Just waiting to get through to IT support.
“Your call is important to us,
please wait and you will be connected soon…
you are number 199 in the queue”
I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes already!
“Please wait and you will be connected soon”
I’ve got a problem with my computer
and I need to get
IT support to fix it.
Trouble is it takes a long time
to get through to them.
“Your call is important to us”
I wish I knew more about computers
so I could troubleshoot my technical problems.
“…you are number 199 in the queue”
Well, that took a long time.
Turns out my computer has a virus
and needs to be cleaned.
So that’s what I want
to talk about today:
troubleshooting problems and avoiding
pitfalls when working online.
So what are some of
the digital problems
we can face as distance learners?
One issue that all digital distance learners
need to be aware of is keeping
their work safe.
Imagine working for hours on a project
and then to lose it all!
That’s enough to make anyone mad!
So always make sure you save
and back up your work.
Backing up means ‘saving your work
in at least two separate locations
so that if you lose one
the other one is safe’.
It’s a good idea to back up your work to the cloud.
That’s an online place to store files,
so if something happens to your computer,
you can always find
your work again.
Get into the habit of backing up your work:
it could save you a lot of trouble
if you do!
So what other dangers do we face online?
As a distance learner you will be
using the internet a lot
to complete your studies.
And a big threat to all of us online
is infecting our computers
with a virus or other malware.
These are programs specifically
designed to attack your computer
and make it unusable
or hand control of it over to
someone else.
We all need to be careful
to avoid this happening
as there are thousands
of virus programs out there
trying to get onto your computer.
The best way to protect
yourself from digital attack
is to have good security software on your devices.
Make sure you have up-to-date
anti-virus software installed on your machine
and scan your device regularly.
You can also use a firewall.
A firewall will block
other computers trying to take control
of your computer.
And always make sure
you keep your device’s operating system updated
– that way you get all the latest security updates
you need to keep them safe.
Those programs will help protect your computer,
but the way you behave is also important.
Never install a program
on your computer unless you are sure
it is safe to do so.
And always be careful
when opening attachments in emails.
Do you know the person who sent it to you?
Have you scanned
the attachment with anti-virus software?
Those are a few tips
to help you avoid making the same mistakes I did!
Usually, your distance
learning provider’s digital platform
will be secure,
but you can never be too careful
when working online.
So be careful out there!
”
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