Unit 4: Week 3: Using a Web Browser Safely and Accessing Shared Storage

Big Ideas

Just about everyone uses the Internet. The Internet is a great resource for connecting with friends and family, learning new things, and sharing information. Even young children who connect with grandma and grandpa on a tablet or a phone over a video conference are often using the Internet, and they’re too young to even know what it is!

Whenever anyone uses the Internet, they leave digital traces of their use, whether they intend to or not. Internet use can be and often is tracked, even if you don’t realize it’s going on. Just consider what happens when you go online to look at some new shoes that you want to buy. All of a sudden, you start seeing ads for shoes on other websites, often the exact same shoes you looked at! Tracking your use can be a benefit, because it can help you learn about things you’re interested in, like when those shoes go on sale. But it can also be a threat to you, your devices, and your personal information.

Network providers, like your school district, use technology to try to keep their users and their hardware and network safe from inappropriate and illegal use. These technology solutions, like firewalls, help, but everyone who uses the Internet should also take actions to stay safe and keep their information secure. This includes when you are using the Internet for school work and using online storage for school documents that you might share with teachers or other students. This unit will help you understand some technology resources, like firewalls and safe online storage, as well as some strategies you can take to surf the web more safely.