Tips to remember passwords and addresses

Students often struggle when it comes to remembering passwords and website addresses. Here are some suggestions:

1. When registering for their blogs, have them use a combination of their name and their student number (I use the last 3 digits of their student number). This way there is a greater chance that url (blog address) is available among the hundreds of thousands of addresses already taken. It also serves to help you identify the student when assessing their work.


2. Have them use their student number as a password. This way, if they forget, they or you can easily look it up.


3. Another password solution is to have them use their phone number. Although good, this still has the disadvantage of them forgetting it or getting it confused, and you not being able to help them find out what it is (for example if they used an old phone number or a brother's).


4. It might help to have them print out two copies of a screenshot of the webpage when they register for the account; one for you and one for them. However, if you ensure they all use the same format suggested in #1 and #2, you shouldn't need this.


5. Another trick is to have them key in their username and password into their cellphones, or email them to themselves.


6. Once they sign up, I have them print out a screenshot of their blog so they can see what the URL is and go back to it more easily the next time.
   
7. Quiz them! (example quiz in Word format)
   

Remember: It isn't a good idea to have them post personal information such as their student number on their blogs where other people can see it. A general rule of thumb I use is: if it is posted to the internet once, it may be there forever in some archived form.