Chapter 8: Security Issues, Ethics, and Emerging Technologies in Education

Chapter 8 talks about many things such as viruses, computer security, safe computing tips, hardware and software theft, backing things up, and computer ethics of today. With so much being done on computers today, it is a bit scary to think of all that could possibly go wrong with your computer and all the information you put into it. Chapter 8 tells us that a virus is "a potentially damaging computer program designed to affect your computer negatively without your knowledge or permission by altering the way it works." Most people are familiar with viruses, but may not know that they can sometimes be harmless, as the book tells us. We are given some helpful "safe computing tips" on page 473 that can help keep users like us safe on our computers. Examples of these include purchasing and installing reliable anti-virus software, scanning all removable media, and turning off email preview. Something else the Chapter 8 discusses in detail is computer ethics. It gives a great breakdown of computer ethics for educators that help clear up any misconceptions people may have. It tells us that computer ethics are the guidelines that govern the use of computers and information systems. The book also discusses helpful tools such as class websites. It reminds teachers and students to seek and attain proper permission before using material from someone else's works and putting it on his or her own page.

Since my last posting, we worked on our web pages. Although it took a bit of trial and error, I feel that I got a pretty good grasp on completing a generic website with a template. Registering with a free site (though it has ads...) allowed us to put together a quick and organized site that is easily edited whenever needed. As a teacher, I see myself using a website daily; especially for students who may be absent or need some further explain once they arrive home and can no longer ask me questions. I see it as a great way to post review material and any information that parents may like to know as well.

This past week (as we all know) was Spring Break. Although I loved the break, it almost felt like a tease of summer followed by a quick slap back to reality. Sigh... It's pretty hard to get back in the "school mode." Oh well, only four more weeks of classes, then finals! Summer couldn't come quick enough! Something interesting, and a bit scary that I found out about is how people are putting viruses on things such as iPods, digital picture frames, and GPS's before they even hit store shelves. Talk about scary! Turns out they're getting the viruses into the factories and mass producing their virus just as quickly as their victim product. Anyway, here's the website if anyone wants to read more about it: cnn.com