Passwords

//Passwords //  Sarah Ritterpusch Laura Bowden Leah Rudolf

//Description:// Almost every transaction, purchase, conversation, assignment, presentation, decision, moment in our lives seems to revolve around computers and the Internet (or some form of electronic technology). The Internet is a huge filing cabinet, holding, moving, and essentially sharing every aspect our lives with the rest of the world wide web. With so many users and so much information moving around, it is important to be able to identify whose information belongs to whom, and to be able to protect your information from being stolen by other people. A password is "a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc... that must be supplied by a user in order to gain full or partial access to a multiuser computer system or its data resources."[|Dictionary.com-Password] In other words, passwords are a means of identification and distinguish us from other users. "The average computer user has 6.5 passwords, each of which is shared across 4 different sites, and has about 25 accounts that require passwords, according to [|Microsoft research published last year] PDF). Each person types in an average of eight passwords every day, the report said." [|Cnet] Passwords are a major part of our online activity, making them a major part of protecting important things in our lives. Password protection is a crucial aspect of internet safety which every user should be aware of. The tendency is to use the same password for many different sites, or to use a password that is easy to remember. Part of password protection is understanding that there are people who are able to learn your passwords and access/alter/share your personal information if you don't set difficult and varying passwords and keep them a secret.[|online safety].

//What is the impact of this issue on K-12 schools, educators, and students?// Schools are responsible for holding the personal information of a constantly increasing number of students, staff members, teachers, parents, etc. School computer databases hold everything from home addresses to employment history, social security numbers to standardized test scores. School finances and employment records, student body records and everything that makes the school run is probably held on school computers. Password protection is one crucial aspect of controlling who has access to information in the schools, and who is blocked from seeing it. If there weren't passwords, or if the system was hacked in some way, the information that would be leaked could jepardize the privacy and safety of many people, as well as put the school out of commission.

The impact of passwords on educators involves the security of personal information as well as the information about each student. Most educators keep a majority of information about their students on the computer. They may update grades, e-mail parents and staff members, and have contact information for themselves, parents, and collegues. The use of passwords prevents others from altering grades in any way, from e-mailing using an educator's account (a form of identity theft), and from knowing the personal information about students and collegues as a safety concern. Additionally, educators may have passwords protecting photos, social networking sites, and personal financing. Without password protection, the reputation of educators could be jepardized, as well as the safety and security that comes with blocking outside users from personal information.

Students are also beneficiaries of passwords, and are at great risk if the passwords aren't effective. Young children are unaware of the many dangers of using the Internet and of sharing things about themselves. Passwords have the ability to hide that information from strangers (in regards to social networking sites). The social networking sites allow children to share their likes, dislikes, phone number, address, current location, etc., exposing them to potential predators. Passwords, though not the only solution, will prevent some exposure. Passwords also allow educators and the school itself to identify the student as a user on their computers. The passwords/usernames identify who used which computer, and hold their personal documents and assignements. Students may use passwords for games, which protect their scores. They may also use passwords to purchase things (though probably not likely in the younger grades), in which the password hides and protects others from seeing credit card information.

//Integrating this topic into Daily Instruction:// Here is a silly video that could be used with some students: media type="custom" key="7152319"

Elementary School: <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">K-2 (primary)– Younger students will not use passwords as much, but should still know the importance of them. Explain to students that having a password is like having a lock on your toy box. The lock on the toy box keeps your toys safe, just like a password keeps information safe. You want to make sure students know that passwords should not be easy to guess, just like you shouldn’t leave the key in the lock of your toy box. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3-5 (intermediate)– Students should know and understand the importance of passwords. Explain to students that passwords keep things safe or private that others are not supposed to see. It is important for them to keep any passwords safe. It is important to teach students to create passwords that only they will know and that others will not be able to easily figure out, such as their first dogs name and a special number. Make sure to let students know that they should not share their passwords with anybody; not even their best friend.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Middle School(6-8): Students should have previous knowledge on passwords, however, with middle schoolers increasingly acquiring their own e-mail and social network accounts, it is important to emphasize the importance of keeping your passwords private. Middle schoolers should have a confidential place where they are able to record their own passwords (so that they do not forget them), and should also understand that passwords should be different for different accounts. After all, if someone is able to figure out a password to one of their accounts, and they use the same password for all accounts, they will then have access to all of their online information. Middle school is a good time to give group projects based on internet security and passwords, to give them a hands-on approach to understanding their importance.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">High School(9-12): High school is time in which students have a plethora of accounts on not only social and email websites but on banking and a wide range of other websites. Once again, it is important to talk to students about keeping their passwords 100% private (this age group often doesn't see the "big deal" with sharing passwords with their friends), and should make sure that their passwords aren't too easy to be guessed. High schoolers may decide to change their passwords to more complex combinations of letters and numbers, especially as they usually have an increasing amount of personal information being stored online.

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