This is a Microsoft delivered training day, hosted by Salford Software in Manchester on Monday 10th December 2012.
It’s a technical hands on introduction to some of the IaaS Cloud Services that Microsoft is now offering to Academic organisations.
The camp will be led by an Azure specialist and is aimed at the IT Professional. On it you will build and deploy an entire SharePoint infrastructure with a dual-machine server-farm, Active Directory Domain Controller and SQL Server. On the road to that infrastructure you will create a dual-server, load-balanced IIS website, a WIndows Azure Virtual Network in to which you will deploy the Active Directory Domain plus all the member servers (SQL and SharePoint) and you’ll also learn how to generalise your images and add them to your library of images to make future deployment simpler.
All running in the Cloud!
You will walk away with a complete – Cloud based – service that you will be able to continue to use, further develop and show colleagues following the camp.
Please register at the site below:
http://www.salfordsoftware.co.uk/content/it-professional-azure-camp
Agenda:
Windows Azure IT Pro Camp
Time
Topic
09:00 – 09:30
Registration
09:30 – 10:00
The Windows Azure Platform
10:00 – 10:30
Windows Azure Virtual Machines
10:30 – 10:45
Break
10:45 – 11:15
Lab: Windows Azure Virtual Machines
11:15 – 11:45
Windows Azure Virtual Networks
11:45 – 12:15
Lab: Windows Azure Virtual Networks
12:15 – 12:45
Lunch
12:45 – 13:15
Active Directory in the Cloud: Windows Azure Active Directory, Running a DC in Windows Azure
13:15-14:15
Lab: Running an Active Directory Domain Controller in Windows Azure
14:15 – 15:00
SQL Server and Sharepoint in the Cloud
15:00 – 15:15
15:15 – 16:45
Lab: Running a complete infrastructure in the cloud (Sharepoint, SQL Server, Active Directory)
16:45-17:00
Wrap-up and Review
You will need a working Windows Azure subscription and you need to have applied for and successfully been granted access to:
§ Windows Azure Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks – for the IT Pro camp.
There is a video that describes how to apply for these features here.
Any working subscription is suitable; paid or free.
You can get a free trial subscription. This grants you access to certain resources free for 90 days. You will need a Windows Live ID and a Credit Card to register. The spending limit on the free trial account is set at £0.00. When the free trial period of 90 days has passed you will be asked if you’d like to remove the spending limit and from that point on treat it as a standard paid subscription.
If you use more than the free allocation of resources in a month, you will also be asked if you’d like to remove the spending limit. There is no perpetually free subscription available for Windows Azure. There are also free trial subscriptions available to certain MSDN subscribers, BizSpark partners and MPN members.
Details of the free trial accounts are here:
IT Pro camp pre-requisites
As an IT Pro who uses a laptop, you’ll almost certainly have the required software already installed. You will need:
1. Log in to an account that has full administrative privileges on the 64-bit machine. This is the account you will do the machine setup from and also the lab-work. It’s essential to ensure you use the same administrative account for both setup and lab-work to avoid permissions problems. By far the biggest problems on this bootcamp are to do with permission problems on machine setup.
2. Install the Windows Azure Powershell Cmdlets by following the instructions on this page:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156055
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I need to know about Windows Azure to attend this Camp? You don’t need any prior experience or knowledge about Windows Azure to attend this Camp. The purpose of the event is to provide you with the basic skills and knowledge to get started with learning about Windows Azure.
Who can attend the Camps? Students, developers, technologists, IT Pros, architects, hobbyist, technology enthusiasts. Everyone is welcome! All we ask is that you are ready and keen to learn about Windows Azure.
How much does it cost to attend this Camp? Your luck’s in – it’s free.
What do I need to prepare in advance to make the most of the Camp? There are a basic set of things you should prepare before attending the Camp, listed above. Please make sure you are prepared so you can make the most of your day at the Camp.
