Trash or Shred?
Locking your computer when you walk away, making sure no one is looking over your shoulder when you are typing passwords, and not sharing your passwords with anyone are all ways to protect your digital information. But what about sensitive information that has been printed? Physical documents and files can be a source for identity theft. There are some files that contain confidential and sensitive information that is needed to perform your job. If these files are still needed, make sure they are locked away when they are not being used. When they are no longer needed, do not just throw them in the trash, shred them. Look around your office or building for the nearest shredder. Elon periodically offers shredding days for Elon faculty and staff. FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreBack to School Tips
We are now in the back to school season so I wanted to list some tips as reminders of things we all can do to help protect our devices and information. 1. Keep your devices with you Take your laptop and other devices with you, even if you intend to be right back. Unattended laptops in public places such as coffee shops, libraries, and study lounges are an invitation for theft or unwanted access to your information. 2. Verify links before clicking on them Be cautious of QR codes and shortened URLs. Make sure you verify and trust the links they are sending you to. FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreLearn Moodle via a MOOC
A MOOC, or Massive Open Online Course, is a free course, available to anyone. Teaching with Moodle: An Introduction is a MOOC, offered by Moodle.org, for beginners interested in learning the basics about how to use Moodle as a learning platform. The course will feature weekly webcast tutorials, as well as activity-based learning that allows users to practice creating their own courses, while utilizing all of the tools that Moodle has to offer, such as chats, forums, quizzes, wikis, and more. This is a good opportunity to experiment with a MOOC while learning about Moodle.
Read More4 Public Wi-Fi Safety Tips
Public Wi-Fi hotspots can be found in cafés, hotels, coffee shops, libraries, airports, bookstores, and other places offered as a perk for its customers. These hotspots are a convenient way to check emails, get caught up on social media sites or just surf the web.However, public Wi-Fi hotspots are not secure.
Read MoreGet your Moodle course ready for fall
It’s that time again! Fall semester is quickly approaching, bringing with it the need to prepare your Moodle course. Below you will find some useful links to help make this process as smooth as possible. FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreAre Shortened URLs Safe?
A URL shortener service takes a long URL and turns it into a short URL that is both clearer to read and more user friendly. Shortened URLs can mostly be found on social networking sites such as Twitter due to its character limit per message. By using a short URL, the rest of the characters left can be used for the actual message. In my Think Before You Click post I talked about hovering over a link to reveal its actual destination. However, hovering over a shortened URL does not tell you where the link will take you. You may recognize www.elon.edu/e-net as being a safe site to visit but what about http://bit.ly/17AZ0YH or http://goo.gl/9OvBAa? FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreWhere is this QR Code taking me?
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is simply a website address. For example, http://www.elon.edu is a URL. When a URL is typed into a web browser, the browser turns it into an IP address. The IP address is where the website is located on the Internet. QR (Quick Response) codes are bar codes that contain encoded information, like a URL. They can be found on packages, business cards, magazines, emails, posters, and other places. The information can be decoded by pointing your smartphone or device with a camera at the QR code using an app designed to read QR codes. A QR code gives a quicker way to get the URL into a web browser without having to type the URL yourself. FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreCollaboration and organization with Moodle’s database activity
The Database activity in Moodle is a powerful tool for gathering and organizing information. Even better, it’s highly customizable and can be tailored to fit the needs of your course. Below are some ideas for integrating this activity into your course plan. FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreIs Your Information Submitted Online Secure?
HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transport Protocol. Basically, it is how information is to be passed back and forth between clients (users’ computers or devices) and web servers (where websites live). Websites can use either http:// or https://. The ‘s’ stands for secure. As your information travels from your computer to the web server, it is possible for someone to eavesdrop and view the information when using http://. Therefore you should never submit any sensitive information using an http:// website. FollowShare on Tumblr
Read MoreAnatomy of a Phishing Email
The purpose of a phishing email is to get your money or personal information. Recognizing phishing emails is the first step in protecting yourself from becoming a victim. Below are some common things to look for in email messages. How to Recognize Phishing Emails Urgent messages and threats of account closures Misspellings and bad grammar Deals that sound too good to be true Requests to donate to a charitable organization after a disaster that has been on the news Promises of money for little or no effort, just asking you to give account information Below is a real phishing email sent to users. Problems that make the email suspicious are highlighted. FollowShare on Tumblr
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