10 Top Cyber Security and Online Safety Tips: TCEA Favorite Finds from Digital Citizenship Sessions

Digital Citizenship, data breaches and vulnerability, data thieves, student data, your private info and passwords, shopping online, using Wi-Fi and storing in the cloud. The recent deluge of password security breaches at major retailers and companies heightens our awareness of the risks of cyber-criminals.  As educators we want to prepare our students to be well informed Digital Citizens and I was on the hunt for TCEA sessions that would provide information and safety tips.

The message: protecting your identity and online reputation is 100% our own responsibility. What steps have you taken to safeguard confidential data at home and work?

Privacy online: Recognize it, take it seriously, report it and for students, involve parents.

This blog provides some basic points about vulnerability, password information, resources and provides you with some tools that can help protect your cyber security and online privacy.

Your passwords, digital safety, basic security and knowing how to attack the problem of hackers along with being a well-informed, vigilant individual helps keep you from being a target.

Your IT department is responsible for firewalls, updates and patches, antivirus, securing the networks, spyware defense, handling destructive malware and provide the services that we need to work. You are responsible for protecting your data, your identity and online reputation.

TCEA speakers Ms. Diana Ybanez and Mr. Enrique Pretel with Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD shared this password security website with campus administrators at the conference.

Tip #1: Test your Password: https://howsecureismypassword.net

Shift your thinking from 'passwords' to 'passphrases' 

Passphrase example where 'o' is replaced with '0':  'I enj0y bird watching 2016'

Observe how much more secure this passphrase is vs. the password above.

A strong passphrase:

• is 20 to 30 characters long
• is a series of words that create a phrase
• does not contain common phrases found in literature or music
• does not contain your user name, real name or company name
• is significantly different from previous passwords or passphrases
• hard to guess by intuition - even someone who knows the user well
• easy to remember and type correctly
• for better security, any easily memorable encoding at the user's own level can be applied
• not reused between sites, applications and different sources

Create different passphrases: 

Low security: Basic web registrations

High security: mail, bank, student data and work network

Tip #2: Use 2-factor authentication. 

Helps prevent unauthorized use of your account unless they have your username, password AND your smartphone.

Tip #3: Encrypt all confidential data. 

Avoid carrying confidential data on flash drives, but if you must, encrypt it first. 

Tip#4: Avoid phishing scams via email links. 

And, don't click on email attachments. Save them to your computer and scan them first.

Tip #5: Protect yourself when you click, browse and buy online. 

McAfee offers a list of scams. This website provides info Mobile SMS Scams, Seasonal Travel Scams, Deceptive online Games, Shipping notification scams, Bogus gift cards, fake charities, romance scames and phoney E-tailers.

For complete article: 12 Scams for the season  http://tinyurl.com/m8ohefm

Tip #6: Think before you click: If you're not paying for it, you become the product: your secrets aren't safe

Consumer reports (July 2014) wrote an easy to read and understand (6 page) comprehensive article which addresses computer hacks, scams, smart phone hacks, malware, social media, at the doctors office, in the cloud, shopping, travel and how to protect your digital life. It includes a field guide to passwords, how to encrypt and software available to assist.

I encourage you to take time to read and apply these tips to help you attack the problem of hackers and keep you from being a target. http://tinyurl.com/q4yrfav

Tip #7: Check Privacy Settings Regularly

Check your privacy settings on all social media to ensure they work the way you want them to...ask for help if you are'nt sure what you're seeing. 

Tip #8: Protect your finances

Use a different email with 2 factor authentication for bank accounts and financial transactions.

Tip #9: Password Do's and Don'ts

Here are a few tips compiled from the KrebsonSecurity blog   http://tinyurl.com/q8kuwrb

• Don't use a family members name or passwords with combinations of your confidential information, such as your Social Security or phone numbers. 
• Don't use the same password for your secure accounts (banking, financial and credit cards) as you use for your email accounts. It the email account is hacked, your password is at risk for all your accounts. 
• Complexity is good in a password, but length is the key to a good password. The more characters, the harder is is to attack. 
• It's OK to write down your password information but don't leave it in plain site. Best practice is to write down your username and website information which you access and put a password hint beside this information.
• There are several third-party programs that help to manage passwords, such as Roboform and PasswordSafe.