What if I have registered already and cannot make it on the day? Please let us know as soon as you can if you can’t make the camp as there’ll be plenty of people who are keen to take your spot. Please respect the trainers and your fellow delegates by turning up if you have registered and committed. Thanks!
Are you interested in learning more about the latest technologies from Microsoft like Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8?
Microsoft Learning Partners across the UK are running a full range of free first look clinics across the country covering:
These sessions are run by expert Microsoft Certified Trainers who will help you explore and discover the new technologies and help you lead the way in your institution. Click here to find an event near you and book a seat.
With Windows 8 now officially on the market, you might have some questions about licensing for your school, college or university.
Whether you want to upgrade your PCs to Windows 8, gain access to exclusive offerings such as Windows 8 Enterprise edition and the Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack, or use Windows with greater flexibility, there is a Microsoft Volume Licensing solution that is right for your education institution.
There are many benefits to volume licensing for your institution including cost savings and flexibility.
To find out all you need to know about Windows 8 volume licensing, such as qualifying operating systems and a buyers guide, visit the website.
Cranfield University, a postgraduate institution, needed to provide its staff and students with a technology environment with the safety of knowing that server platforms could be installed without the worry of licensing them. The University invested in a Microsoft Enterprise Server Platform Agreement (ESPA), which saved them over £30,000 and provided the flexibility they were looking for.
Situation
Cranfield University, set on two campuses in Bedfordshire (Cranfield) and Wiltshire (Shrivenham), is a wholly postgraduate institution catering for those wishing to enrol on Masters’, Doctorate and professional development programmes. Cranfield serves around 2,600 full time students, with an additional 2,000 studying part-time. With expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, energy, environment, health, management, manufacturing and security, Cranfield rely on their technology being reliable and flexible to their needs.
Like so many other academic establishments across the UK, Cranfield are constantly battling to drive down costs yet still deliver to a high standard. The University felt that they may be able to alter their IT infrastructure in order to achieve the target of lower costs, but were wary that any large changes to their current technologies may adversely impact their ability to deliver in the way they wanted.
Cranfield’s IT department realised that, when building new academic applications in Microsoft SQL Server, they were paying out to license each of them individually, which was often expensive. They found that this was not only uneconomical, but it also did not provide them with the flexibility they were looking for.
Solution
Having been a Microsoft SQL Server user, Cranfield were aware of the capabilities which Microsoft products could offer. They therefore approached a number of Microsoft partners, including Pugh and Civica, to see what new licensing options they may be able to adopt as they felt that ‘Microsoft are known products, and that’s what people expect to use.’
Mike Young at Pugh’s clear communication of the options to the University allowed them to discover ESPA, an agreement developed by Microsoft which enables new server platforms to be installed in the safety of knowing that they do not need to be separately licensed. The fixed cost of ESPA meant that Cranfield paid a one-off cost up-front and didn’t need to worry about budgeting for any additional costs associated with new requirements throughout the year, whilst also allowing the numerous faculties to develop their own server platforms as and when desired.
ESPA not only gave Cranfield the flexibility that they were looking for, but also saved over £30,000, whilst maintaining their capability to deliver.
For more information please contact educationuk@microsoft.com
University College London (UCL), a leading UK university, transforms its Computer Science teaching by introducing students to app-building tasks which address real life problems for business, public services and charities.
In order to achieve this, students and staff deploy a full range of Microsoft technologies, including Windows 8, supported by Microsoft’s developers and researchers. By doing so, the University is able to further to enhance the motivation and employment prospects of its students, confirm its role as an international force in the development of computing and set out a model that has far-reaching implications for teaching and learning in higher education.
Something exciting happening in London
The Department of Computer Science at University College London (UCL) has a global reputation. As the Department’s web page says,
‘In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 80% of our work was rated world-leading or internationally excellent.’
At the same time, higher education is changing. Students no longer want to just sit in lectures and produce assignments seen and marked only by their teachers. They’d prefer to do things that matter, and change the world.
