Hacking, cracking, malware–all these are the reality of life on the internet. Here are a couple of ideas from the Ask a Tech Teacher team ripped from the headlines:

From Social Apps to Classrooms: How the Telegram Hacked Case Can Inspire Cyber Awareness

Telegram is one of the top social media apps globally, with over 1 billion monthly users. Features like encryption, message self-destruction, and Secret Chats have made it popular. Hackers have proactively learned how to hack this platform and succeeded in many cases. Some users lose accounts, others are frauded and others are exploited. 

Educational institutions have a lesson to learn and proactively teach cyber awareness. Educators should teach students how to practice cyber safety and secure everyone. They can present real Telegram hack cases to inspire learners in social media cybersecurity.

Image credit: Unsplash

Lessons students can learn from Telegram hacked cases

Telegram security compromises happen through malware, phishing, hijacking, etc. These social media cybersecurity issues happen due to device security gaps. Such gaps may allow physical access or online malware infection. Weak default settings, like a lack of multifactor authentication, also make devices vulnerable. 

Young users stay active online, and real hacking cases help them understand the seriousness. The first thing users should learn is the signs of the hacked Telegram account. Next, understand how to remove devices from Telegram. Another lesson is how to delete Telegram account if its security is compromised. No platform is entirely cybersecure as long as it is connected to the internet. (more…)

In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education.

Today’s tip: Email Phishing

Category: Parents

Q:  I got an email that looks legitimate, but I’m not sure. How do I check?

A: You’re right to take a step back. Email has become the most popular method of hacking individual computers—because most people use email and usually aren’t as vigilant as they need to be.

‘Phishing’ is an attempt to steal your personal information by posing as a trusted source (a friend, your bank–like that). Why is it so popular with crooks? Because it works.

As an educator, you want to teach students how to protect themselves as soon as they start using open email networks. Here are six suggestions:

1. Don’t open attachments.
2. Don’t click links in emails.
3. Check the email address of the sender. Does it match the name? Does it fit the sender?
4. Check for misspellings and mis-phrasings.
5. If you know the sender, does the email sound like their communication style?
6. Hover over the link to see the address. If it doesn’t match the text or look legitimate, don’t click.
7. Don’t hesitate to email the sender and ask if they sent you the email.

Got those? Here are a few more:

1. Slow Down: Phishing often pushes you to act fast—“Your account’s locked, fix it now!” Take a second to think. If it’s urgent, contact the company directly using a number or site you already know.
2. Don’t Share Sensitive Info: No legit company will ask for your password or full credit card number over email or text. If they do, it’s a scam.
3. Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra step (like a code sent to your phone) to logins. Even if they get your password, they can’t get in without the second piece.
4. Keep Software Updated: Hackers exploit old systems. Update your phone, apps, and computer regularly to stay protected.

Sign up for a new tip each week or buy the entire 169 Real-world Ways to Put Tech into Your Classroom.

What’s your favorite tech tip in your classroom? Share it in the comments below.

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In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education.

Today’s tip: 

Category: Parents

Here’s how to turn on SafeSearch on Google:

1. Open https://www.google.com/ in a web browser.
2. Click Settings at the bottom of the page.
3. Check the box for Turn on SafeSearch.
4. Click Save.

For those who use Duck Duck Go, here’s how to turn on safe search:

Use safe.duckduckgo.com: Searches always have safe search set to “strict”.

Three ways:

1. Using the Search Results Page:
   • After performing a search on DuckDuckGo, look below the search bar for settings options.
   • There should be a dropdown menu labeled “Safe Search.”
   • Select either “Moderate” or “Strict” from the dropdown menu to activate Safe Search. “Moderate” will filter out explicit content, while “Strict” will provide a higher level of content filtering.
2. Using the DuckDuckGo Settings Page:
   • Navigate to the DuckDuckGo website.
   • Click on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner of the page to open the menu.
   • Select “Settings” from the menu.
   • Under the “General” tab, find the “Safe Search” section.
   • Choose either “Moderate” or “Strict” from the dropdown menu to enable Safe Search.
3. DuckDuckGo Browser:
   • If you are using the DuckDuckGo browser app on mobile or desktop, go into the settings by clicking on the three horizontal lines or the gear icon.
   • Look for “More Search Settings” or a similar option.
   • Here you will find the “Safe Search” settings where you can choose “Moderate” or “Strict.”

Sign up for a new tip each week or buy the entire 169 Real-world Ways to Put Tech into Your Classroom.

What’s your favorite tech tip in your classroom? Share it in the comments below.

