be a very exciting event indeed.

Although I'm afraid I can't offer to send you a top-techie from Microsoft to help you with rolling out Windows 7 in your school, I can offer a good second best, thanks to the TechNet team. They got together with some of the product and support gurus on Windows 7, and created a big batch of videos on Windows 7 for IT Managers, containing very practical advice for people deploying Windows 7.

http://blogs.msdn.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Blogs-Components-WeblogFiles/00-00-00-81-34-metablogapi/8688.image_5F00_785F0160.png

There's a long list of topics covered in the E-Learning Series:

• 
  
• Preparing for Windows 7
  
• Bare Metal Installation
  
• USB Installation
  
• Upgrading from Windows Vista
  
• Migration From Windows XP to Windows 7
  
• Creating a Dual-Boot System
  
• Basic Windows 7 Deployment
  
• Using Windows Deployment Services
  
• Compatibility - Evaluation and Remediation
  
• Offline Image Servicing
  
• Configuring Devices in Windows 7
  
• Configuring Internet Explorer 8
  
• Software Restriction Policies
  
• Network Connectivity
  
• Accessing Local and Network Resources
  
• Remote Management with Windows PowerShell
  
• BitLocker and BitLocker To Go
  
• DirectAccess
  
• Offline Files
  

You can view them all on the TechNet site, or download them for offline use or to view on your commute.

http://blogs.msdn.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=10088302

More...

Get them whilst you still can folks!!

http://news.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=42413&page=1657&catID=1614

Guides and discussions about E-Safety matters in schools are available in the E-Safety forum. The normal mantra for social networks and school staff doesn't change though, keep your profiles locked down and never add students to your friends list.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49373000/jpg/_49373610_xo-3.jpg

More from the BBC here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11475335

Price: - $99 (which includes the device and four month subscription $12.50 every month normally).

Other Information: - The device is only available in USA and Netherlands but there are companies that will act as an intermediary to get your packages back to the UK.

Basic Information: -

The DirectLife system is a fitness device that helps you monitor the amount of movement across your whole day and then highlight where you can improve and help people tap into a healthier them. The service comes with a personal coach who will monitor and provide support via email. The main device is so small that it can be worn on a belt, as a necklace, on your chest or in your pocket. It is also waterproof up to a depth of 3 meters which means that you can wear it while in water such as when you are swimming. The device has a light system that flashes which means that you can see how far or near your daily goal you are. It connects via a USB connection to synchronize your device with the website and to recharge the unit.

Once you have activated the first step is an assessment period where you wear the device for eight days. On the eighth day you are shown the results of the assessment period in the secure area of the website. You are then assigned a coach (who in my case was a nice woman called Jen) who will set with you a goal for the amount of calories to be burned per day over the next week.

The coach will look at where you had downtime in the last week and discuss with you ways of increasing your movement. The key to the DirectLife programme is not a focus on exercising (that is part of it) but to make sure that you’re moving as much as you can through the whole day. In my results, it became clear while at work I was moving at a consistent rate but had periods through the weekend when I did not move as much.

Areas Done Well:

]The device has many positive areas. The coaching part was very good and Jen provided me with resources and advice to work out where I could make improvements in my week. The device recording is good providing information in fine detail, for example you can see your activity in minute blocks.

They also have a community section (which they have just launched) providing a place to meet and make friendship requests to other users. You can send private messages to other uses and search for other people based on what information is in their public profile such as name, city and activities they like. They also have a team’s section (groups by any other name) in which you can create your own and join other peoples teams.

Areas For Improvement:

The device is very good and a couple of revamps would make the device even more useful. The community section needs extra features for example being able to match DirectLife users with contacts of common email services such as Gmail. Being able to search the profiles for users from a certain country would be useful. The profiles could do with some more detail. However, the community section is a new area and one they are certainly working on improving. Philips are targeting some of their marketing to large companies as a way of giving the company a chance to take part in the well being programme.

I would also like to see the ability to define through different parts of the day the way I am wearing the device. At the moment you can change the wearing position for each day but for example, if I wear it on my belt and then decide I want to go swimming I cannot say that for those few hours I was wearing it around my neck.

Final Comment:

The device works really well and for the geek in me, I love new gadgets like this. The coaching programme really stands out from a couple of other devices on the market that do similar things.

The service is useful for motivating and as that is often the major factor for people giving up any kind of well being programme the more the device and your personnel coach can push you along the path and help us geeks tap into a healthier you the better.

Do devices like this motivate you into a healthy lifestyle and what other things motivate you?

Russell Dyas is an Educational Technologist & IT Professional from the UK and has written for a number of publications such as Computer World UK and the USA publication Tech & Learning Magazine.

