Kids and Passwords II

Part of the confusion some kids had setting up their accounts could be due to the design of my password sheet, which had 4 boxes: username, email address, ps116.org password, and GoogleDocs password. The boxes on the sheet were similar visually to the ones where they type their passwords online, but the sequence of boxes on the sheet didn't correspond to the sequence of boxes on the login screens. The sequence in my redesign, while not as logical, does correspond to the login screens (with a section for the username and password they enter at ps116.org, and a section for the email address and password they enter at GoogleDocs), and should lessen confusion somewhat.

The only problem is that this year's kids are all set up, so I may have to wait until next September to try it.

The next quandary is whether to let kids choose their own passwords (which many often forget without the password sheet) or have them use a formula (which is less secure, but also teaches them a strategy they can use for managing multiple passwords later in life, and which some still forget). I've tried both and neither is perfect. Anyone else have experience with this?