Tip #10: Important Password Tips Everyone Should Know

Vicki Davis writes on CoolCatTeacher and suggests switching to a passphrase, never saving passwords in a web browser, using the site name in your password, using a password manage and substituting numbers and letters. Again, the recommendation of using a unique password for your bank account and email is a reoccurring tip and recommended to change now.
http://tinyurl.com/mrjawko

References:

TCEA has provided links to session handouts. Click here to check them out.
Cybersecurity in the Classroom for Teachers: http://www.tceaconvention.org/2016/handouts/files/Session-161691.pdf
Top Security Tips for Teachers: http://tinyurl.com/tcea16
New threats for raising digital kids. https://usblog.kaspersky.com/securing-todays-kids/6894/
12 Scams for the season  http://tinyurl.com/m8ohefm
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips
Urban Legends and Folklore - http://urbanlegends.about.com/
TruthOrFiction.com - http://www.truthorfiction.com
Symantec Security Response Hoaxes - http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
McAfee Security Virus Hoaxes - http://home.mcafee.com/VirusInfo/VirusHoaxes.aspx
Microsoft Safety and Security Center: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/online-privacy/default.aspx
Family Online Safety Institute: https://www.fosi.org/good-digital-parenting/cyber-ethics/
Google Digital Citizenship and Literacy Curriculum https://www.google.com/goodtoknow/web/curriculum/
Partnership for 21st Century Learning: http://www.p21.org/our-work/resources/for-educators

#TCEA16

Now that the Instructional Technology and Dragons Go Digital teams are back from TCEA, it's time to share our favorite finds! If you attended the conference and want to contribute a guest post, please contact your campus ITS; we'd love for you to share what you learned!

Here are my favorite finds from #TCEA16:

1. GIFs for instructions -- A GIF is an animated image that plays in an infinite loop. You can create your own GIFs by uploading screenshots or other images to a GIF maker (Google it to find free options). Afterwards, download your GIF and display it on the Promethean, your website, or your LMS for students to refer to when they're stuck. You could create a GIF about how to log in to a particular website, the steps of an app-smashing lesson, directions to a project, or any other instructions.  

2. Free images -- so often, we grab images from Google without even thinking. To make sure you have permission to use all the images you see, either restrict your search by usage rights, or find images on a site that only shares photos that are free for public use. Below is a printable image with QR codes linking to 5 free image collations, courtesy of  @KTyler_ITS on Twitter:

Ss & staff stealing pics from Google images? Post this & scan as needed #TCEA16 #rrisdtech @amyelott @siebershan pic.twitter.com/UoXsG2YwJ4

— KTyler_ITS (@KTyler_ITS) February 3, 2016

3. Curate tweets from a conversation -- Storify is a neat tool that lets users create a "story" from social media elements. Tina Berumen suggested using Storify in a classroom newsletter to give parents a snapshot about what the entire campus is doing. You can see the idea I added to that thought below:

Could also create a class hashtag for Open House discussion &/or student work & @storify that! #TCEA16 #TCEAdragons https://t.co/x7RCr60yy2

— Candice Karas (@ckarasedu) February 2, 2016

4. Tech talk -- integrate technology vocabulary without ever even touching a device! Check out Alli Pryor's idea below: 

When folding paper, ditch hotdog/hamburger and start talking portrait/landscape. #TCEA16

— Alli Pryor (@dlcoachalli) February 2, 2016

To read the entire conference's tweets, search for #TCEA16 on Twitter. Or click here to read just what fellow Dragons had to say on the #TCEAdragons timeline.

Ways to Help Students Connect Using Technology

As a teacher there is always that challenge to help students "connect" in the classroom setting because of the variety of personalities. The great part of integrating technology in the classroom is that it gives students a voice...sometimes a voice without having to be audibly heard. For those students who are more introverted, it is hard to pull them from their shells to share openly in class. However, with technology a teacher can "hear" each student and help them connect to other students. Here are a few things to try to help students connect, brainstorm, share in your classroom.

