New Year, New Resolutions

    2017. Happy New Year! For many, a new year means thinking hard about goals to establish and reach. We call them our resolutions, of course, and I want to offer some thoughts about a particular set of resolutions you may want to create. Let's call them New Year's Tech Resolutions.  I got to thinking about Tech Resolutions after reading a NY Times article about the subject. This post draws considerably on the ideas in that article.

    I think it's a good idea to put password management on the top of your resolution list. The reason is simple: without good password protocols, you are at risk to lose your data, your operating system, your financial health and maybe even your identity. High risk doesn't even begin to describe those possibilities. So let's start with passwords in the new year. 

    We're all familiar with the problem of password overload. At GSB, there are passwords for KnightSite and Office 365 and the network log-in and the wireless network. Depending on your position and needs, there are also passwords for Accelerated Reader and Destiny and Naviance and FAWeb and Instant Alert and Pickatime.  Many teachers utilize websites that require a log-in with password. Add in your personal life - your apps and sites and devices - and suddenly you have a couple of dozen log-ins with associated passwords.  If you're more deeply into the world of technology, it's not at all hard to acquire 50 or more accounts each requiring a password.

    To complicate the password morass, some of your passwords might be considered "high stakes." Passwords that protect access to bank accounts, financial institutions, credit cards and the like are clearly in this category. Here, a password breech could be devastating. What can be done?

    The general advice about passwords should become your first tech resolution. That advice is "use complicated passwords and create different passwords for your accounts."  A complicated password can be defined as at least 8 characters long utilizing a good mix of character types (capital letters, small letters, numbers and symbols). But the challenge is immediately obvious to all of us. With all those accounts, how can you possibly keep it all straight in your head?

    Here's what I did. I created a spreadsheet with account names that also listed user names and passwords.  Then, I password-protected that particular document.  I then uploaded that document to my Dropbox account. With the Dropbox phone app, I have easy access to my file of account log-in information. I also need two passwords (a form of two-factor authentication) to get to the information; one for Dropbox and another for the spreadsheet document.  

   There are apps that provide similar services now. LastPass and 1Password are two examples. They can also provide you with complex passwords to use.

    I mentioned two-factor authentication above, and you've probably been prompted to use this protocol by one account or another.  Here's how it works. When you log in to an account with your user name and password, your account sends a text to your phone with a code. You then enter that code on the log-in page to complete your log-in process.  In other words, you authenticate yourself using two independent passwords.  This adds considerable additional protection against unwanted account access and is highly desirable for those high stakes accounts.

    A second Tech Resolution you might consider involves data management. What's involved? Organizing your desktop. Cleaning out unwanted photos. Making sense of your music library. Examining multiple devices to see if the data on each device is what you want there. In short, this resolution means your goal is to get control of the information you have stored on your computer(s), phone, tablet and in the cloud.

    A few people love managing and organizing their data. They like the aesthetic appeal of  a well organized place to work.  But for the rest of us, it's a bit of a chore. I would argue, however, that it's an important chore for two reasons. The first is that you'll be more efficient and productive while using your devices. You'll be able to more quickly locate information you need. The second reason is that your devices will also become more efficient.  Inevitably, after a few hours of culling and organizing, you've deleted plenty of unwanted files. Less storage allows machines to process more quickly.

     A suggestion to get started on your computer clean-up may seem odd but I think it's helpful. Change your home screen image to a single dark color. Most people like a personal image as their desktop home screen image but when layered with individual files and folders, the result is a very cluttered, confused look. So for clean-up purposes, change to a uniform, neutral background. Then, look at what's on your desktop and begin to decide for each file: does it belong in the trash, in a folder with other similar documents or should it continue to stand alone as an individual file? As you go through each file, your desktop will become more organized. When done, move along to your document section, your pictures, etc.

    File cleanup can take a bit of time or many hours.  But if the process is looking like a significant task, that's a reminder that it is particularly important to undertake. Data management does not take care of itself. The longer you wait, the bigger the burden. Make it a resolution to undertake data management this year.

    A third Tech Resolution to consider involves adopting usage habits that put a premium on an  environmental ethic.  Be conscious about recycling older devices. Minimize the disposable products you use, especially printer inks.  Own only the devices you'll need and use.

    This third resolution really needs the least explanation. It simply suggests that we all include our digital lives as we seek to live in an environmentally sustainable way. Few would argue the importance of a philosophy that states: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  But it applies to the plastic in your tablet as much as the plastic in your water bottle.  Finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint as it relates to electronics is a community good worth pursuing.   

    There are a variety of specific suggestions that can make a significant cumulative difference. Printing less is a great way to start. If you need to print, use the black and white option whenever possible. Color inks have a greater environmental impact because of the way they are manufactured. At school printing to a copying machine, as opposed to a traditional computer printer, is also a preferred option when available.  Disposing of used equipment properly makes a difference as well. Many towns sponsor e-waste collections. Companies like Amazon and Gazelle allow you to mail in devices, often for store credit or cash. Finally, being a more conscious consumer of electronics can make a real difference.  Occasionally, devices are purchased without much forethought and end up collecting dust.  Acquiring only what you'll use, whether for work or recreation, is both economically and environmentally sound.

   
    I could offer a few more Tech Resolutions but we all know it's easy to create these resolutions and easier still to ignore them.  I think a few well-intentioned, perfectly achievable goals are plenty. They key is to believe they matter to you and to others and then to act on them. If that's done, then your 2017 should be great, at least technologically. Good luck, and Happy New Year.