offer a range of integrated Web-based applications. These tools are aligned within an integrated system to serve the administra- tive, student, teacher, and data district needs. The plat- form moves the nexus of teaching and learning outside the physical school environment and permits anytime, anywhere access. Options for learning platforms are driven by set- ting goals and choosing digital content, such as online and managed-learning applications. The platforms pro- vide email, messaging, and text and video conferenc- ing for the school community. They offer opportunities for shared discussions, documents, social networks, and other options. Other considerations in choosing a learning platform include all infrastructure components, such as: bandwidth speed network servers power peripherals What follows is an overview of expected platform functionalities for the K–16 sector. High school/higher ed and teachers Industry-standard productivity software enables easy sharing: using IM, infrared, USB, WLAN; VoIP (real-time chat, video chat, and others), educators can collabo- rate while creating projects. full-size keyboard and screen; enhanced performance using mul- timedia software, podcasts, apps, multitasking, Office suite, sci- ence and data analysis, rendering, exporting, backing up Large screen and internal CD/DVD drive; multimedia and virus scans; AMT (extensive use of AVIs; sev- eral concurrent inputs, like Web resources, chat, AVI) Weight range of notebook may limit students’ and parents’ will- ingness to carry it home 7–8, middle school Industry-standard office productivity software enables easy sharing: IM, USB, WLAN; VoIP, synchro- nous messaging (real-time chat, video chat, others). full-size keyboard and screen; Office suite, multime- dia, science and data analysis, rendering, exporting, backing up more performance-intensive multimedia content via Internet or external DVD drive. Local storage possible (extensive use of AVIs) K–6, elementary school Sharing of documents via USB, email (subject to Internet-based mail-attachment size constraints), and teacher-guided broadcast of student’s work, asyn- chronous messaging (bulletin board) Some creation applications (paint picture, type story separately); but limited use of concurrent tools, because of lack of mass storage and performance. (MS calculator, Office, Adobe) Less performance-intensive multimedia content accessed via Internet or local network (some AVIs, Flash, text, and JPEG-based content) lightweight and rugged, permits easy portability Computing devices In recent years many schools have moved to a one-to- one initiative. The following diagram demonstrates edu- cation’s progress toward the goal of having each student have a computing device. Chapter 9: Employing a Sustainable Infrastructure Source: Blueprint Solutions Digital Content in the K–12 Classroom, Intel, 2010