Nowhere is that challenge more evident than in Computer Science. Here particularly, explains Dr Dean Mohamedally, Senior Teaching Fellow in Software Systems Engineering, tradition has been unceremoniously set aside, in this case by the arrival of apps – ‘micro software engineering’ packages that are closely targeted to real-world end users who have specific requirements and problems to solve.
‘Students can now take what was previously given as a coursework exercise, harness it, and put it in a wrap up package and most importantly, ship it to do something useful.’
At UCL the response has been decisive and quick. In September 2011, a number of syllabus updates were put into motion. Starting with first years and Masters courses, there was a radical rewrite of courses that would put the building of apps at the core of learning to program, on all taught degrees. UCL became the first university in the UK to treat apps development as a core computer science skill, where each and every CS student gets to solve real-world problems through deployment.
‘Deployment’ is a key word and concept for the problem solving approach, says Dean Mohamedally. It is a word that has previously been mistreated in Computer Science – how do we get the final reach to users?
‘That magic word is going to define the future of computer science for all our year groups. Their student CVs will show a wealth of harnessed knowledge in Computer Science, released to the domain that would use them best.’
As a result, during 2011/2012, first year students were resourced and guided as they built android apps right from their first major Object Oriented Programming course. These eventually included the building and deployment to the field of some very well-received data-gathering tools for charities working in the developing world
‘These two charities, Restless Beings and Health Partnership Nepal, asked if we could help with their data collection methods,’ says Dean. ‘They had healthcare workers in Asia and Africa collecting information on children who are in harm’s way and they were setting up the necessary administration to get health supplies out there. In regions where surgeons need to audit further and gather data on necessary medicines, data reporting is critical to their success given limited access available for resources.’
Unsurprisingly, the effect on student motivation of this kind of engagement is dramatic, and many students go far beyond the immediate demands of their coursework to help. As a result of this evident success, UCL Computer Science courses at all levels are increasingly focused on writing applications that address real problems and requirements. Here, the University’s carefully fostered relationships with businesses and other organisations in healthcare, finance and the charity sector pay special dividends, and there’ll be no shortage of real problems for students to solve.
Engaging with Microsoft
By September 2012, with Windows 8, and Windows apps well on the way, the Department of Computer Science has built on their world-leading experience across their fields, in Software Systems Engineering, Networking, Machine Learning, Programming Principles, Logic and Verification, Virtual Environments and many more. Through all of these subject arenas, they have turned increasingly to Microsoft technologies, services and especially Microsoft people highly entwined – all of the named groups above have ties directly with Microsoft Research.
As Dean puts it regarding the teaching arena -
‘We’ve made a huge push for Microsoft technology. Its what the world uses to solve problems and our students should be at the forefront of solving. We have found that many of our courses can open new opportunities by using the Microsoft development tools.’
There’s a specific approach, he says.
‘Our teaching steers them with the theory and depth of each Computer Science knowledge domain. We teach them to identify the needs of the client to define the problem, to talk through and learn to communicate properly their cases both as individuals and as teams, to analyse and to test with strategies and to ensure logical design through formal proofing methods. Microsoft’s well published specifications, APIs and technology access in education enables students to explore how to make full use of the subtleties of the technology platforms available, merging with the domains of Computer Science.’ For example, the use of F# in algorithm design and the new features of HTML5 + JavaScript to construct user interfaces for apps.
Already, over the Summer of 2012, two major projects were tackled by UCL MSc Software Systems Engineering students, in co-operation with Microsoft and using Microsoft development tools.
One project, ‘Powersource’ , is a Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 plug-in for tracking the progress of ‘Agile’ software development teams in both the academic and business environments. Applied to a school or college for example, it could provide a teacher with continuous feedback on the work of teams of computer science students, detecting errors and bugs in their work before they reveal themselves at the end of the process. ‘Powersource’ was built with development tools including Visual Studio 2012 Team Foundation Server 2012 and Windows Presentation Foundation. It will be released globally on ‘CodePlex’, Microsoft’s Open Source Project Hosting website.
