Grava - what's in a codename?

Is it me, or is there a random code-name generator somewhere in Microsoft. A but like those big clunky ones that sit in the cellars of the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall? (Okay, I know it's not true, but hey)

Today's code name is Grava - something which shouldn't really have a codename at this point, because (a) it's public information and (b) we talked about it to lots of people at the BETT show in January.

"Grava" is the code name for a new set of tools from the Microsoft Education Products Group (based over in Redmond in the States) that is designed to allow the education community to create and assemble interactive materials that will increase discovery and allow learners to go at their own pace and learning style.

It's a great thing to go with your virtual learning environment (whichever one you choose), and the reason I thought I'd mention it now is that I've heard that you can sign yourself up for the early adopter programme (the CTP programme) on the Connect.microsoft.com website. This means you can play around with it, see what it does, and decide whether it's going to be something that will help your students and staff.

The "Grava" tools that are scheduled for release later in 2007:

• "Grava" Player—The "Grava" player enables users to view the rich interactive content created in "Grava" Authoring.
• Developer Tools—The "Grava" SDK is built on Silverlight (aah, not a code word but a real name - the code word for Silverlight was WPF/E) and provides a programming model and tools for building rich educational experiences.
• Authoring—"Grava" Authoring allows users to create interactive and stimulating non-linear projects to view in the "Grava" player.
• Services—"Grava" provides an array of services which complement the authoring, SDK and player components. These services include the ability to do assessments, log results, and create intelligent learning solutions.