Microsoft Announces Bing For Education

I know! Just what you’ve been waiting for! Bing search for education.

Microsoft has announced Bing for education. Schools that register to take part in the pilot scheme can take advantage of strict SafeSearch filtering to help block adult content, and enhanced privacy protections when searching with Bing from within your school. Microsoft also removes all advertising from any Bing searches.

As part of Microsoft’s continued focus on promoting digital literacy in education, the Bing for Schools program offers daily lesson plans designed to teach search skills, Bing Rewards enhancements to help earn Microsoft Surface RT tablets for schools, and, for schools admitted to the pilot program, a tailored Bing search experience for K-12 students when on the school network. Schools participating in the search pilot will receive ad-free Bing search, strict filtering to help block adult content, and augmented privacy protections. School districts can register for these search enhancements now; a limited number will be accepted into the initial pilot, with other schools being notified about future eligibility. But many of the educational features of Bing for Schools are available to non-pilot schools as well, so be sure to explore all the ways you can support digital literacy in your school.

The scheme also includes a Bing Rewards program, to allow schools to earn “credits” by searching. Credits can then be used to purchase Surface RT tablets for the school. I’d be fairly certain there isn’t an iPad option included in rewards program.

To find out more, take a look at the Bing for schools website.