Another MSc project, ‘Pasteur’, also exploited the features in Visual Studio and using .NET ‘Gadgeteer’. It demonstrated a platform for consultant surgeons in a cloud solution, hosted on Windows Azure, to measure the physical dexterity of trainee paediatric surgeons with a range of sensor types. The Gadgeteer platform from the Devices and Sensors group at Microsoft Research is a cutting edge platform for learning about sensor control as well as providing a vast array of componentized device types. This enables developers to simulate the prototyping of brand new categories of devices.
Both these applications were highly praised, eagerly received and fully supported by their client groups.
‘Those advanced projects, given their appropriate use of the state of the art and that they apply to a highly significant user base, is entirely inspirational for younger students who have a serious drive to explore,’ says Dean.
‘DreamSpark’ and Windows 8
UCL Computer science students use a range of technologies – ‘Technology agnostic’ is how Dean describes the approach. At the same time there’s no doubt that Microsoft’s development tools, supported in action by Microsoft developers and researchers, are increasingly becoming key drivers of learning and creativity in the Department.
Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server, for example, are in constant use and they, together with a wide range of other development tools are available to students within the Microsoft online education resource ‘DreamSpark’.
‘DreamSpark is very important for us,’ says Dean Mohamedally. ‘It gives students all the development tools that they need for their learning – full versions, the latest databases and servers, at no cost.’
DreamSpark Premium also now includes Windows 8 and from November 2012 student app developers will be working in Windows 8. There is, for example, an MSc course where students will design and build apps for Windows 8 devices, for Kinect for Windows, Windows 8 Phones and Tablets, using programming tools in Visual Studio.
‘They’ll be full-bodied apps with real world users in their design,’ says Dean Mohamedally. ‘Their marking criteria are set specifically to encourage them to reach the standard to approve that their work will go in the Windows Store. There is visibility and a measure of success in the feedback of end users downloading your own technology.’
Second year Systems Engineering undergraduates, in teams of four or five, are also developing projects using Windows 8. One group is creating a learning environment for a local secondary school that emphasizes student collaboration and creativity. The solution uses the Microsoft PixelSense, Kinect for Windows along with Windows Azure Cloud access for collaborating with students on devices along with touch and motion gestures. One group is working with the University College Hospital (UCLH) to creating a mobile data monitoring service to help collate nutrition data, via a Windows 8 app, in post-operative heart patients. This system will make use of touch screens and especially digital inking, a great business-case feature that has been available in Windows for several years growing in accuracy. Another of the groups is working on a networked vehicle system to be fitted in a taxi or delivery service. In this project, the students are going all out with gadgeteer sensors, pico projectors and use of the Windows Azure Storage Services REST API for providing a service layer of communication to all related vehicles.
Dean is excited by the way the students are treating access to new technologies. ‘Its no longer relevant to industry, to just say a student knows a language like Java and therefore they are a programmer. What about robust coding, variety of languages, exposure to bug fixing, and the nuances of adopting underlying protocols to form a solution? What about clarity in test suites, securing your deployed code and the ability to function in a team – both when requirements are fully defined, and when the need to prototype and build something totally new is needed?’
‘The Kinect hacks that students did with betas from Microsoft before the Kinect SDK was made available were the tip of the iceberg – they want to play, find applications of use and show what else can be realized with new technologies. They are absorbing techniques and methods at an incredible rate.’
He has added possibilities for his students’ work offered by Windows 8 –making use of multi-monitor and touch-screen capabilities, for example, to enhance the rich interaction and information visualization features that are important in many of the new industry applications being developed. Even he himself uses Windows 8 in teaching with a great new paradigm of presenting – hosting three screens in a lecture simultaneously, with one for Powerpoint presentation, one for compiling code in Visual Studio or designing classes in Visio, and the final screen for either Skype, output to devices, debug output or other information.
