Week 8-the final post.

For this final week of 8 we focused on dangerous viruses, Trojans and hackers on the internet, as well as internet etiquette. Computer viruses are not something that I have had a lot of problem with in my personal life, mainly because I have always had a good self-updating protection plan installed on my computers. On my laptop I currently have Kapersky Anti-Virus installed, and I have been really please with it . I did have one run in with a virus that was accessed via an email link. I think that is one of the most frustrating things that people who create viruses do. People today so easily trust links and information they receive in their email inbox and do not shy from clicking on a link, even if they do not know what it is about. I clicked on one link a few years ago, which luckily was caught by my anti-virus program before any real damage could be done.

As far as in the classroom where I work, we do not have computers in the classroom, except for the teacher's computer. We do have access to a computer lab. In order to use any of the computers in the building, you have to be able to log onto the network, which is only available to staff and students. As protection, students can only access certain programs and websites while on the computer. These websites have to be approved by our school librarian who is in charge of our technology protection plans. We also have an excellent IT staff on campus that is readily available to help with any internet virus scares and update any programs necessary. I feel like our school is doing a great job of protecting our computers and networks from any malicious software but I would be interested to see how other schools go about protecting themselves.

As far as internet etiquette goes, I feel like this is something that definitely needs to be addressed in the classroom. Students need to understand the need for responsibility while on the internet, as well as how easily information can be accessed. I think students need to be taught how they must be responsible for what things they post on the internet, as well as what they access. Students should be informed of viruses, Trojans, and possible hacking situations to better prepare themselves.