EDUSAFE
The K-12 Teacher - Student Safe Search Engine - TIPS

What makes the K-12 Teacher - Student Safe Search Engine better then the standard Google Safe Search?

Well, the problem with using the Google Safe Search is that the preferences can be changed by anyone to un-restrict (un-safe) searches, unless your Network administrators have specifically removed the ability to access those preference pages.  The Edusafe K-12 Google powered search engine does not allow the preferences to be changed.  As a matter of fact, there are not any preferences to be changed.  Safe Search is always on when accessing the K-12 search engine though the edusafe web site. 

Now, here is where the problems arise.  Unsafe search engines are just an address away, we all know that.  So how do  you keep your kids from moving from the K-12 Teacher - Student Safe Search Engine to the standard Google, Yahoo, Hotbot, etc, search engines?  One way, would be to ask your network admin to block them all, except for the K-12 Search engine.  That may seem extreme, but is is a workable solution. 

Another way, would be to use the K-12 Teacher - Student Toolbar (coming soon).  The toolbar is a plugin for Internet Explorer and Firefox that will allow your students to perform searches without ever having to type in an address or access any web site first.  This is so convenient that students will use it before they use anything else.  It will make search the web so much easier.

Another thing that can be done, is to modify the hosts files on your student computers to redirect requests for yahoo, google, hotbot, webcrawler, ect, to the edusafe.us web site.  I will be posting more information about this soon and I will make an example host file that you can copy.  This method will allow you to redirect all student search requests to the edusafe.us web site, without having to bother your IT people to make changes to the firewall.  Plus, it will only effect the computers you modify, so you won't have to worry about bothering other teachers.

This document is not complete, but I wanted to publish it now, for your reference.  Please check back later for more information and the example hosts file.