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It is important for children to know how to be safe while navigating the digital landscape. It’s easy when teachers present cybersecurity topics properly. Here are ideas from the  Ask a Tech Teacher team:

How to Explain Cybersecurity for Children

Cybersecurity plays a crucial role in our daily lives and will continue to gain importance. Educators can prepare students to protect themselves online. Of course, they should introduce online security topics in an age-appropriate manner.

Each successful teacher can make a big difference. Lousy cybersecurity practices or lack of knowledge about them often affect more than one person at a time. When they teach about safety online, they may affect not only the lives of their students but society as a whole.

Here is how to explain cybersecurity for children as an educator. (more…)

Cloud security boosts online learning by protecting student data while they share their thoughts and submit their assignments. It builds trust so everyone feels safe using the platform. Check out these ideas from the Ask a Tech Teacher team on how this newest game-changer in education will energize online learning platforms:

How Cloud Security Empowers Online Learning Platforms

The number of people using online learning platforms nationally is expected to reach over 63 million within the next five years, and they’re undeniably convenient for students and educators alike. But in leveling the playing field in terms of providing access to learning resources, they also throw up new concerns from a security perspective.

Cloud-powered solutions hold the key to keeping online learning platforms free from the threat of being abused by malicious actors, and here’s a look at how this plays out. (more…)

Now that so many children carry smartphones, do you track your child’s location? If you’re worried that’s akin to spying on them, read on. The Ask a Tech Teacher team has background, pros and cons, and more to help you come to a go-nogo decision:

• Reasons
• Techniques
• Best approaches
• Emergency readiness
• Supervising
• Communication and trust
• Educating your child 
• Addressing privacy concerns
• Importance of parental controls

How to Track My Child’s Location

In today’s world, parents frequently worry about their children’s safety and whereabouts. With the rise of smartphones and other technological advancements, keeping track of your child’s location has become more convenient than before. How can you ensure that you track them effectively and responsibly? This article aims to delve into approaches and factors to consider when monitoring your child’s whereabouts while respecting their privacy and building trust. The quick answer is to look into Scannero. (more…)

Cybersecurity threats in K-12 schools are a growing concern as educational institutions increasingly rely on technology for teaching, learning, and administrative purposes. Some common cybersecurity threats faced by K-12 schools include data breaches, BYOD policies, unsecured WiFi networks, insider threats, and lack of security awareness training. It’s this last that’s addressed by this article from Smartbrief:

Program teaches cybersecurity to K-12 administrators

Ohio’s Sinclair Community College, in collaboration with D2L, a learning technology company, has introduced a free cybersecurity course aimed at K-12 administrators to enhance their understanding of cyberthreats and develop strategies to mitigate these risks. Developed in response to a White House Cybersecurity Summit for K-12 schools, the short course focuses on identifying and addressing cybersecurity threats specific to schools.

Full Story: Dayton Daily News (Ohio) (tiered subscription model) (3/25) (more…)

This is part of the 169 tech tips for your class-but this is a bonus, not included in the ebook, just for readers of Ask a Tech Teacher. If you follow this blog, you’ve seen it before, but it’s worth repeating. Feel free to grab the image and use it in your classroom:

Tech Tip #170: Cover your webcam when you aren’t using it!

I used to do this and forgot about it. My mentor came for a visit and slapped a post-it note over my webcam.

And she’s right! Webcams and mics are too easy to hack, been done often. Why risk it? When I want to use the webcam (which isn’t that often), I take the post-it off.

I’m not the only one. In questions during a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, former FBI Director Comey revealed that cam-covering is commonplace at the FBI and other government offices:

“If you go into any government office, we all have our little camera things that sit on top of the screen, they all have a little lid that closes down on them. You do that so people who do not have authority don’t look at you. I think that’s a good thing.”

One more person who’s security conscious is that poster-boy for social media: Mark Zuckerberg. Do you see what the geek experts noticed about this photo (one is that Mark covers his webcam as a matter of policy):

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If you’re like me, VPNs are confusing. They protect me by hiding my IP address from prying eyes, but also change the way I browse and not always in a good way. I tried one which made it impossible to send Outlook emails. I had to turn it off every time I wanted to send.

But, everyone needs one these days. Some are built into browsers. Others, you buy as downloadable software. For those who received a year subscription to a VPN for a holiday gift, this article from the Ask a Tech Teacher crew will give you a quick understanding of what’s in your future:

What are VPNs and How Do They Work?

If you’ve heard the term VPN, wondered what it meant, or noticed that people were using it to stay secure online, you’re in the right place. This blog post will explain exactly what a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is, how it works, and why some people prefer using it for their digital security needs. By the end of this article, you’ll have a working knowledge of VPNs.

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