DISCUSSION BOARD
Try using technology as an online discussion board. There are several free tools teachers can use for online discussion. Learning Management Systems (Edmodo, Canvas, Schoology) are popular in education because most of them have some type of discussion board. Other online discussion boards that can be used are Today's Meet or Etherpad. These tools give students a way to express their voice silently. These are great for those students who are not comfortable sharing aloud.

SMALL GROUP COLLABORATION
Large groups can be intimidating for students. When helping students connect, consider placing students in small groups and using technology to collaborate. My favorite collaboration tool for the classroom is Google Docs. Google Docs allows students to access the same document at the same time, as well as the ability to insert comments, make suggestions using the "suggesting" tool, chat live, see a revision history, research within the document using the "research" tool, and access citation formats in the "research" tool. See this link for information on these tools. Here's another great Google Docs tutorial by Amy Mayer.

DIGITIZE BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming is often thought of as a process of jotting down notes on sticky notes, whiteboards, notebooks, etc. Think about making the brainstorming process digital. My favorite brainstorming digital tool is Padlet. Padlet is like a virtual corkboard. Each user double clicks the board to add a post-it note. That note can consist of text, a hyperlink to a website or a webcam video. Click here for Padlet tutorials. If you are using iPads, try the Post-it Plus App. This app captures post-it notes, organizes them, and allows for teachers/students to share with the group.

Data breaches and vulnerability: Data thieves, your private info and passwords, shopping online, using Wi-Fi and storing in the cloud.

The upcoming holiday season and the recent deluge of password security breaches at major retailers, leaves us feeling at risk of cyber-criminals.

This blog provides some basic points about vulnerability, password information, resources and provides you with some tools that can help protect you from the bad guys.

Your passwords, digital safety, basic security and knowing how to attack the problem of hackers along with being a well informed, vigilant individual helps keep you from being a target.

Password Do's and Don'ts

Here are a few tips compiled from the KrebsonSecurity blog   http://tinyurl.com/q8kuwrb

• Don't use a family members name or passwords with combinations of your confidential information, such as your Social Security or phone numbers. 
• Don't use the same password for your secure accounts (banking, financial and credit cards) as you use for your email accounts. It the email account is hacked, your password is at risk for all your accounts. 
• Complexity is good in a password, but length is the key to a good password. The more characters, the harder is is to attack. 
• It's OK to write down your password information but don't leave it in plain site. Best practice is to write down your username and website information which you access and put a password hint beside this information.
• There are several third-party programs that help to manage passwords, such as Roboform and PasswordSafe,. I use Passwordsafe on my Iphone but must remember the Pin to be able to access these.

Protect yourself when you click, browse and buy online. 

McAfee offers a list of scams and keeping your holiday cheer this year. This website provides info on holiday mobile scams, gift scams, not-so-merry mobile apps and deceptive and dangerous E-seasons greeting and online games.

For complete article: 12 Scams for the season  http://tinyurl.com/m8ohefm

Your secrets aren't safe

Consumer reports (July 2014) wrote an easy to read and understand (6 page) comprehensive article which addresses computer hacks, scams, smart phone hacks, malware, social media, at the doctors office, in the cloud, shopping, travel and how to protect your digital life. It includes a field guide to passwords, how to encrypt and software available to assist.

I encourage you to take time to read and apply these tips to help you attack the problem of hackers and keep you from being a target. http://tinyurl.com/q4yrfav

10 Important Password Tips Everyone Should Know

Vicki Davis writes on CoolCatTeacher and suggests switching to a passphrase, never saving passwords in a web browser, using the site name in your password, using a password manage and substituting numbers and letters. Again, the recommendation of using a unique password for your bank account and email is a reoccurring tip and recommended to change now.
http://tinyurl.com/mrjawko

How to Become a Connected Educator

It's the day before the start of Connected Educator Month (CEM) and more than 500 events and activities have been added to the calendar, with many more still on the way.

What is Connected Educator Month?

Connected Educator Month: All month, all free, all around the world – A celebration of community, with educators at all levels, from all disciplines, moving towards a fully connected and collaborative profession.

October is "Connected Educator Month" and the U.S. Department of Education encourages teachers to share ideas, resources and instruction about how to use technology.

Why should I connect?

