Bloxx Media Filter will allow schools and students to benefit from rich online learning resources in a safe and secure environment and meet e-safety guidelines

LONDON, UK – Bloxx, the innovator in Web content filtering, today announced the launch of the Bloxx Media Filter, a secure web appliance which enables schools and students to obtain all of the educational benefits of online social media content, such as YouTube, in a safe and secure online environment. 

The Bloxx Media Filter lets teachers quickly identify curriculum related YouTube video clips and with just a few clicks tag, assign these to a subject area and age range and submit the clips for approval. Once approved, students can easily search and view clips which are streamed directly from the YouTube site through the appliance directly to classroom PCs, without related video clips, contextual advertising or user submitted comments being displayed.

This new appliance eliminates the need for IT managers to allow students access to the entire YouTube site, which could allow students to inadvertently view inappropriate content. Since only approved video clips can be viewed, this eliminates the risk of students viewing inappropriate material or comments.

“Social media sites such as YouTube contain vast libraries of fantastic educational related content which can dramatically improve the effectiveness of teaching and improve learning outcomes,” said Eamonn Doyle, Bloxx Chief Executive Officer. “Unfortunately, since there’s often a large amount of inappropriate content available on these sites, schools and colleges have so far been reluctant to use this free and valuable resource. The Bloxx Media Filter now allows schools to quickly create an approved library of YouTube content that can be used by teachers to reinforce the delivery of the curriculum with rich media that students can relate to.”

Pricing and Availability
The Bloxx Media Filter is available in hardware configurations to support different network sizes    and includes the appliance, the Media Filter software, software updates and support and maintenance for one or three years. The Bloxx Media Filter is available now and prices start at £2,249 for a network with up to 250 PCs for one year.