Saturday, May 28, 2011

Digital Security


How do we make students aware of the consequences of making posts or videos on their Facebook or MySpace page?  How do we make them aware of those predators.
In a word:  Education.
But who will educate them?  Who will tell them that their past or their post might come back to haunt them?  We have a “captured” audience every day at school and I believe we should use a portion of that day to inform students about digital security.  The YouTube video, “Everyone knows your name,” is a great way to enlighten students about how postings can spread and never seem to go away.  This clip uses young people who can relate to students as they navigate online.
Identity thieves and scammers are also a major concern for young (and older) online consumers.  Students need to know the signs of an unsecure website and realize they should quickly leave sites if they suspect they are unsecured.  The OnGuardOnline website provides a basic seven point advice list for online consumers:
  • ·         Protect your personal information. It’s valuable.
  • ·         Know who you’re dealing with.
  • ·         Use security software that updates automatically.
  • ·         Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date and learn about their security features.
  • ·         Keep your passwords safe, secure, and strong.
  • ·         Back up important files.
  • ·         Learn what to do in an e-mergency.
Whether we are dealing with hacking, stalking, phishing, online scamming, harassment, violation of privacy, hate dissemination, or any number of computer security issues, education and awareness are keys as we teach our students to be and stay aware of where they are going and what they are posting online.

Think before you post. (n.d.). Everyone knows your name (YouTube). Retrieved May
Topics. (n.d.). 7 practices for computer security. Retrieved May 27, 2011, from
     OnGuardOnline website: http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/
     computer-security.aspx

No comments:

Post a Comment