Security... so we can be safe!
How secure is our information, really?
Today, we live in a scary world that is essentially ruled by technology. I am sure we all know this by now. However, do we all know the truth behind how secure our private information is? It's time to think about our security and safety.
I've read and explored a number of resources that go into detail about safety, security, and taking time to make sure we have our information is protected. Time for us to put on our tinfoil hats because our information is actually not always as protected as we would like to think, unfortunately.
Using Google, I would always get e-mails and notifications about my accounts or information when I get a new login, password change, etc... and usually, that activity was always in fact me. Google also tells me when passwords have been comprised due to company security breaches (personally, never thought about that seriously and always ignored it). So, when I decided to check whether my personal e-mail has been breached, seeing the results sparked my attention. Using the interactive site to check security breaches, Have I been Pwned? I looked up my personal email and, yikes, 16 data breaches. So seemingly 16 companies have been hacked or breached and now my information is out there. Yay! Luckily there are no "pastes," or places where hackers posted my information. So, if you have no already done so, I would HIGHLY recommend and encourage everyone to check their personal e-mail to see how secure their information really is...
Let's get down to business to defeat the hackers.
Reading a Cnet article about taking important steps to secure our accounts, especially ones with sensitive financial information, like banks, is a good resource for people to read up on. Getting your social media accounts hacked is one thing, but getting any financial institution accounts hacked is a very serious issue and problem that needs to be resolved immediately. However, once hacked, the hacker has all that private and sensitive information and can use it to drain your accounts, increase credit card debts, or even steal your identity... hackers... it might be time to defeat these bozos by securing our information to keep that safe, but also ourselves safe. One thing I do on a daily is monitoring my credit. This helps me see finances and my personal information such as social security and any time my identity is being used. If anyone is interested in doing this, you can use credit-monitoring services such as Credit Karma or Experian. I use both and I think they are great tools. Personally, I think everyone should monitor their credit!
It's crucial that everyone takes some time to double-check their private and personal information is secured the best way possible. Check passwords and logins consistently! Lookout for any unauthorized activity or unusual activity and shut it down before the hackers get a chance to hack your accounts.
Education and Acceptable Use Policies
It is interesting to read up on Acceptable Use Policies, or AUPs, and how schools expect students to do or not do. According to a Kajeet article, it protects students from harmful content on the internet, as well as provides students the ability to access digital media sources.
In the district I teach in, J. Sterling Morton, we have seemingly what looks like to be a standard AUP for students to follow. The AUP is located in the Student Handbook under "Instruction" on pages 150-151.
The District states that "Electronic networks, including the Internet, are a part of the District’s instructional program and serve to promote educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication." Alongside, the District’s electronic network is part of the curriculum and is not a public forum for general use. Which I think is interesting to have in there. I would assume it's common knowledge for people to be aware the district's setup and the platform are strictly for the students.
The AUP itself is also relativity short and directed specifically to students and not all members of the school community. It states that students must use the internet for education, research, or legitimate school business purposes. It also shares with students how to use the internet, which pretty much anyone should know, about not searching for illegal or obscene content, and obviously, no hacking.
JS Morton's AUP seems pretty standard, and I think does not contain other important information that students should know and can benefit from. Such as how to safely use social media and other accounts, how to properly ensure their accounts and information is private, secured, and safe, as well as potential consequences for breaking or unsafely using the services that the district provides. I would also like to see a digital citizenship page here, teaching students what it means to be online on the internet. (Stay tuned for a social media website for our district!)
It may be a good idea to work with the administration to get an updated Acceptable Use Policy, especially after a year of working solely on the internet and being online the majority of class time. Parents should also get a copy- they need to know what their children should or should not be doing while on their laptops and surfing the internet. Teachers should also of course be included in the conversation about online expectations and safety with students!
Sylvia -- I love your idea about students needing tools to foster their digital citizenship. I can smell the infographic now! I am surprised at how short your AUP is especially compared to the one Chicago Public Schools (CPS) uses, it's very lengthy and there are different versions for different stakeholders. However, unless you're looking for it online, there is no direct way that CPS parents are notified about the policy. I feel like many districts are reactive in their discipline when a student breaks a rule in the AUP, instead of being proactive and teaching students and their grown ups about the boundaries and policies regarding technology and interacting on the school's network.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great idea to put the "account clean up" on your to-do calendar at a minimum once a year. It's not glamorous work but when you do it often it takes less time each go around. Great reflection as well on your school AUP. Wouldn't it be fantastic if students were part of a committee that helped revise this?
ReplyDeleteSylvia,
ReplyDeleteI also use Credit Karma. It is a great way to keep track of my finances and make sure nothing is off! I do worry that checking that website too often could impact my credit negatively but I believe they claim it does not. I think you make a great point that now more than ever is it necessary that kids understand internet safety. Our students are on a screen for the majority of the day. When they aren't using their laptop for school, I am sure they are scrolling through their social medias. The internet is being used by them more than ever and it is worrisome to think that they may not know the best way to use it securely.
Sylvia, I'm so glad you mentioned how it's actually a good thing to check your credit score. For part of the semester, I teach financial literacy basics and without fail, I always get one student who says, "I heard it's a bad thing to check your credit." It should be something we monitor more often, just like our safety, passwords, or if any of our accounts were compromised. Sure, we can place our trust into bureaus or in tech companies to keep our accounts safe, but we also should be accountable for doing so. It's our information and security after all. I agree with you about Morton's AUP, and I love how you call it a Digital Citizenship section. It's so needed, and something that should include everyone like you mentioned. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Sylvia,
ReplyDeleteI loved all the additional resources you mentioned, like Google itself. I have checked that resource and it is super helpful and scary. I will check my credit history via Credit Karma as you recommended. I appreciate these extra tools to keep us safe. I hope to provide fun and engaging opportunities for students to learn how to protect themselves. It seems like the youth and elderly are most at risk of falling prey to these troubling forces. I am excited to see more AUP's grow and become more interactive and essential for educational successes.