Bing default in UK Schools?

[Mark_A]

My 11 year old was using my computer at the weekend and I noticed they used bing.com without any prompting from me for or against. A friend said that is because bing.com is the default search engine in schools at the moment. My kid seems perfectly happy with it.

Watch out google, this is how the revolution begins!

[dertyfern]

Strange that schools would have the need to define a default search engine but good for bing.

[rustybrick]

That seems strange. Not just that school, ALL UK schools?

[Mark_A]

That seems strange. Not just that school, ALL UK schools?

No don't quote me on that, it was just a passing comment by a friend who may not have the facts.

But it seems in my kids school they are using bing.

[rustybrick]

Can you ask around? Have friends with kids in other UK schools? I'd be curious to know. Of course, I can ask Bing - but I rather not.

[Mark_A]

Can you ask around? Have friends with kids in other UK schools? I'd be curious to know. Of course, I can ask Bing - but I rather not.

I think the most I can do is 1) ask my kid about how the computers are at their school and 2) ask my exwife who is a teacher in a private UK school.

I am not going to discover if bing.com is in use across the board in UK schools by that though.

[rustybrick]

Yea, can you?

I know you can't poll every school in the UK. :)

[Mark_A]

Why so interested rustybrick?

[rustybrick]

I get interested about stuff no one cares about. :)

[incrediBILL]

Winning the hearts and minds.

Same reason Apple gave schools computers and MS Office is practically free for students.

They keep using and recommending those same tools as adults in the home and office.

[Receptional]

I think I can help here. Many years back, I am pretty sure I heard on the BBC that Bill (Gates) made a deal with the British government to give computers to every school in the UK. Now i don't think they are in any way mandated to use Bing, but I expect they are set up that way by default.

But on top of that (not that I count for much) all five of the PC's in my house have Bing as the home page, and certainly, my kids (aged 9 and 10) use it by default. they certainly KNOW Google and use it alot as well, but they are the next generation - and the pretty picture counts.

[arizonadude]

My daughters Junior High also uses Bing on all their school computers. They have actually blocked Google.

[Mark_A]

I did ask kid, they just said they used whatever was available, when I asked why bing they said they use "any" of them. I suspect sprog does not really know what a search engine is, rather they remember the route they or their pals took to find something on the net and then do the same thing the next time.

As to schools, I asked my friend who is a teacher, what do they do in your school (UK Private school) they did not know.

So not much info, sorry bout that.

[tangor]

Talking to kids in the 'hood (neighbors with parents present) asked how they used the Internet at school to search for things. Reply was "Apple".

Had to think on that for a second then recalled that political/cost deals had been made to put computers in some schools in the Houston area and Apple/Mac were the machines in use in some locations. Bear in mind I was asking 8-10 year olds what they were doing. These kiddies are not fully baked, of course, but have been put in the oven with a predetermination of ingredients.

[nomis5]

There is no "SCHOOL" specific search engine in the UK, never has been. It all depends on how the software has been set up by the school. And there are no specific instructions on how to do this - each to their own.

In the two UK schools I know in detail, the kids have the final say on the default search engine. They both use Google in the ones I know.

But be clear, there is no "SCHOOL" search engine default set up in the UK as far as I am aware.