Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Tips for staying safe online!

Dear Students,
our class and our world requires that we do a lot of work online. The internet is a great tool to use to improve your knowledge but you must be careful and protect yourself when you are on line. There is so much information on the internet it is easy to become lazy and rely on luck to keep you safe on line. This is the kind of thinking that can get your information stolen or get you in deeper trouble. You must be aware of what information you put on the internet and how it is protected. You must know how to keep your information safe and most importantly you must know how to keep yourself safe on the internet. I don't want you to be afraid of going online, I want you to be informed and to protect yourself so that you can use the internet and be in control.
General rules to follow for internet usage:
  1. choose passwords that can not be easiy found either through personal sites or public records.
  2. Do not have the same password for multiple sites, especially ones that contain important personal information.
  3. If you suspect that someone is attempting to hack into your account promptly change your password.
  4. Backup important documents (like your papers for my class!!!!) accidents happen so its important to have your important information stored in multiple places.
  5. It is generally a good idea for all computer owners to backup important information on a hard drive then store that hard drive in a secure place.
  6. Students may only visit approved sites.
  7. Parental guidence devices should be on all computers.
  8. Computers should be in a general area not a childs room.
  9. Parents should be aware of what their children do online.
  10. IF YOU EVER FEEL IN DANGER CONTACT THE AUTHORITES! DO NOT PLAY AROUND WITH DANGEROUS STUFF ON THE INTERNET!