Lesson 8

This week we discussed computer viruses, computer security, and netiquette.  One item our class reading discussed was communicating through text and how it is very important to be clear because the intended audience can’t rely on your body language or tone of voice to understand your communication.  I communicate through email on a daily basis with colleagues in Central America.  It is very important for me to state my objectives clearly and avoid idioms that do not translate in text form.  This same issue is relevant in the classroom as well.  I also found the “How Viruses Work” article helpful.  After reading it I better understand viruses, how they work, and how to protect my computer.  I also found our lesson reading material very relevant to NETS-T 4A, by advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology.  Our reading explained how it was important for teachers to model appropriate technology use, because students will see the teachers’ use as acceptable, and follow their example.  This fact reminds me to always be aware of how the students perceive my actions.

I am not currently teaching so I decided to evaluate the last computer lab I was exposed to at college.  I always thought our labs were very secure and had several lines of defense in place to fight potential threats.  All the computers in the lab had firewall and auto-update antivirus software.  The labs also had filters in place to block access to certain harmful sights.  These were the best ways to setup the computers to self monitor threats.  Another feature to safeguard the network against viruses was a login lock required to gain entry to the system so any activity would be logged under your name.  The lab was also setup in a way so that the instructor could either take control of your computer or monitor your activity.  This along with a clear AUP should help minimize inappropriate use that could lead to the infection of a computer.

I do have a few concerns with the security system in this lab.   First, students are allowed to connect their personal devices wirelessly and I do not know what restrictions are placed on the student in that situation.  This would be a topic that should be covered in the school’s AUP so the students are aware of the guidelines.  Also, as our reading pointed out, new viruses are created daily and no matter how frequently you update your antivirus software you can’t completely protect your system.  Although this evaluation is of a college computer lab it would be similar to most K-12 labs.  I thought this lesson was very helpful because my knowledge on computer viruses was limited, but I do need to familiarize myself with computer security as a future teacher.