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Microsoft to sanitize Bing search for schools
A version of Microsoft's Bing search engine will do away with ads, keep adult content out by default, and optimize search results for K-12 students, the tech giant said this week.
Bing for Schools will also feature lesson plans on Bing's home page, and is to roll out later this year, according former teacher and Bing behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert.
"Starting later this year, Bing For Schools will offer schools in the U.S. the option to tailor the Bing experience for K-12 students by removing all advertisements from search results, enhancing privacy protections and the filtering of adult content, and adding specialized learning features to enhance digital literacy," Wallaert said in a blog post.
He said the program is completely voluntary, with schools that opt in getting the same experience across all searches from within the school’s network, "without any need for special software or a different search address."
Among the features to be expected from Bing for Schools are:
- Removing ads from the search experience, keeping with Microsoft's "strong belief that schools are for learning and not selling."
- SafeSearch will automatically default to the strict setting and remove kids' ability to change it.
- Bing For Schools will offer short lesson plans that teach digital literacy skills that are related to search and tied to the Common Core.
For her part, Microsoft US Education Business Vice President Margo Day said learning is no longer linear, and students need to be able to collaborate in teams from cross-country or international sister schools.
She said such projects "require an all-in-one learning environment that mirrors the real-life challenges they will face after graduation."
Race in education sector
This is Microsoft's latest foray into the education sector, as the software giant earlier bared plans to offer discounted Surface RT tablets to educators.
Microsoft is in a race of sorts with Apple and Google to win over the education sector, PC World said.
It noted Apple had designed computers for education such as the iMac-based eMac, and is focusing on the iPad tablet.
For its part, Google is promoting its cloud-centric Chromebooks as educational tools. —VC, GMA News
Tags: microsoftbing
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