I've been a resident "on-line" since the days of bulletin boards and modems that ran at speeds measured in "bauds" (you know, the kind that went "BBBrrrrrrZZZZTTTTWEEEEEeeeeuurrrrrrrr....." when they were connecting?). I've been EXTREMELY lucky considering that I didn't even bother to start using anti-virus software until a couple of years ago. I've only contracted the usual Trojan (a reference to Homer's The Illiad, in case you didn't know) and a handful of worms. With the recent acquisition of new tech-savviness thanks to the Education Technology classes I've been taking, I'm starting to step up my game on cyber-watchfulness.
Internet security is, for some, a behavior as second nature as breathing. The younger generation has been brought up with warnings of "don't talk to strangers" just like my generation, but their warnings extended to people they had never met or couldn't even see (most likely). Growing up in the vastly global world of the twenty-first century mandates an entirely different view of all things electronic. I never had to worry about anyone jacking my Atari 2600.
As a teacher who intends to incorporate as much digitalized learning as possible, security is something I will have to be mindful of. The idea that a parent or student might encounter a dastardly motherboard-killer on my site motivates me to build an impenetrable iron tower. At this point I'm a bit clueless as to how that might be accomplished, but it's definitely something I intend to pursue.
Technology has changed - and continues to change - incredibly fast, and along with it so has the internet and cyber security. As teachers we will have to be very proactive with technology in order to keep from being left behind! There are definitely a lot of wonderful tools online for English language teaching and learning, but I agree with you that it would be devastating if we led our students into a virus or they caught it on our own website. Thank you for your post and your concern.
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