Internet and Computer Safety
The following topics were treated in our Internet and Computer Safety presentations that were given to students and parents at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.
Internet Safety Messages to Students
In signing the school’s Acceptable Use Policy form, students agree to abide by and support our computer use policies. In broad strokes this document asks that students treat all people with great respect, care for all school resources, report problems encountered, respect the rights (and copyrights) of others, and demonstrate leadership in the good use of computers to others. Our Educating for Character program outlines our expectation of each member of The Summit community. Every member of our community is to be a leader of character who makes a positive difference everyday in the lives of others. Our school’s Mission Statement sums up our vision.
In this spirit students are cautioned not to share personal information and photos with others over the Internet. Instant messages to others are never to contain statements that would be hurtful or reflect bullying behavior. The computer is a tool for communication and productivity. Because it will be a vital tool for them as years go by, they must manage their computer time well each day, so that its use will not be detrimental to their relationship with others or hamper their school work.
Parents have a vital role in partnership with the school in ensuring the safety of students. Establishing ready and meaningful communication within the family forms the strongest foundation for safety. Conversations related to “time management”, being a person of solid character, doing the “right” thing especially when no one is looking are all examples of conversations that help to strengthen family bonds and enhance safety. Having a practice in the home of having computers in “open” areas encourages openness and conversations and reduces the tendency for inordinate use of computers. The attractiveness of social networking using computers is a real pressure for many students and open conversations at home will, we believe, do much to ensure its proper place in family life.
There are a number of helpful websites related to student safety and a number of websites that can help ensure filtered internet access.
iSAFE: http://www.isafe.org
The FBI has an extensive site concerning Internet safety.
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
General information and safety tips:
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
This site claims to be the world’s largest online safety and help group.
http://www.wiredsafety.org/parent.html
Computer Safety issues for the home
Computers are machines. We need to keep them safe and in good working order. We offer the following tips below for students and parents as safety on the Internet requires a safe home environment as well.
Computer Care
Just like other machines, computers need to be cared for and maintained in specific ways. Develop good habits with regard to your computer use. Keep PCs in safe locations, away from direct sun or heat. Keep food and drink away from equipment. Keeping liquids away from electric and electronic devices is a no-brainer.
UPS Protection
Use an appropriate surge protectors or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to protect your PC from power spikes. A UPS with line conditioning will also help to protect your computer from other kinds of power fluctuations. Spikes can easily damage electronic circuits. Power sags or drops are a major source of data corruption. Both spikes and sags can have the same result: a PC that works poorly or not at all.
Anti-Virus Software
Make sure you use anti-virus software and keep it current. Many Internet service providers (ISP) provide free anti-virus software as part of their service. Update at least once a week. For even better protection, use an anti-virus program that can update automatically. Make sure the program is configured to run continuously in the background. Schedule weekly full system scans.
Firewall
Use a firewall. All users should use a software firewall, at the very least. If you have a broadband connection (cable, DSL, satellite, etc.) or a home network, place a hardware-based firewall between your ISP’s “modem” and your computer(s). These devices are also referred to as gateways or routers. If properly configured, these devices can make your PC virtually invisible to hackers and other unwanted Internet traffic. A software firewall should be installed on each PC. These can be purchased from reputable vendors and are sometimes provided free by you ISP. Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) has a good built in firewall. Zone Labs’ Zone Alarm is an example of a very good firewall.
Computer System Updates
Make sure to keep your system updates current. All operating systems (OS), whether they be Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, or Netware, have flaws. Vendors are constantly trying to improve their products. Keeping your OS up to date will improve security, performance and usability. For computers using Microsoft operating systems, use the Windows Updates website to ensure that your computer is protected from Internet threats.
Spyware
Practice safe surfing. Beware of adware, spyware, Trojan horses, and other Internet threats. Don’t click on pop-ups, don’t give out personal information, and, don’t install free or cheap software. A “free” service or software that professes to add features or improve your PC’s performance is seldom really free. There will be a cost to you in terms of safety, privacy, security or even just reduced computer performance. Adware, spyware and Trojan horses can enter your PC with the intent to steal information such as account numbers, personal information, address books and more. These invasions are facilitated by clicking on pop-ups, installing unsafe software, visiting unscrupulous websites, opening mail from unknown (or even known) sources. Be aware that no amount of protection with firewalls, anti-virus software or system updates can protect computer users who fail to use good judgment when on the Internet or when using email
Use anti-spyware software. There are several decent products available to identify and remove spyware that has found its way onto your PC. Do not click on a pop-up that informs you that your computer might be infected with spyware. The program you install will itself be spyware.
Do not open email attachments that you are not expecting. If you are expecting attachments use caution. There may be viruses in those attachments. Learn how to save attachments and then scan them for viruses. If you are not expecting a particular attachment then simply DELETE it without reading the email.
Phishing
Do not fall for scam emails that urge you to click on a link in order to update account information or emails that tell you that you have won a prize. This practice is known as “Phishing”. Learn how to identify scam emails. Check out the “Phishing IQ Test” at Mailfrontier.com to test your skill at identifying scam email. If you have doubts about requests from banks or merchants get away from the computer and call them to verify the request.
Defragmentation
Data on hard drives becomes scattered as it is called into memory and returned to the hard drive for storage. This is known as fragmentation. De-fragmenting your hard drives on a regular basis helps to keep your files in contiguous locations on the hard drive. This means that the data can be accessed by the system more quickly and reduces physical wear on the hard drive’s mechanical parts. Run a defrag program on a regular basis to keep your computer running at its best.
Programs such as ScanDisk (Windows 95 & 98) and Chkdsk (Pronounced “check disk” in Windows NT, 2000, & XP) can find logical problems on your hard drive and in most cases can successfully repair them before you lose data. These utilities can also repair physical problems on the surface of the hard drive and mark damaged areas so that data is not stored in those locations. Running these utilities can keep your files in good condition and prevent system failure do to corrupt files. If your system requests that a disk check be run always allow it to do so in order to prevent damage to your data.
Backups
Backup your data regularly. Computers can fail and there is no substitute for a quality backup. Concentrate on files that are most important or most important to you. Personal data, financial files, digital images, documents, and other files that would be difficult if not impossible to replace should be copied to dependable media such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R or removable drives.
Websites related to computer care
There are some additional websites that will assist you in the care of your computer:
Microsoft has a number of informative short presentations on computer security topics.