‘We have a new ability to add a skype screen to the lecture – we can literally add an external guest, an industry partner or even an examiner to join the class and answer questions like a window through the wall, whilst showing Powerpoint and the code output in Visual Studio – this is done using regular HD cameras and large monitor screens via Windows 8’
Most important, though, for the students, is the prospect of writing projects which will run on all major hardware platforms; PCs, Windows Phone and Windows surface tablets. The underlying architecture of windows 8 is common to all of those devices. To facilitate this realization, they built a special purpose apps lab that all devices could be used for testing software developed by students.
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‘In the global marketplace you know that’s good economics,’ says Dean.
Even before Windows 8 was available, software under development at UCL was being built with an eye to Windows 8 features, with the co-operation of Microsoft developers,
‘Microsoft gave us sessions where they explained what Windows 8 could do, and we did some forward thinking,’ says Dean. ‘So we knew what was coming and it was a case of how far you could take what we were doing as close to Windows 8 features as possible. It would only need small team then to make it ready to deploy on Windows 8.’
‘Microsoft gave us sessions where they explained what Windows 8 could do, and we did some forward thinking,’ says Dean.
‘So we knew what was coming and it was a case of how far you could take what we were doing as close to Windows 8 features as possible. It would only need small team then to make it ready to deploy on Windows 8.’
In touch with the future
This short study makes it clear that Microsoft is doing much more than simply supplying software and hardware for Computer Science courses at UCL. As Dean puts it, it’s about Microsoft developers and researchers helping academics and students to make the most of the technology.
The Department of Computer Science recently hosted a Windows 8 developer day alongside Microsoft UK, of which all student years were kindly invited. In testament to the value that students placed, over 220 students from across the Computer Science year groups attended. At this event it was announced that UCL would be hosting the UK finals for the Imagine Cup – the largest student competition for Microsoft. This event will take place in March and April on UCL’s main quad campus.
In order for this new way of teaching to succeed, it is of the highest value to UCL that the Department of Computer Science works as a family in forming its relationship with Microsoft. Its Admin and Finance team, the Technical Support Group team, the world class Research groups and of course the Teaching teams, all identify the areas that Microsoft technologies best integrate into their aspects and respective responsibilities that ultimately lead to the new highly problem-based learning curriculum.
The one lasting message that comes from UCL, with Microsoft’s support is the following.
‘Students must become visible. They must demonstrate skills that show that they are strategic. They must be fearless with new technology and ideas, and above all – they must publish to make change.’
Microsoft IT Academy is our Membership Program that provides Institutions with discounted curriculum learning resources and exams. IT Academy helps Institutions deliver Microsoft Qualifications to their IT Staff, Teachers and Students respectively. The Microsoft IT Academy Curriculum offers today’s students the hands on skills and experience that they will need to succeed in their education and their careers. With Microsoft Certification, students can validate those skills and pursue a career path in business or technology.
Did you know that you can add IT Academy to your current Volume Licensing Agreement e.g. EES, OVS-ES, and School Agreements, at a special discounted rate?
IT Academy program members receive attractive price reductions on Microsoft certification exams aimed at enabling skills development and certification for their students and staff.
As part of the IT Academy Program subscription, members receive free Digital MOAC Courseware from Wiley on Office and MTA curriculum, Free Teachers Certification Starter Kits (10 MOS, 20 MTA) New Welcome packs with USB keys, posters etc and enhanced ELearning and EReference Libraries, including Office 365 and Windows 8 content and more…
Microsoft Certification Road Map
The Microsoft Certification Roadmap is designed to help members choose their certification and career path. It provides a guide to Microsoft certifications in the following areas:
· MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) an industry recognised qualification that enables students to tap the full functionality of the Microsoft Office programs and ensure students leave with skills that will increase their employment opportunities.
· MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) for students looking for a career in technology, the MTA certification validates core technology concepts in infrastructure, database and development.
(MTA exams and classroom content are included as benefits within the Microsoft IT Academy program subscription)
· MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) supports the IT Staff professional development and goes toward their CPD points.
