This October marks the 19th year of raising awareness around cybersecurity issues. Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an initiative founded and led by the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), is a “collaboration between government and private industry to raise awareness about digital security and empower everyone to protect their personal data from digital forms of crime,” according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance. Each year the organization and its co-creator, focus on a set of key behaviors that increase awareness in being safe online.

This year’s topics include:

• Enabling multi-factor authentication
• Using strong passwords and a password manager
• Updating software
• Recognizing and reporting phishing

For educators and users of technology, the issue of addressing cybersecurity in the classroom can seem like a daunting task. How does one begin the dive into cybersecurity and how it relates to the practice and integration of technology in schools?

As part of the effort in making cybersecurity more “educator-friendly,” KCI is offering a series of workshops focused on the issue, beginning October 4th. The four-part series, “Bringing Cybersecurity into the Classroom,” is being offered online and free of charge to educators through grant funding.

This workshop will be led by Kevin Metcalf, a renowned instructor at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA, and it will provide educators with the basics of cybersecurity and how omnipresent it is in today’s world. Topics explored will be phishing, ransomware, penetration testing, and cybersecurity careers.

Participants will leave with ideas on how to implement cybersecurity curriculum in their classrooms to help students better understand the opportunities in the field. This cohort is open to any K-14 educator who is interested in learning more about cybersecurity.