Links:
EDUBuntu DOT ORG

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Edubuntu

Edubuntu is a version of the Ubuntu operating system suitable for classroom use. As an educator you'll be able to set up a computer lab, or establish an online learning environment, in an hour or less -- then administer that environment without having to become a fully-fledged Linux geek.

Edubuntu is currently under development by the same development team that produces the wildly popular Ubuntu system. It's a customized version of Ubuntu, scheduled for initial release in October 2005 at the same time as Ubuntu 5.10.

http://www.edubuntu.org/

Core Components

The Desktop

The default desktop environment for Edubuntu 5.10 is GNOME, the emerging standard for free software desktops. GNOME provides a modern desktop environment for users, a powerful platform for devleopers and is fully translated into over 40 languages. You can learn more about the GNOME project at http://www.gnome.org

Another leading Unix and Linux desktop is KDE. The Kubuntu team is responsible for creating a version of Ubuntu optimized with KDE. Kubuntu releases are synchronized with Ubuntu and can be downloaded at http://www.kubuntu.org. You can also transform an existing GNOME desktop to a KDE desktop, by removing the GNOME software and installing kubuntu-desktop.

The Office Suite

Edubuntu 5.10 includes OpenOffice.org suite. OpenOffice.org includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database and drawing tool combination that is compatible with other popular office suites. It also includes Base, a powerful database application that runs on its own built-in HSQL database engine. Base can also extend to your existing databases such as Adabas D, ADO, Microsoft Access and MySQL. It can also connect to any database through industry-standard ODBC and JDBC Drivers. Read more about the OpenOffice.org project at http://www.OpenOffice.org.

Linux Terminal Server Project

A major component of Edubuntu 5.10 is LTSP, or the Linux Terminal Server Project. LTSP allows you to connect lots of low-powered thin client terminals to a Linux server. LTSP provides a simple way to utilize low cost workstations as either graphical or character-based terminals on a GNU/Linux server. You can get more information about LTSP at http://www.ltsp.org.

SchoolTool

SchoolTool provides a robust and reliable means of managing a school or classroom, saving time on routine tasks like managing classroom rosters, tracking student attendance, assessment and demographic information, helping teachers coordinate their schedules and reserve resources like projectors and computer labs. With SchoolTool, you can do more work with less time! Learn more about SchoolTool at http://www.schooltool.org

Moodle

Moodle is a course management system designed to help educators create effective internet-based courses and websites. Moodle scales from a single-teacher clasroom site to a 40,000-student University. Read more about Moodle at http://www.moodle.org.

Comes with ability to control an entire lab of computers: http://wiki.edubuntu.org/TeachersPet

Feature requirements

Menu locking/editing per pupil or per group

The tool must enable menu editing and menu item locking for every individual client, should have a group setting and offer a default menu setup to fall back to. Later versions may store more profiles.

Control over client desktops

Each workplace exports its desktop automatically via vino to the controlling workstation. The teacher can control all users desktops individually via tsclient. For this purpose a md5sum hash is generated at installation time and used as vino password everywhere. The vino gconf keys have to be set readonly for the clients. Option force lock/logout of pupils

The tool shall have an option to lock certain workplaces or logout pupils. It should also offer to switch off/on input devices on the clients.

Broadcast display function

On purpose of presentation it should be possible to take over all other displays from the main workstation, lock all input devices on the clients and use the displays as "external monitors" of the teachers place. This feature should be controllable by a single button.

Process control over the clients

Fine grained process control over the client processes on the individual workplaces built in a style similar to the gnome-system-monitor processlist should be a integrated feature

Clips above from: http://wiki.edubuntu.org/EdubuntuDocumentation/AboutEdubuntu