· Customisable lesson plans Downloadable and customisable lesson plans help you save time on class preparation and hone in on which topics are most important for a given technology.
· Tool to create online courses The Microsoft Learning Content Development System (LCDS) is a complimentary tool that enables you to create high-quality, interactive, online courses and Microsoft Silverlight Learning Snacks.
· Course completion certificates Access to a customisable course completion certificate. Just download the certificate, add your school logo, insert the course and student information, then print and distribute. Course completion certificates are a great way to recognize the achievement of students that take and pass your course.
· Marketing resources to promote your IT Academy Unlimited access to marketing materials to promote your IT Academy and special offers within the program.
· Digital Literacy course Online courses to help you and students develop a fundamental understanding of computers and the essential skills you need to begin computing with confidence.
· Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Curriculum Advanced-level members receive academic pricing on Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) textbooks, designed for three- to five-day courses, seminars, and workshops.
· Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Academic Courseware All members receive academic pricing on Microsoft Official Academic Course (MOAC) textbooks, designed for semester- and quarter-based courses.
· Academic pricing on Microsoft Technical Certification exams All members receive academic pricing on Microsoft Certification exams for students, educators, and other staff members.
· Discounts on E-Reference Library subscriptions from Microsoft Press All members receive a 60 percent discount on annual subscriptions to the Full E-Reference Library, which is the complete collection of E-Reference Libraries for Microsoft Press.
· Discounts on Microsoft Certified Trainer memberships All members receive a 25 percent discount on enrollments in the Microsoft Certified Trainer program for qualified educators.
IT Academy is a great example for Institutions to showcase their commitment to their Student Learning, by enabling the institution to be a certified Microsoft IT Academy Centre that up skills their IT staff and supports their Teacher learning plans and empowers students to boost their employability potential.
For Further Information on how to sign up for IT Academy please contact the Education Team at educationuk@microsoft.com or alternatively contact your reseller.
Case study provided by Crimson
University College Falmouth is embarking on an ambitious implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 2011, starting with core business to business processes and marketing activities and eventually providing an holistic approach to the overall requirements of the institution.
The first phase of the project is being sponsored by Dr Jeremy Richards Head of Innovation, and will deliver a solution to manage business relationships for University College Falmouth’s new Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR) – a European Regional Development Fund supported project to stimulate innovation in the Cornish Economy. Dr
Jeremy Richards says “This CRM system will enhance substantially our ability to manage relationships with the business community and improve the effectiveness of our communications.” The second phase of the project sponsored by Jeremy Whitaker, Director of Marketing & Student Recruitment, will initially focus on event management, including open days, exhibitions and performances and will then move on to deliver a solution to enhance and support the fundraising and alumni strategies. Jeremy Whitaker says “The focus of this project is to deliver efficiencies in core processes and most importantly to improve the visibility of relationships across the institution’’.
Sharepoint 2010 to Integrate to CRM 2011
As part of this exciting project UCF will also be looking to Crimson to provide consultative support on a cross University implementation of SharePoint 2010 for a number of key functions, including document management and a number of key internal staff intranets and portals. The integration of the two core products and Crimsons extensive knowledge of both solutions will be hugely beneficial in terms of functional delivery and budgetary control.
Originally posted on the Next at Microsoft Blog.
A great addition to the Windows Store last week – the official Khan Academy app. For those not familiar with the Khan Academy, it’s an online phenomena that enables you to learn almost anything. For free. It's the focus on a story on Forbes.com titled One Man, One Computer, 10 Million Students: How Khan Academy Is Reinventing Education that notes Khan Academy videos have been viewed more than 200 million times int the past two years.
The Windows 8 app includes the Khan Academy’s complete library of over 3,400 videos covering a huge number of topics, including K-12 math, biology, chemistry, and physics, the humanities, finance and history. To quote from the app itself
Spend an afternoon brushing up on statistics. Discover how the Krebs cycle works. Learn about the fundamentals of computer science. Prepare for that upcoming SAT. Or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, learn how fire stick farming changed the landscape of Australia. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology; Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge. Head over to khanacademy.org to learn more.