Do you want to be more proficient with social media to improve your teaching practices? Would you like to connect and grow your personal learning network online and build stronger relationships with other professionals?

According to Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall, authors of the Connected Learner  “Teachers must learn to model connectedness and enable students to develop personal learning networks, made up of people and resources from both their physical and virtual worlds---but first, teachers must become connected collaborators themselves.”

What are the traits of a connected educator?

• Connected educators are "do-it-yourself learners." They don't wait for someone to deliver professional development to them. They seek out professional development and learning that meets their individual needs.

• Connected educators have a "network of collective wisdom" to turn to when information and knowledge is needed. Educators who are connected have fostered and developed, over time, a network of other professionals to turn to for professional knowledge needs.

• Connected educators are "collaborative learners." They rely on others to help provide learning and they contribute to the learning of those in their personal learning network.

• Connected educators have moved away from the "paradigm of isolation and closed doors" to sharing a strong commitment with other educators to learn and understand more and more about teaching and learning. The educator who is connected no longer closes their classroom door and carries on teaching. They actively enlist the help of others and offer their help in return.

• Connected educators have leveraged online networks to solve their instructional problems through crowdsourcing and relying on the wisdom of the crowd for resources on teaching and learning. The educator who is connected does not hesitate to engage others in the face of the issues and problems of teaching. They use the crowd to learn more about the craft of teaching.

Here's the CEM signup link--http://bit.ly/cem_newsletter_signup

To follow connected educators via Twitter check out #CEM14.

View the following video to learn how to search and sign up for free professional development sessions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Tips for Using Twitter

With over 500 million total users and 200 million active users, Twitter is definitely on the rise. However, many struggle with this thought, "Is Twitter just another 'Facebook' site and do I really need another social media site in my life?" When I started my journey with Twitter it was strictly to see what was all the hoopla. Now four years later, Twitter has evolved into a great personal learning network (PLN). Twitter is where I go for ideas, answers, and help as related to my job. Not only do I follow people in the same line of work as myself, I now share ideas with those that follow me. If you are looking at exploring Twitter, then here are a few tips I would say that have helped me when using Twitter.

Tips for Using Twitter:
Create, Don’t Just Consume
The best way to get the most out of Twitter is to use it. Using Twitter is a two part process. The first part is as a consumer, where you follow people, read their tweets, and learn from them. This is how I started with Twitter. It's a good place to start if you are new to Twitter. However, many people stop there, which is easy to understand since that is the easy part. But the real magic happens when you share, too. Think of it this way: if you were having a conversation with someone and you weren’t responding, the conversation wouldn’t go very far, would it? The second part is to share!

Connect and Network
When you’re just getting started on Twitter, a resource for educational hashtags or guides to great accounts to follow are excellent resources to point you in the right direction. Follow some of the people you find interesting, exchange ideas and conversations with others using the #hashtag conversations you’re involved in, and when appropriate, take it to the next step: connect with them – either via other social media, email, or at a conference you’re both attending. I found it to be very refreshing how professionals can be so helpful. Don't be afraid to connect with others!

Share Your Resources
If you always find interesting things on Twitter, don’t forget to share your awesome resources, too. Along the lines of the ‘get what you give’ idea, the more you feed into the community, the more it will grow and become useful to you. It's helpful to use hashtags when sharing resources. Ideally, two hashtags are plenty. Here's another link for educational hashtags.

Keep At It
Just like going to the gym once every two weeks isn’t going to keep you in peak physical condition, participating in Twitter #hashtag chats and interacting only occasionally isn’t going to make your Twitter community very robust. You don’t have to be a chronic Tweeter to stay regularly involved – but it is important to check in, reply, and participate to keep the conversation going. Here's a great resource for educational chats on Twitter. (separated by day and time) Click here for resource.

Source for these tips is from Katie Lepi on Edudemic and additional information provided by Kristie Johnson (Twitter - kjohnsontech).

New to Twitter?
If you are new to Twitter, here is a great Twitter Cheat Sheet infographic provided by Jeff Dunn on Edudemic. Click here to read more.

Favorite Twitter App:

Hootsuite - free
Android and iOS app available
Top 3 features:
☆ Manage multiple social media accounts
☆ Schedule updates for future sending
☆ Save a draft to update later