Internet Safety

Today I read through several new course readings about internet safety and knowing how to protect yourself and others on the internet. I felt as though these reads were extremely important because it is all too common today to fall victim to identity theft or other criminal activity because of information posted on the internet. Although I am on a social networking site, I am extremely careful as to what is posted. I do not give out any personal information other than my name and interests because it is scary to think of who may be reading or recording this information. I have known a few people who have become victims of identity theft because they possibly gave out too much information. I learned a lot about programs that I did not know before. I never knew that by using websites, the internet uses the cookies to track what sites you go to. I thought that this was just something that came with upgraded service systems. I also never knew that cookies could be something good. They help to show places or sites that you may like to visit based on your previous searching. I always heard that cookies were bad and gave your computer viruses and that you can disable cookies. I wish that I would have known this a long time ago. It would have saved me a lot of time and money. I find it bewildering when I see that people have posted their email addresses, phone numbers and even home addresses on social websites. It scares me to think that these people do not know the danger that they are putting themselves into. As teachers it is very immportant to be aware of dangerous websites because these can damage the computers and hinder our students' learning. Although many schools have blocks on outside websites, they are still not completely safe and students need to know how to safely access the information that they are searching for. I hope that teachers stay up to date as for how to protect themselves and their students in an ever- changing digital world.