Week 6 & 7: Security

Essential Question: What should teachers take into consideration when attempting to incorporate online safety/cybersecurity into the curriculum?

The essential question this week is directly related to the question from last week dealing with privacy. Our students’ safety, security, and privacy all need to be considered by everyone in a school setting, from administrators to teachers.

First off, the school needs to be set up in a way that is exuding the best cybersecurity practices. Corinne Lestch (Cybersecurity in K-12, 2015), listed a series of tips for schools to achieve this. They included everything from a “robust firewall” to “contracting with a third-party vendor to monitor the security of your school’s network” to “sign(ing) off and shut(ting) off computers at the end of the school day.” Based on numerous readings, I would argue that before teachers can begin to incorporate safety and cybersecurity into their curriculums, it is extremely important that the school district as a whole models the behavior they want to see out of their students. I know far too many staff members that keep their passwords written on a sticky note in or around their desks, but expect students to behave differently in order to keep themselves safe online. 

Cybersecurity at school begins with the adults creating a safe environment for the students to utilize technology to learn. Matthew Lynch (2017) wrote an article the provided these five key elements to promote safe use of technology in K-12 schools:

1. Restricting Access
2. Controlling App Availability in 1-to-1 Initiatives
3. Educating Students on the Consequences
4. Using Spyware to Watch Over Students
5. Having an Acceptable Use Policy

But just having these elements in place is not enough. We must teach our students how to effectively use the internet while keeping themselves safe because we won’t always be right there guiding them. “Society teaches kids to look both ways before crossing the street and tells them not to take candy from strangers. However, in the internet age, children face digital threats, too, and it’s an adult’s job to protect them” (Wallace, n.d.). I love this outlook on cybersecurity. The sentiment was echoed in another article I read when Virginia Lehmkuhl-Dakhwe, director of a STEM education program at San Jose State University, was quoted as saying, “We regard (cybersecurity) the same as personal hygiene — it’s really important for kids to function online, to understand what the reality is and what the risks are” (Reading, writing - and cybersecurity, 2015). 

It is extremely important that all teachers create time to teach their students about cybersecurity. Students need to be aware and reminded that what they do online affects themselves and others. They should be taught to create a positive footprint because colleges and future employers will be looking into them and judging them based on their online presence. In addition that we should be teaching our students about “passwords, malware, wireless security, privacy and online threats” (Reading, writing - and cybersecurity, 2015).

Lastly, we should be exposing our students to cybersecurity as early as possible not only for their safety but because someday they may be able to use their knowledge and skills to work in the cybersecurity field. And if not directly working in cybersecurity, they are still likely to hold a job in which they are in contact with technology. As Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance said, “Just to be able to work in those places, they need to know how to use technology safely” (Federal initiative, 2015).


Resources: 

Lestch, C. (2015, July 22). Cybersecurity in K-12: Tips for keeping schools, students secure. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.fedscoop.com/cybersecurity-in-k-12-education-tips-and-takeaways-for-securing-school-networks/

Lestch, C. (2015, July 20). Federal initiative aims to spark kids' interest in cybersecurity. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.fedscoop.com/federal-initiative-aims-to-spark-kids-interest-in-cybersecurity/

Lestch, C. (2015, July 21). Reading, writing - and cybersecurity? Digital safety programs sprout up in schools. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.fedscoop.com/cybersecurity-is-being-taught-with-reading-writing-and-arithmetic-in-schools/

Lynch, M. (2017, August 18). Keeping K-12 Students Safe When Using EdTech. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/keeping-k-12-students-safe-using-edtech/ 

Wallace, F. (n.d.). Teaching Cybersecurity to Kids. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.uscybersecurity.net/teaching-cybersecurity-to-kids/