Here is a quick list to help you all out find the info you need fast.

• Need more info on teen tech safety? Done.
• Wondering what the best teen tech trends video is (other than ours)? Done
• More places to learn about how to make your WiFi work + Phishing advice?  Done.
• Check it all out below.

1. Best Online Safety blog: Read Ann Collier’s blog for a weekly update on trending topics.
2. Best Video of Teen tech use today: You have to watch “Growing up Online” from PBS (Best of all you can watch it all online for free!)
3. Keep your network safe at home: Let the government bail you out on this one.  On Gaurd Online (great site for concise info on a number of pertinent topics).
4. Stats, Stats, Stats: Everyone loves stats.  The Pew Research Group has them. (click on topics and find a wealth of statistically drenched reports for tech).
5. The Best Resource of All: Us!  Remember to check out our video, our quick sheets, and of course our bundles.  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or subscribe to our Email delivery of our content.  Help us, help you!

Thanks again for all of your questions!  Keep them coming at questions@ NoParentLeftBehind.net or ninja@ Nplb.net

By Todd L.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Today’s tech tip comes via a listener in Greeley, Colorado:

“Hi, Todd. Long-time listener, first-time caller. First off, great show, love the music, catch you whenever I can. Second, I thought you might want to know that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Let’s keep those kiddos safe out there!” – BD

Thanks, BD!

We often hear of such “official-awareness-month” campaigns. For example, October is also Liver Awareness Month, when we contemplate the largest and most beret-like gland in our bodies.

For parents and educators, Cyber Security Awareness Month isn’t just another face in the awareness crowd. This is a reminder that computers–and use of the Internet–are an integral part of kids’ lives today. We have the opportunity–nay, the responsibility!–to teach kids responsible use: a balance of curiosity and wariness.

Many K-8 teachers used a curriculum developed by the CyberSmart! Education Company. This same curriculum was picked up by the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and given to the apparently award-winning theater-for-instruction troupe Plays For Living, which created a play for teaching elementary kids about computer and Internet safety entitled, “Cyber Smart in Cyber Space.”

A performance of this play is available for download, and you can use it to present to your kids if you choose. However, the video quality is mediocre, and the presentation was a bit dorky and a bit long (play 35 min+, entire presentation 1 hour). The main ideas are:

1. The Internet is the sum of the connections of computers all over the world, not a physical place.
2. Safeguard your private info like full name, school, phone and address; don’t share it online.
3. Safeguard your computer passwords; don’t tell anyone.
4. Email you get from people you don’t know can have viruses that harm your computer; don’t open them.
5. “In-person” rules of manners and actions apply to online communication (if you wouldn’t do it in “real life,” don’t do it online).

The sum of today’s Tech Tip is this: when you take your class to use the computers in the library, or when you mention that they can look up something online at home or at the libraries, please take a moment to mention one of these points of Internet safety. It is 30 seconds once in a while, but from all of us over the months it adds up to smarter computer use by the kids.

“But, Todd,” you say, “there are only a few days left in October. Shouldn’t we have been focusing on this all month?” Great point, hypothetical reader! But here at Todd’s Tech Tip, we like to think outside the box. That’s why this message comes late in the month, and isn’t a really a computer tip, and hopefully will provide a springboard for discussing “cyber security” with kids not just in October but all year long.

Todd

P.S. Beret or liver? YOU decide!

Sometimes I wonder if I have enough time for all of this. I bet you wonder the same thing, and that’s why we are here. To Help You Out! Yep you.

How?— By giving you -Simple, quick, and effective advice on keeping your techno-world safe.

You bring the questions and we’ll bring the answers! What a deal huh.

Let’s get started–

There are 3 basic things you need to protect your computer, especially if you have it plugged into an Internet connection 24/7.

1. A Firewall.

A Firewall is just a piece of software that you load on your machine to keep people out. Think of your computer as a big house with lots of doors and windows. Now some of these doors and windows need to be open so that you can see outside your house, maybe check the weather, and so on. You also need a mail slot that allows mail to come in, maybe a doggie door for your pouch and so on. Computers are similar. They need places open too, email, website traffic, and the like. Each one of these “openings”, these virtual doors and windows, has a number associated with it called a port. Port 25 = sending mail, port 110 = receiving mail, port 80 = web traffic.

• Simply put, firewalls close up and lock down all the extra ports that you don’t use so that people can’t gain unauthorized “entry” into your safe little computer house. Make sense? Good.

2. Anti-Virus software

• Nobody wants a virus especially if it makes your computer sick. Basically there are a lot of reasons people write viruses. The biggest ones are to challenge themselves and then gain a reputation. There are rare cases when they get financial gain from a virus (one that harvests info from your computer that is then sold) but most of the time it is just to say that they did it.
• What to do? Get a good antivirus software that doesn’t slow down your computer.

3. A knowledge of good and evil (in the techo-world)

• This one is tougher. How are you suppose to know what is good and bad?
• First of all, be slow to click and quick to research.
• Be a little paranoid for now but don’t stay that way.
• Learn from this site and others how to be net-savvy.

Resources: My favs as of 2008

1. Firewall: Comodo Pro http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

2. Antivirus: Bit Defender

http://www.bitdefender.com/site/Products/showSolutions/1/

3…Knowledge: This site. For faster knowledge check out the bundles. They’ll get you up to speed quick!

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