Assignment+4-+Online+Safety

Miskatonic University Library
=Guide to Online Safety and Netiquette= Technological literacy has risen to be just as important as traditional literacy in education and beyond, and the ability to safely and securely use Internet resources isn't just a valuable skill for those who hope to succeed: it's a necessity. Combined with maturity and professionalism in online activity, a safe user of technology ensures not only their own future, but those of their colleagues.

Over the next three weeks, we'll examine key points of online safety and content evaluation, and learn how to effectively and clearly communicate online in a fashion that matches the level of maturity expected of the 21st century student and professional.

This week we'll learn some basic tools and tricks for ensuring online safety- not only of your computer, but of yourself! Threats like malware, trojan viruses, and keystroke loggers can wind up on your computer even when browsing seemingly secure websites. Learn some key tricks for protecting yourself and your information, from backing up data to identifying evidence of problems and managing malware and viruses.
 * Week 1: Internet Safety & Security**

//Assignment:// You are borrowing a friend's laptop to work on an assignment online, when a message window pops up informing you that the page you are attempting to view contains a threat, and that a virus scan may be necessary. You know your friend has an antivirus program you're not familiar with, but you can't remember the name of it, and cannot reach your friend immediately to ask them about this. Explain some ways that you might tell if the message is genuine.

Activity online can often lead to a feeling of anonymity: both an assumption of our own anonymity through the digital medium, and an anonymous nature of those who may observe us online. This week, we'll discuss how this affects interactions, and explore ways that we can improve interactions to avoid misunderstandings.
 * Week 2: Digital Standards & Netiquette**

//Readings//: Goleman, D. __E-Mail is Easy to Write (And to Misread).__ (@http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/jobs/07pre.html); and Suler, J. __The Online Disinhibition Effect__. (http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/disinhibit.html)

//Assignment//: A colleague has sent you an email in which they describe a desire to physically harm a coworker. You can't tell what the intended tone of the email was; what is the best course of action? Describe how you would approach this problem. The availability of online resources means that we are often tempted to use the first result we find without testing its veracity, or even whether it is the best resource for what we are exploring. This week, we will examine methods to evaluate the reliability and utility of online content.
 * Week 3:** **Evaluating Digital Content**

//Readings:// Amsberry, D. & Spina, M. __Bridging the Gap: What Students Need to Know About Internet Reserarch__. (@http://faculty.lagcc.cuny.edu/ctl/journal/v2n1/pdf/AmsberrySpina.pdf)

//Assigment:// Using the online databases available through the library website, select one to three articles on a topic which interests you, and review them. Be sure that at least one of the articles you choose comes from a peer-reviewed source! Then, find articles or sections of articles on Wikipedia about that same subject. In a 2 page paper, discuss the differences between the articles from the database, and the article on Wikipedia (making sure to review the recent edits to the article). If there is any content on the Talk pages for the articles on Wikipedia, discuss that as well. Consider how these sources compare, and what the edit history and Talk page of the Wikipedia article says about the creation and maintenance of the article.