Unit 1: What is Cybersecurity?
Introduction
Students have access to devices both at school and at home. Regardless of whether they are using them to educational or recreational purposes their devices are still exposed to cyber threats. Educators and caretakers must be aware of these threats in order to support students and their devices. This unit will introduce participants to the topic of cyber security and help them understand and recognize common words and phrases related to cybersecurity.
Objectives
Participants will..
- Define cybersecurity
- Understand common words and phrases related to cybersecurity
- Be able to explain why cybersecurity is important
Lesson
Introduction
Cybersecurity is concerned with protecting devices and networks from unauthorized access that may lead to damage or being shut down. Everyone who uses a device that connects to the internet is vulnerable to threats. This includes computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Cybersecurity is concerned with protecting people and devices from various threats.
Please watch the following video and read the article to get broad overview of cybersecurity and its relevance to schools:
https://www.uscybersecurity.net/teaching-cybersecurity-to-kids/
Now we will examine what some of those words and phrases mean. Take note of any phrases or risks that you want to learn more about and look them up in the NIST glossary linked in Assessment.
Assessment
Now that you are aware of some of the threats quiz yourself to see how many you can identify.
If you come across any additional terms that you are unfamiliar with you can use the NIST glossary. NIST is a set of guidelines for mitigating cybersecurity risks and is published by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Click here to move on to Unit 2: Why is it Important to Teach K-5 students about Cybersecurity?
