Bolton Council deploys media filter to deliver YouTube content
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Bloxx this week announced that Bolton Council will be the first Local Education Authority in the UK to deploy the recently launched Bloxx Media Filter. This will help schools in its area take advantage of YouTube media content in a secure online environment, improve local collaborative learning and resource sharing and give autonomy to teachers to help them enrich learning experiences through the use of approved online media.
'I'd love to be able to use YouTube safely in our classrooms,' said David Mitchell, deputy head teacher, Heathfield Primary School. 'It has such great educational content that my teachers are keen to use in lessons, however, not everything on YouTube is safe for children to view in a classroom environment therefore the school has to block it. I would greatly appreciate a product that would allow my staff and my pupils to use YouTube safely to reinforce lessons and promote independent learning.'
'We had a real dilemma on our hands: our schools were demanding access to YouTube, but due to the inappropriate content and user submitted comments which can sometimes be found on the site, it was impossible to allow access in a safe and controlled way,' said Phil Brockbank, technical consultant at Bolton Council.
'The Bloxx Media Filter will allow us to empower teachers to create and use a free online library of rich learning resources. Students will be happier as lessons will be more engaging and enjoyable and the council will be able to deliver on its commitment to keeping our children and young people safer online.'
'We are delighted that Bolton Council have been quick to see the value that the Bloxx Media Filter delivers and will be one of its first customers,' said Eamonn Doyle, Bloxx CEO. 'The Council are at the forefront of embracing new teaching technologies and Bloxx Media Filter will allow them to take advantage of the great content that is available on sites such as YouTube without any of the associated risks and problems.'
Due to the complex way YouTube media is stored and disseminated, filtering its content is virtually impossible using traditional web filters. Until now ICT managers have only been able to allow or block access to the entire YouTube site. The Bloxx Media Filter uses Active Stream Filtering to extract the required URL and in conjunction with the submission and approval processes, ensures that only approved media content can be viewed by users.
The Bloxx Media Filter lets teachers quickly identify curriculum related YouTube videos and with just a few clicks, tag, assign these to a subject area and age range and submit the videos for approval. Once approved, students can easily search and view videos which are streamed directly from YouTube through the appliance to classroom PCs, without related video clips, contextual advertising or user submitted comments being displayed.
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