Software Security

Nobody wants a virus on there computer.  The best way to prevent these things are to have a protection software on your computer.  There are many different types at different price depending on what all you want it to do.  Virus protection is a wonderful investment especially if you want to protect your files and important information.

Antivirus software works to prevent malicious code from attacking a computer by recognizing the attack before it begins when possible.  It is also designed to stop an attack in progress that could not be prevented, and to repair damage done by the attack.  antiviris is useful because it addresses security issues in cases where attacks have made it past a firewall.  New computer viruses are discovered daily, so antivirus software must always be continuously updated to be effective. 

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There is many benefits to online communication tools especailly email, which is great for communication purposes.  But with email, also come the risk of receiving a virus.  The three main viruses are: computer virus, computer worm and the Trojan horse.  Virus protection software can help identify these and work to remove them before they cause damage to your computer.  It is especially important to keep your virus protection updated and run it on a daily basis if possible.  When using email, a computer worm is especailly dangerous because it can send emails to stored contacts in the affected computer.  When someone recieves a email from you they will not know that it is a virus, when they open it, it will also affect their computer.  

In most computer labs there will always be virus protection and also firewalls which will prevent unauthorized users to access the computers.  Anytime that you access the Internet, there is always the potential for a hackers to illegally gain access to information.  Computer hackers steal passwords and use tools to gain access to important files.  This happens a lot of Facebook.  Hackers steal a facebook users password and then send virual messages to their friends which causes a big mess and makes a lot of people mad. 

To prevent viruses teachers must each students how to be safe on the Internet.  Students are more vulnerable when they are somewhere that they fell safe.  At school students are more likely to give out personal information and let there guard down.  The skills that students learn to be safe on the Internet at school will help them be safe when exploring the Internet in different enivornments.

Educational Software

The week we have learned about educational software and file management.  These are two important concepts to consider when you become a teacher.  Teachers have many choices when it come to software in the classroom to further student learning.  The seven types of softwares are: drill-and-practice, problem solving, creative/critical thinking, tutorials, simulations, image editing, and draw/paint.  One of the softwares that I will be using in my own classroom is simulation.

Simulation allows students to experience things that they would never be able to experience, whether it is past or future. One of the main simulations that I thought of when I read about this was Oregon Trail, which was also listed in the reading.  I remember playing this game when I was in elementary school and I loved it.  This game is all about helping with reading skills and problem solving. Using limited funds, players must equip their wagon with the necessities needed to survive on the trail at a fast pace.  If the player does not think ahead, eventually members on the wagon will die of thirst, hunger, fever, or other conditions.  I remember that I would always lose a wheel or something else off my wagon.  This game also allows you to go hunting, talk to Indians, and discover useful wilderness knowledge that the student would never get to do or know before have this. 

I will use this simulation in my classroom.  I feel that it gives students something fun, yet something educational to learn from.  There are many different ways to teach your students, but sometimes games such as this can teach concepts that schools might not be able to teach.  These type of games can encourage students to think differently.  One of the website that we read said that students are not interested in reading about someone or something from years ago, but a game has certain goals that causes players to have more motivation to achieve goals, most students are learning and they don't even realize it. These are just some of the few reason why I will be using simulation in my classroom.

WebQuest

I have to admit, I have never done a WebQuest unitl now or I have never really even looked at one. A webquest guides students through a project which is larger into smaller parts.  When a student sees a large project it can be very intimidating but when broken down into smaller more explained portions, the student may do the lesson with less anxiety and be more opened minded.  The individual sections of a WebQuest guide students so that they can work in groups or by themselves, and the WebQuest encourages students to work on problems like experts do.  WebQuest seem to motivate students learning process and help them collaborate better among there peers. 

My WebQuest was about Cinderella.  There are many different versions of Cinderella, which  a lot of people don't even know.  The students work in groups to read different versions of Cinderella.  Most students know the story of Cinderella, so comparing different versions should be easy for them to do.  Each day, one person from the group will discuss there verison of Cinderella that they read.  I want the group to analyze each version and chart the differences.  I was hoping that this project would help students work in groups, analyze what they have read, and involve the students in different versions of a familiar story that they have always know to show them that other cultures have different interpretations.

At first my only challenge I had was becoming familiar with the process and figuring out how to put the WebQuest together.  After I got the hang of it, the process was pretty much step by step and I could see how easy it would make a large project for students to understand

My WebQuest link is:

http://questgarden.com/132/37/6/111002111728/