pc-based controlled Wireless Notice Board Using Zigbee

I'm doing a project on wireless notice board using Zigbee. I have a few things to ask as my lecturer have no idea on how to accomplish this either:
1. What type of software can be used to create a GUI?can C++ be used or MPLAB?
2. Say, from the keyboard, the keys u typed in will be displayed normally on the pc, but if you wanna transmit those message out, how do you do it? will the code for each alphabeth be the same as those from the keyboard?
Thanks