Comments on: Internet safety

By: matt

matt — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:57:02 +0000

Internet safety is a big aspect of my technology project because the students at Shawnee are constantly using the computers in the library for research and presentation tools. In addition, when we set up student’s personal blogs we were required by Summerbridge to use the students’ initials as opposed to names. So we made sure that their names would not appear online. Fortunately, we have not encountered any problems yet with students using the Internet most likely because we have a 1 tutor to every 4 students ratio.

By: Carol Reed

Carol Reed — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:11:33 +0000

I found Becky’s presentation very interesting. There were a number of things that I was unaware of such as malware. I just thought that as long as I had antivirus software, my computer was protected. While that certainly helps, it seems like there are so many ways that you computer could be corrupted.

In response to Doug’s comment, why do you recommend using another browser than Internet Explorer for PC’s? That is what I currently use at home and also what my browser is on my work computer. What makes the other browsers you recommended better?

By: Lifang Chang

Lifang Chang — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:08:45 +0000

Even though we use Internet all times, we still lack the information and attention to the Internet safety topic. Thanks Becky’s informed presentation. I used MaAfee Security system to protect my computer and use the popular websites to build up my blogs, wikis and upload/download pictures. But sometimes, my computers still were attacked by unknown virus. Is it because I am a Windows guy? Maybe….

By: Becky Doersam

Becky Doersam — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:22:34 +0000

I agree. It is hard to find a happy medium for administrators, teachers, students, and etc. with the Internet and what is appropriate and inappropriate. It is hard as a teacher to do lesson plans when you find something really neat at home but it can’t be used when you go to school. This can be really frustrating for a teacher.

By: mcav

mcav — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:22:54 +0000

One of the hardest things to manage in a public school environment is the internet content filter. The key is to use a flexible product. The issue mentioned above can be minimized with the right product. A quick filter of advertisements will eliminate 90% of these problems. In addition, many available solutions will allow you to filter down to each individual user. Where the trouble appears is with the precision of the content filter. Students and teachers often think the filter is too strict. Administrators think it is not strict enough. It is nearly impossible to make both groups happy. In the end, more often than not, the administration wins.

By: Peicheng Chu

Peicheng Chu — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:39:21 +0000

I suggest every one to log in to http://www.isafe.org and take their online iSafe training modules. I have gone through all available modules – Personal Safety, Cyber Community Issues, Cyber Community Issues, Predator Identification, Cyber Security, Intellectual Property, Protect Yourself & Your Information, Secure Your Personal Computer, Help Your Family & Community, Online Dangers, Curriculum & Outreach, The Digital Divide. You will find plenty of information and things you would not have known before. I believe you will have much better understanding of Internet safety issues and what we should do to protect our children and ourselves.

By: dabrace1984

dabrace1984 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:42:44 +0000

As a Computing Consultant at LU, I deal with security issues all the time. The majority of the time, clients are complaining about LU’s password policy and how strict it is. For those that would like to see LU’s password policy, go to http://www.lehigh.edu/lts/admin/policies/policy9.htm.

The majority of computer security issues caused by users not practicing common sense. Another way to use software to protect yourself. For example, on a Windows PC use any browser other than Internet Explorer. Below you will see two browsers that are popular alternatives in Internet Explorer. Please keep in mind that some websites do not display properly in these web browsers, but the vast majority will appear correctly. I personally recommend the first web browser.

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html
http://www.opera.com/download/index.dml?custom=yes

Besides using a virus protection program, another way to protect yourself is to use a program that protects you from malware. Below is a list of the two most popular programs for protecting you Windows PC in this manner.

http://spybot.info/en/mirrors/index.html
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007-Free/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

Remember open these programs about once a week and make sure that their definitions are up to date, otherwise you won’t really be protecting your Windows PC.

By: srg205

srg205 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:29:51 +0000

I think Internet Safety is one of the hardest things to monitor in a school. It is wonderful how well the school district is able to filter out the spam, but it is impossible to be able to block all of it. It drives me nuts that when I’m having the students do research, they are all these enticing ads that pop up. For instance, just last week, I had two girls click on an ad because it said that they won a whole bunch of money. Of course being kids, they clicked on it. Luckily nothing happened with the computers, but this is how the people who create viruses get into your computer systems. The scary thing is that picking up an virus is so easy to do and common anymore. Just opening an e-mail can infect your computer. The best thing to do though is to buy into a good AntiVirus Software product. At least it will help you to reduce your risk of getting these viruses into your computer. I wish there was a way for investigators to find out who the people were who created these viruses. It blows my mind that people would be that vicious to want to destroy someone’s computer system that they don’t even know.