Resource Guide
for the Tips For Safer And Better Teen Web Surfing class
Okemos Community Education
Feb. 2006
______________________
This guide will provide you with an easy way to connect to some of the software
and services mentioned in the Tips For Safer And Better Teen Web Surfing
class. Free resources will be noted where applicable.
Most of the software noted in this guide also has trial versions that
you can use for a limited time to test; some trials are stripped down versions
& not fully functional. Except where noted this software has not been
tested nor does Tim Potter make any guarantees about its effectiveness; it’s
best to test multiple programs over time and see what works best on your computer
for you. Many, many more programs
are available and can be found by going to www.download.com or www.shareware.com and searching for each
topic.
This guide (with active links) & the PowerPoint slideshow is also available
online here (bottom of page): www.potterspix.com
Offer: Any registered students for these
Okemos Community Education classes are eligible for a free 30-minute in-home
consultation.
Please contact Tim directly via email at tim@potterspix.com
to schedule a visit or if you have questions.
Class Notes - Session
1 & Session
2
Web Filtering Tools
These tools vary from software you install on your computer
to ISPs or online services your web traffic is routed through and filtered
for you.
¨ Cyber Patrol - Highly recommended all-in-one service with minimal computer performance loss.
Features: monitor web surfing activity,
block harmful sites and images, restrict chat, limit time online and access
to programs, control program downloads, privacy protection. Promotion
of 3 months free and then a 20% discount is available at following web page:
www.cyberpatrol.com/go/protectingkids
¨ American Family Filter – range of
server-based/ online filtering services (not installed software)
www.afafilter.com
¨ FilterReview.com by the National
Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families for unbiased
information on which filters work best:
www.filterreview.com
¨ Web Filters List on Crosswalk Directory
(conservative Christian-view site; other great resources here too)
www.directory.crosswalk.com/directory/Web_Services_and_Computers/Filters/
www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm
¨ NetLingo.com’s
Online Dictionary: Be sure you
know what your kids are talking about when it comes to computing. This dictionary contains thousands of words
and definitions that describe the technology and community of the World Wide
Web and adds new ones all the time.
www.netlingo.com/inframes.cfm
Key Loggers
These utilities are often referred to as spyware; when installed
intentionally by parents on a computer to protect their children from online
abuse they’re very helpful tools. Many
companies are now using Internet monitoring software to ensure that their
employees don't misuse corporate Internet connection and so on. Most of these record only the key strokes of
the computer the software is installed on; a few noted below record both
outgoing and incoming information (bi-directional) allowing the parent to see
both sides of the chatting, emails, etc.
Except where noted this software has not been tested nor does Tim Potter
make any guarantees about its effectiveness; it’s best to test multiple
programs over time and see what works best on your computer for you. Many, many more key-logging programs are
available and can be found by going to http://www.download.com
and searching for “keylogger” or “key logging”.
Bi-directional
loggers
¨ Messenger
Backup (logs AIM/MSN Messenger sessions, buddy lists, etc.)
http://www.handyarchive.com/Business/Miscellaneous/15236-Stealth-KeyLogger.html
Outgoing-only
loggers
¨ WideStep’s
Quick, Handy & Elite Spy Software covers all
the bases; free trials available.
www.widestep.com/best-key-loggers
¨ Perfect
Keylogger
¨ KeyGhost
Keylogger (hardware solution) No software installation is necessary to record or retrieve
keystrokes.
www.keyghost.com
¨ Family
Keylogger
www.handyarchive.com/Utilities/Security/15493-Stealth-WebSite-Logger.html
General
Information Regarding Key loggers
¨ Hardware
Keyloggers vs. Spy Software
www.spyarsenal.com/spy-software.html
¨ FAQs
About Computer Activity Monitoring and Spy Software
www.spyarsenal.com/activity-monitor-faq.html
• Zone Alarm - best
little free personal firewall available. Click
here for download page of free version. Pro version available for fee
which does a lot more, but most available with other freeware.
