In many of the classes I teach, students are required to have a user name and password to access their online accounts. Imagine 12 out of 15 students at the beginning of class not knowing their user names, password or account email address at the beginning of a 3 hour intense technology class.
So what do you have to do in a situation like this? Each student needs to select the ‘Forgot Your Password' link and have an email sent to the email address on record to reset the password.
It gets really complicated if the student does not know the email address on record, the password to their email address to access it on the web, or how to access their email on the web! They complain that their computer knows the password and they never have to enter it.
This is frustrating not only for the technology coach but also for the student - not to mention the amount of valuable time that is lost.
Keeping up with computer passwords is not a hard thing to do. You just have to stop procrastinating and assuming that ‘everything is taken care of for you' when signing up for a service - that nothing will happen in the future that will require you have to use another computer - it's so convenient just to select the ‘Remember Passwords' button...
Here is a list of ways that you can keep up with online accounts effectively:
Keep a Journal: Buy a journal. One that you will be able to find easily. Get one that has a pretty cover - you'll have it for a long time :). I believe that this is the best way to keep passwords. When placed in a safe and secure place, you can gain access to it without depending on a computer. Below you will see that I've given you solutions on how to not only create complicated passwords but how to remember them.
Purchase software for your laptop or smartphone: You can install affordable software on your computer that will log your passwords so that you don't have to reenter passwords in accounts. Just remember to back up your smartphone on your computer, and back up your files on your computer! I searched on cnet.com and found a software called 'Password Caddy for the iPhone and at http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore and found "Password Manager".
www.handypassword.com is one place to consider. You can keep passwords online and locally on your computer.
www.cp-lab.com provides several ways to keep encrypted password information.
www.securesafepro.com provides templates for passwords
http://strongpasswordgenerator.com will help you to create passwords and also provides a guideline.
You can also generate passwords by creating a pattern of your own - use sentences to generate your passwords by using the first letter of each word in a sentence. Combine it with numbers. For example, "I Love My Boo!" This sentence could be used to create the password, 'ILMB!'
Use abbreviations of website names with passwords. For example, if you were setting a password for your ActiveRain account, you could use a password like this: acv1234 or use the '@' sign to replace the 'a'.
In the long run, it's all up to you how you manage your passwords. The more organized you are, the easier it will be for you when they are needed.
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