YouTube for Schools launched

[AngryTechnician]

YouTube have today announced the launch of YouTube for Schools. In a nutshell, this gives you:

 

 

• Pre-approved channels of educational content
  
• Ability to whitelist individual videos on YouTube itself (rather than on your local proxy)
  
• Comments completely hidden and disabled from videos (though not on channels themselves, based on my testing)
  

 

This may be a good option for schools who currently block YouTube and are nervous about unblocking it despite demands from teachers.

 

As well as adding individual videos to your school/authority-specific whitelist, you can nominate channels to be added to the pre-approved list. I've already requested the 2012 Olympics channel as that seemed to be a glaring omission I found within a couple of minutes.

 

How it works

 

You need a proxy that can automatically modify the outgoing request to either add an HTTP header or append an option to the URL query, as described here. I know Smoothwall should be capable of this because it does it for other things such as enforcing SafeSearch, so if anyone knows how to do this already in Guardian 3, I'd be interested in hearing, but I suspect it may need a new Content Modification policy adding by the developers.

 

More info here: YouTube for Schools FAQs - YouTube Help

Edited December 12, 2011 by AngryTechnician

[elsiegee40]

I'm sure I already knew about this... but can't find the thread.

[ihaveaproblem]

Thanks. Was looking on how to get this setup. I wonder if embc web filtering can achieve this.

[tom_newton]

Full support for header insertion in Smoothwall will be ready for BETT. I saw a dem of it working last week

[tom_newton]

...in the meantime it can be done as a URL mod but it isnt pretty - talk to @nile_c or @OB1 if you can't wait. Header insertion is better though as a user experience.

[TheScarfedOne]

OK, so any ISA or TMG guys about who can help achieve this (and no @john - do not abuse me for my ISA/TMG :-p)

[GrumbleDook]

Thanks. Was looking on how to get this setup. I wonder if embc web filtering can achieve this.

 

Workarounds like this can be done (has previously been done to fix Google SafeSearch when Google messed things up) and I'll raise for the next Tech Group, if no-one else does.

[glennda]

OK, so any ISA or TMG guys about who can help achieve this (and no @john - do not abuse me for my ISA/TMG :-p)

 

I will then eughhhhh ISA/TMG

[garethEds]

Any ideas how it can be done with Netsweeper?

 

GJE

[TheScarfedOne]

I will then eughhhhh ISA/TMG

 

 

Charming.... Neg rep :-p teeheee

[djwingfield]

OK, so any ISA or TMG guys about who can help achieve this (and no @john - do not abuse me for my ISA/TMG :-p)

 

We use TMG with Websence and hopefully going to implement this after approval

 

I am sure all you need to do is right click on a rule select “Configure HTTP” and change the headers. Let me know if you have any luck with this.

[tj2419]

Any ideas how it can be done with Netsweeper?

 

GJE

 

I would also be very interested in this working with net sweeper. Thanks

[mrbios]

Anyone using ISA will, i think, need this:

ISA Server (Forefront TMG) Toolkit :: Headers Modifier - modify web request headers passing through ISA Server (Forefront TMG)

 

As far as i can tell ISA/TMG is a one or none type modification without this program, i'm just investigating it a bit before i install it but i'll let you lot know how it goes.

[reggiep]

I'm using censornet which at the moment can't use the http header method. I spoke to them this morning and they are working on a fix.

[mrbios]

Anyone using ISA will, i think, need this:

ISA Server (Forefront TMG) Toolkit :: Headers Modifier - modify web request headers passing through ISA Server (Forefront TMG)

 

As far as i can tell ISA/TMG is a one or none type modification without this program, i'm just investigating it a bit before i install it but i'll let you lot know how it goes.

 

Well, as much as i hate third party programs, especially for a system such as ISA, this one seems ok. I've got it installed, and I've setup my header rule but i can't get it to work, someone else with ISA come and start setting yours up so you can find what i'm doing wrong!

 

EDIT: this is what i've set, can anyone point out what i've done wrong? (see image - ignore the difference in the "applies to" i was messing around with settings)

Edited December 13, 2011 by mrbios

[siuko]

Anybody managed to implement this with Dansguardian/Squid?

[tudorcrisp]

I would be very interested to hear if somebody had managed to get this working with the RM Smartcache 2!

[AngryTechnician]

The SmartCache 2 does not support either of the required methods for this, and given the stagnant development of the product, I suspect it never will.

[GrumbleDook]

EMBC are looking at this already (as part of the NEN tech Group) and I'll feedback on EMBC specific stuff shortly.

[zag]

Also looking for a way to do this on the Sophos web filter. Anyone done it yet?

[GrumbleDook]

As an idea ... it might be worth those who have their own filters (Sophos, etc) if you email those companies to ask for instructions ... and then link to them on here.

[mrbios]

Can anyone tell me what i should see exactly when it works? Currently i don't think it's working and i'm not having a lot of luck :/

[tudorcrisp]

I think the obvious thing would be the user comments have disappeared.

[tom_newton]

Can anyone tell me what i should see exactly when it works? Currently i don't think it's working and i'm not having a lot of luck :/

 

Depends how you're doing it.

By URL, you will see an error if you go to youtube.com. That Error will link to /education

By Header, you will be redirected to /education automatically

[tom_newton]

Well, as much as i hate third party programs, especially for a system such as ISA, this one seems ok. I've got it installed, and I've setup my header rule but i can't get it to work, someone else with ISA come and start setting yours up so you can find what i'm doing wrong!

 

EDIT: this is what i've set, can anyone point out what i've done wrong? (see image - ignore the difference in the "applies to" i was messing around with settings)

 

{Caveat: ISA expert I am not} It looks like you are trying to *modify* a header here - you need to be able to *add* the header, as it won't already exist. dansguardian users may find the same limitation applies.