About FITS

In 2009 in a smart move as part of making FITS an independently run, international standard for IT Support in education, The FITS Foundation was created as a spin off from Becta, which was a smart move in hind-sight, with the recent announcement of the closure of Becta. This also allowed for FITS materials to be reviewed and relaunched as well, to fit in with FITS becoming an internationally accredited qualification.

The framework is run by the FITS Foundation, they have created a mechanism in order that educational technical staff become certified with an NVQ Level qualification. There are a number of training providers one of which is XMA, Nottingham based supplier of IT hardware, supplies, services & solutions who provide two different levels of training; Practitioner level that is designed for ICT support technicians and Advanced level, aimed at Network Managers who have undertaken the first stage.

FITS Training Course Provided By XMA

I was lucky enough to be given the chance to sample the training offered by XMA at their training premises in Nottingham by undertaking the FITS Practitioner course. XMA are putting a large amount of energy into providing FITS throughout the Midlands and North of England, They have assembled a team to promote and provide FITS to schools and to provide a truly great experience from when you first book until you leave the course.

As soon as I arrived, one of the XMA FITS team welcomed me and took me over to the training room. Throughout the course there was always someone from the XMA FITS team available to ask questions and to guide and help you.

The first thing to strike me was that XMA do not view this as just another course to sell. Everyone I spoke to at XMA about the course did truly believe the course could really help professionalise the IT support industry within the education sector, even on my course there were eight XMA ICT support technicians from the company’s Birmingham School’s team.

An important part of any course is the facilities especially if spending two whole days there. The room was a perfect size, refreshments were available throughout the day, the location is easily accessible and even the lunch was nice.

The training is split into two days the first day going over each area of the FITS process and how they interlink with each other. The second day involves looking at a number of case studies, dissecting them, time for revision and then the all important exam.

Day 1

Day one started with the obligatory introductions including one from our trainer Steve. They say that a trainer makes a course and this was certainly true in this case. The problem when teaching any framework is that you can risk the training becoming dry. Steve from the outset made the course interesting, varied and most importantly relevant.

In addition, the course materials provided are excellent. Copies of all slides are available and a reference manual for the FITS process carrying a wide range of information, are handed out to assist in implementing the framework within your school.

The course is fast paced yet easy to follow and by the end of day we had covered all but one of the process areas.

Day 2

The first part of day two was a recap of day 1 and followed by covering the final process section.

Then the course gets down to some real work making sure you can put into practice the knowledge you have gained. We then split into groups and given case studies to pick apart and feedback to the class in which we compared and discussed our findings. This was particularly useful as it put the processes into context.

After lunch we were given 45 minutes of revision time while they set up the room for the exam. This was probably the most nerve-racking part of the two days trying to make sure you can remember acronyms used and really understand the information in your head.

The Exam

The exam is taken online and is multiple-choice. The interface was easy to use and understand (a full demonstration is given).

The overall experience of the course provided by XMA was excellent; from all the staff, the facilities (it is on the edge of a nature area which is useful for 5 minutes of peace in your break) to the trainer.

I highly recommend the XMA FITS course to anyone working within ICT Support in education (even if you have done ITIL - the course covers information not on the ITIL exam) as it provides you with invaluable information that can improve every ICT support technician and team.

More Information:

http://www.xma4education.co.uk/Schools/school_FITS_training.aspx

http://www.thefitsfoundation.org/training/fits-training-courses-schedule/

http://www.thefitsfoundation.org/accreditation/practitioner-accreditation-support/

Russell Dyas is an Educational Technologist & IT Professional from the UK and has written for a number of publications such as Computer World UK and the USA publication Tech & Learning Magazine.

Sophos have released a tool to block the CPLINK exploit present in all versions of the Windows Operating Ssytem from XP onwards. The exploit utilises compromised .LNK files (AKA shortcuts) to run potentially malicious code on a system by merely viewing the icon of the shortcut in a folder, network share or WebDAV folder.

The Sophos tool is available here but no patch is currently available from Microsoft to close the exploit.

Further information is available from MS Security Advisory 2286198.

The British paper ran an article on their website about Steve Jobs posting the statement "We may have to recall the new iPhone. This, I did not expect" on the Internet. The claim was sourced from the Twitter account ceoSteveJobs, a parody of the famous Apple CEO.

The tongue-in-cheek account offers advice such as "People who live in houses shouldn't throw glass phones" and "To prevent signal problems with the new iPhone, avoid touching the phone at all times".

The article has since been removed from the Daily Mail website, but not before being rumbled.