• Tiny Personal Firewall
- good reputation; not for novices apparently - free to try (30
day trial).
• Introduction
to Firewalls (About.com)
• Much,
much more about Understanding and Setting up Home Firewalls (firewallguide.com)
• Personal
Firewall reviews (firewallguide.com)
• Great
article about setting up security on wireless equipment (About.com)
Anti-Phishing Info.
• An in-depth Anti-Phishing
Guide complete with list of free software tools, reviews, etc.
Strong Password Info.
• Article
about "strong passwords" (about.com)
• Strong
password generator form (about.com)
•
SprexPass
safer password generator
Hoaxes/ Urban Legends/ Chain
Email Info.
• Symantec's Hoaxes
Directory
• Urban
Legends Search (Snopes.com)
• HoaxBuster
Search
• Why
Chain emails are bad & don't work
• Before you forward that email...check it
out at TruthOrFiction.com!
(direct search)
P2P/ File-sharing/
BitTorrent
Forget Napster, Kazaa: BitTorrents are relatively
recent phenomena online that are all the rage now w/ in the young crowd of
web surfers.
¨ What
Are The Good BitTorrent Search Engines?
Learn what programs your kids might be using to download/ share illegal
files (full bootlegged software programs, entire movies, music).
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/peersharing/f/torrentsearch.htm
¨ BitTorrents 101: A Handbook For New Users
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/peersharing/a/torrenthandbook.htm
Misc. PC / Web Resources
¨ i-SAFE
America Inc. is the worldwide leader in the Internet safety education. i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum
with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law
enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place. (Note: The Ingham Co. Intermediate
School District is utilizing materials from this organization in a forthcoming
program for school districts; Tim is serving as one of the only parents on a
county-wide committee assembled to assist our county’s educators prepare and
educate our teens on this very critical issue)
Parent’s with a few minutes time might like to participate in this
online survey:
www.isafe.org/channels/sub.php?ch=op&sub_id=2
www.isafe.org
¨ Internet
Generation Gap: (iSafe study) Recent survey statistics, which expose
discrepancies between youth and parent responses to questions about Internet
behavior, have exposed the existence of an Internet generation gap. Previously
there has been no data to evaluate baseline Internet behaviors of youth, parent
perceptions of their children's Internet usage, and the behavioral change
impact of Internet safety education.
Below is a link to a 10-pg. analysis of student assessments and parent
surveys from an active learning internet safety environment (1000+ parents,
7000 students grades 5-12 from 30 states were surveyed).
¨ Professors
to design computer safety curriculum with research grant from Microsoft (February 10, 2006)
Think MP3 downloads, online shopping and online communities – today’s teens
know all about these Internet possibilities. But do they know how to protect
themselves from everyday online threats such as identity theft, spyware, scams
and fraud? Through a new research grant, MSU researchers from several
departments in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and the College
of Engineering are on a mission to make teens – and the Internet – safer.
http://www.msutoday.msu.edu/10Feb2006-6
¨ Lock Down
Your Home PC: Security Essentials: A
computer security handbook: links to articles of all the essentials of hacker
prevention for your home PC.
netforbeginners.about.com/od/lockdownyourpc/
¨ Securing Windows XP Home Edition
netsecurity.about.com/cs/windowsxp/a/aa042204.htm
¨ Family-friendly Games & Fun (Crosswalk
directory)
directory.crosswalk.com/directory/Web_Services_and_Computers/Games_and_Fun/default.aspx
¨ What Every Parent
Needs to Know About Emerging Technology
www.nationalcoalition.org/pdf/EmergingTechnology.pdf
¨ “Cell phones
dial into the preteen market” article (kid-safe phones enter market)
www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2005-03-08-kids-phones_x.htm
¨ Everest
Home Edition - (freeware
¨ Defragmentation
Utilities list - The free defragmentation utilities listed on this
page purport to defragment your hard disk, that is, they move the various
fragments of your file so that they are in one contiguous chunk. A defragmented
hard disk has at least a couple of advantages over a badly fragmented one
- your system may operate faster.