Generation

This well written article describes the i Generation, children born between 1995 and 2012. They have grown up with smartphones, have an Instagram account before they start high school, and do not remember a time before the internet. The impact that smartphones have had on their lives is significant. Here is the link to the full article; in my opinion a worthwhile read.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

Some advice for home Internet security

These two posters may be helpful to you.

https://securingthehuman.sans.org/media/resources/STH-Poster-CyberSecureHome-Print.pdf

https://www.sans.org/security-resources/posters/hooked/85/download

Screen Time for Kids - should we be concerned?

Watch this TED talk by Sara DeWitt where she dispels the myth that too much screen time is ruining our kids.

The Future of Work is uncertain, Schools should worry now!

Read this article published on the 26 September 2017 in Education Week and written by Benjamin Herold.

—Taylor Callery for Education Week

Automation and artificial intelligence are disrupting the labor market. What do K-12 educators and policymakers need to know?

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Special Report: Schools and the Future of Work

• What Will Our Students Need to Know?

Technological change, globalization, and climate instability are happening at an accelerating pace all across the world.

Artificial intelligence and automation are the engines driving much of the transformation in the workplace. Some experts even predict that 47 percent of today’s jobs could be done by machines within a couple of decades.

So what skills do students need to succeed in the uncertain, intensely competitive workplace of the future? Education Week begins answering that question in this special report, “Schools and the Future of Work.”

http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/schools-and-future-of-work/index.html

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Keeping your machine safe!

How does ransomware get on your computer?

by Justin Richter 

You can get ransomware if you click on malicious internet links, download malicious files, open infected email attachments or from a USB stick.

Precautions against ransomware attacks

Awareness is the best way to avoid any ransomware attacks,

1. Keep Windows Operating Systems up-to-date. – run windows updates!
2. Always back-up your important data in an external hard-drive or cloud storage such as OneDrive or Drobox
3. Enable system protection or File History (restore points)
4. Thoroughly check your emails before opening any attachments! Why did I receive this, who is it from?
5. Where possible, disable the loading of macros in your Office programs.
6. Disable your Remote Desktop feature whenever possible.
7. Use two-factor authentication for your Gmail and windows accounts.
8. Avoid browsing websites that are often the breeding grounds for malware such as illegal download sites, porn sites and gambling sites.
9. Use, and regularly update F-secure!
10. Have a pop-up blocker installed in your browser

Common ways a PC or laptop get infected (virus/Malware/Spyware)

 -  User accepting installation prompts without reading

an Internet advert or window pops-up that says your computer is infected with a virus and needs to scan or that software is required for you to install in order to download something. You accept the prompt.

-  When you’re installing ‘free software’ that you obtained from the internet and it has check-boxes already checked to install additional applications bundled with your download. You accept the prompt.

- Visiting / Downloading software/movies/music/pictures from unreliable or illegal sources

Many modern viruses can be hard-coded into the website data which is downloaded into your temporary internet files automatically just by loading the webpage.

- Opening email attachments without knowing who they are from and why you have been sent them.  Double check the sender’s email address and confirm that the mail is relevant.

- Plugging infected USB sticks and external hard drives into your laptop without scanning them first.

Malware - Malware is the blanket term for all malicious software designed to disrupt, damage or steal from a computer system (viruses, spyware and ransomware).

Spyware - software that enables a user to obtain covert access to information and functions.

Ransomware - a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.