EdTechProfile by the Numbers – April 2008: Clue Question / Answer
Submitted by Gregg Legutki on Wed, 2008-04-09 13:29.
The reality in updating EdTechProfile accounts is that most people forget their log in information from year to year. It’s quite easy to remember a bank PIN as each time we go to the ATM to withdraw cash we’re imprinting that number in our minds. Many times our computers are set up to remember our log in information automatically, which typically includes our user name and password and possibly other identifying information, and we forget over time what that log in information is. Each time I need to access an account I don’t use very often, I find myself looking up my log in information. Just too many accounts in too many configurations are added each year that we put our computers to more use. Think about it… besides logging into the actual online computer account with our Internet provider, most of us have unique log in information for email, Amazon.com, buy.com or any online shopping that we do, blog sites, wiki sites, dating sites, TeacherTube.com, map sites, document sites, the list goes on and on.
Over time the EdTechProfile programmers realized that many people who update their EdTechProfile accounts access them only one time per year. Many people found it difficult to remember their log in information from year to year. So, to assist those who understandably could not remember their log in information from one year to the next, the programmers included an account look up feature for log in information. This took the form of a clue question and answer. This clue question was actually a way to put in some personal information to verify identity, after which the EdTechProfile system would then present the user with their log in information on the screen, allowing them instant access to their EdTechProfile account. (This, in effect, is similar to including your mother’s maiden name on your account card when opening a bank account.)
With this in mind, it was suggested that every user enter a clue question and answer that they could remember. Some suggestions included the standard Mother’s maiden name, as well as some others such as: father’s middle name; place of birth; school mascot; favorite color; first child’s name; spouse’s name; etc. With a good clue question, and the appropriate answer, any user can access their EdTechProfile log in information on screen.
If an EdTechProfile user does not enter a clue question and answer, or can not remember the response to their question – and you would be surprised at how many people have forgotten their favorite color, the name of their pet, spouse, child, or where there were born! – the user is then taken to a form to complete requesting their log in information be emailed to them. Users are asked to enter their first and last names, and their current school site as well as their former school site if they have moved schools or districts. Their current email address is also asked so that their log in information can be mailed to them.
What happens next is one of two things:
Over time the EdTechProfile programmers realized that many people who update their EdTechProfile accounts access them only one time per year. Many people found it difficult to remember their log in information from year to year. So, to assist those who understandably could not remember their log in information from one year to the next, the programmers included an account look up feature for log in information. This took the form of a clue question and answer. This clue question was actually a way to put in some personal information to verify identity, after which the EdTechProfile system would then present the user with their log in information on the screen, allowing them instant access to their EdTechProfile account. (This, in effect, is similar to including your mother’s maiden name on your account card when opening a bank account.)
With this in mind, it was suggested that every user enter a clue question and answer that they could remember. Some suggestions included the standard Mother’s maiden name, as well as some others such as: father’s middle name; place of birth; school mascot; favorite color; first child’s name; spouse’s name; etc. With a good clue question, and the appropriate answer, any user can access their EdTechProfile log in information on screen.
If an EdTechProfile user does not enter a clue question and answer, or can not remember the response to their question – and you would be surprised at how many people have forgotten their favorite color, the name of their pet, spouse, child, or where there were born! – the user is then taken to a form to complete requesting their log in information be emailed to them. Users are asked to enter their first and last names, and their current school site as well as their former school site if they have moved schools or districts. Their current email address is also asked so that their log in information can be mailed to them.
What happens next is one of two things:
- If the first and last names, the email, and the county match an account in the EdTechProfile data bank, the system will automatically email the user’s log in information to the user.
- If the information does not match anything in the system, the log in information request is emailed to the regional EdTechProfile regional administrator (RA). These requests are then processed by hand by the RA. These requests may take up to 24 hours to be processed by the RA.
People are advised to standardize their accounts using the following criteria:
- Use their “official” name as given on their teaching credential. Robert Smith, although he goes by Bobby, should use his name Robert on his EdTechProfile account. Dolores, who goes by Dottie or Dot or Dee, should use her name Dolores. This gives consistency as to what name was used when the account was created.
- Use only their district assigned email address. Since this is a work related account, the information on their My Account tab should include all their work information. We all know that Yahoo!™, Gmail™, MSN Hotmail™, and other accounts change from year to year. However, a user’s district email address tends to stay consistent over the years.
- Use a simple, one word answer for the response to the clue question, and try to avoid any punctuation. If the clue question was “Where was I born?” and the answer is “Ile-de-France, France”, just putting in “France” will do the trick. This way, it wouldn’t be necessary to remember spaces, commas, hyphens, or whatever else might cause an incorrect response.
Consistent use of work related information, name and email address, keep the information clean. And, in the case of movement, allows the RA the ability to find “lost” accounts.
Whenever a user is in their EdTechProfile account, they should review the My Account tab and update any information that may be out of date.
We are creating a new FAQ page for EdTechProfile based on the often times asked questions here in Region 10. If you have a question about EdTechProfile, you can look for an answer at: http://etp.ctap10.org/node/3
Of course, you won’t find your log in information at the FAQ page! ;-)