Spend an afternoon brushing up on statistics. Discover how the Krebs cycle works. Learn about the fundamentals of computer science. Prepare for that upcoming SAT. Or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, learn how fire stick farming changed the landscape of Australia.
It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology; Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge. Head over to khanacademy.org to learn more.
The app allows you to download videos – either individual or entire playlists to watch offline and integrates with the search and share charm as you may expect.
Bill Gates is a big fan so what’s not to like? Go grab it.
The final version of our Microsoft in Education Infographic is now available to download or view in full below.
From helping teachers to connect and share best practice with peers to creating more emotional connections with learning through our gaming technologies, Microsoft is committed to helping students and educators throughout the world realise their full potential.
With this in mind, our new Infographic offers an overview of some of the products and programmes that academic institutions are embracing to help raise attainment and transform the delivery of teaching and learning.
Did you know all of the 8 things about Microsoft in education covered in the Infographic? Let us know in the comments below.
Following the recent release of Microsoft Surface, we were really keen to find out how Surface is working out in an education environment. We interviewed Ian Mills from Bolton Metropolitan Council and Mike Richardson from Stockton Borough Council. Both these guys work in local authority roles that support schools with the use of IT. Here’s what they said about using the Surface device:
Mike:
Surface is a really easy out of the box tablet, the manual is tiny manual and its simple to set up and start using. I was really impressed with the touch interface, having used an iPad in the past, I felt the Surface touch element was really good.
I have other Windows 8 devices including a home laptop and a work laptop. I love the way that Windows 8 brings all those devices together. I really like the remote desktop app, so I was able to use Surface as a primary device. I am working on Surface now in place of my laptop – I haven’t used my laptop for days! Initially I was concerned about not having Outlook, but the Mail app allows me to do everything I want across all my email accounts.
I’ve had some interesting feedback from schools too. The kickstand has been very popular because it means that the pupils don’t have to hunch over the device like they did for the iPad, which was causing their posture to suffer. The kickstand is also robust so it’s perfect for schools.
Microsoft Office on Surface is a huge advantage for teachers and pupils, as it allows them to easily create all the documents they need to. The battery life was also brilliant, lasting for the whole school day.
I actually gave my Granddad a Surface and a Kindle Fire to play with, to see which would be more suitable for him as a Christmas present. He couldn’t understand how to use the Kindle at first, but he was able to start surfing the web immediately with the Surface device.
Ian:
One of my favourite features of Surface included the ability to print. I connected to my wireless HP printer at home immediately for really quick and easy printing. I also liked the multi-tasking option to ‘’snap’’ to multiple apps running simultaneously to the screen.
Something else I liked that will be key for schools is the flexibility, particularly with the saving to areas. The ability to save work on a school network or Skydrive will be great for schools.
I was able to run my wireless mouse and keyboard straight away using the USB which was really impressive. This will give different working style options for schools, as well as the touch screen option. The solid design of the tablet and the kickstand is also absolutely ideal for the school environment.
I think that OneNote is excellent for the classroom, and I really liked the Skype app too.
I gave Surface to a 6 year old, and she was able to access all the apps and games easily and said the Surface was her favourite device.
Another big deal for schools is the ability to use Flash sites. This means there are hundreds of playable games that can be accessed from Surface. Some sites do need to be ‘’whitelisted’’ by the IE team for them to work though, but most games are easily accessible.
The start screen is something else I really love, it’s so simple but displays so much information on the front screen. I like the information that is fed to you from the LiveTiles, which has encouraged me to look further into the live information being displayed on the tiles.
I think overall Surface has a fresh design and the wow factor.
Both Mike and Ian interact with schools on a daily basis regarding IT and so they really understand the benefits that Surface RT can bring to Education. They also mentioned that they are really looking forward to Windows 8 Surface.