I have about 70 billion accounts on various educational websites and other Internet sites, and it is frankly impossible to store all of that in my head. When I get to a site that won't let me log in because my sign-in info is wrong, I want to log in to the site creator's neck and wring it! Fortunately, I have configured a system for passwords on non-sensitive sites (things that don't store information that creepy hackers would want), and I have a program that securely stores my other life stuff (keepass).
If you are a teacher that uses technology with students, you know that the password game can be frustrating to the point that you might not want to use the tech tool anymore. Now, I don't think it wise to encourage students to use the same password for everything, though perhaps that could work for the non-sensitive sites I mentioned before. Here is a list of things educators can do to try and beat the password blues:
1. Limit the number of log ins students need to do
(network, Google Docs, and LMS system are all that should be required. Everything else should be optional)
2. Teach students to use an algorithm or other set configuration for passwords. Ron Houtman suggests taking the name of the website and using a standard numeric arrangement around the name. (e.g. "age/site name/birthday)
3. Have a back up plan for those who forget. Instead of spending a class hour scrambling to help the forgetful pupils, you could just hand them a paper copy, and maybe next time they will be a little more responsible. Life lessons can be hard!
That's my take on this topic. If you have other ideas, please share.
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