The Secure Teacher, Trail #1 of TiTe (B1452B91B06D24AE60A0A7BE4C8362911714C3B1402727401CEF06D5BCDE77C0)
Imagine the following scenarios:
- A student places inappropriate behavior on 1st grade teacher’s web site. Students in the 1st grade get an eye full when they visit their teacher’s page the next day. Cause: The teacher’s password was Donna, her first name.
- A student changes a few of their grades using the school’s web-based gradebook. Smart enough not to make dramatic changes, the student changes a 90 to a 93 – thus getting her on the honor roll. Cause: The teacher’s password was Smokey, his dog’s name (who he talks about all the time in class).
- A student logs into IEP Direct, locates information about a fellow student who she has an issue with, and publishes sensitive content on a fake My Space account. Cause: The Special Education Director’s password was his license plate number (but it was alpha-numeric claims the Director).
All of these scenarios can happen unless each and every teacher and administrator follow a few simple security rules. I could tell you the rules, but it will be more fun to watch a short video about them. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have created a series of online videos called Use Your Net Smartz to teach educators and students about Internet Safety.
The film about password strength is here.
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I am an Educational Computing Strategist (ECS). I figure out ways to IMPROVE education with technology. 
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August 13th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Check out this eSchoolNews article – http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=5034
September 12th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I never thought how important it would be to make a password that my future students wouldn’t think of. I feel if i make a word alphanumerical and use a word not many people would think of I don’t think my students will figure it out.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I know that my passwords that are predictable are unsafe for me, but i never actually stopped to think about what easy access to my files could do for my career.
September 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I’ve always thought about someone having access to my personal files, but have never thought of it from a teacher’s educational perspective before. Just watching these video clips is a great start for young students, and enlightening for teachers.
September 13th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
You hear of these cases periodically but I must say that I have seen first hand what can happen when a teacher is not computer literate and it is scary. I was volunteering at my daughter’s school (she was in 8th grade but the school went up to 12th) when I witnessed a teacher who allowed certain students to “help” her with her computer. She had grades listed on the computer as well as other things. A man came in (can’t remember what his position was) told the students to get away from her computer and stay away, changed a setting on the computer, and explained how to use her password ~ sad huh?
My daughter is now home schooled, & I don’t believe that teacher works there anymore!!
September 14th, 2007 at 10:31 am
After reading these articles, I never believed students would go as far as discriminating a teacher on the teacher’s own web site. I also, did not think students would hurt their peers, like the child did in the article. I always thought children would use name calling and violence as a way of retaliating against a peer. I feel that disclosing personal information is more harmful for a child. I was oblivious before I read the passages but now I know that having secure password in schools will keep you as teacher and the children safe.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:47 am
I never really thought about all of the horrible things that could happen if a student figures out my password. They could really do some damage. I always have the same password for everything and I think it is hard to figure out but maybe I should re think it, and come up with a new one, just in case. But it is so crazy to think that students would go so far as to break into their teachers private webpage. I just hope that when I become a teacher I can build a open and friendly relationship with my students where they dont feel like they would have to do such a horrible and illegal thing.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
I have always thought about internet safety and how important it is to have virus protection and things like that but I have never considered how easy it would be for someone to figure out my passwords. Although I have changed my passwords a few times, I never thought of my students as being the criminals ina case like that. Password security is a critical part of anyones life who using a computer.
September 17th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
It is amazing how smart kids are and what they will do. I never even thought of kids doing these things. I would like to think that my passwords are OK but now I am rethinking that!
September 18th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
I know that secure passwords are extremely important. I always pick something very difficuly, it has to have numbers and letters. If it were to simple or someone can relate you to it would make it to easy. Peoples lives have been ruined from simple passwords.