Some readers may recall that last weekend I tried to explain passwords and computer viruses to my step-father. In the post about that experience I included a short video from Explania about how to craft a strong password. If after watching that video you or your students still need help creating strong passwords, here are three simple tools that will help you develop strong passwords.

One of the best ways to protect your online identity is to create strong passwords containing unique characters. Sometimes it’s difficult to think of new strong passwords. When you’re having a mental block thinking up a new password try PassCreator. PassCreator is a free service that helps you create a strong password. To use PassCreator just select the attributes you want your password to have (number of characters, character type, etc.) then press “create.” If you don’t like the password created for you, just press “create” again to generate another password.

Password Bird is a simple website that asks you three questions then generates a password for you based on your responses. Every password it generated for me included numbers and letters. If you don’t like the password it generates for you, simply click the link for a new password.

If you’ve ever been in that place where you’re stuck trying to develop a password, PassPlex is for you. PassPlex is a simple tool for generating strong and unique passwords. To use PassPlex to create a password all you have to do is enter the number of characters you need and the level of complexity you desire for your password.