Mary Spoelhof, at far computer, sits next to Xinli Wang, associate
professor of computing, during GenCyber camp at the DeVos Center for
Interprofessional Health in Grand Rapids.
Photo Credit:
Cory Morse
College of Computing faculty and participants in the GenCyber teacher
camp are pictured on the balcony of the DeVos Center for
Interprofessional Health.
The College of Computing hosted its first cybersecurity camp for area
middle and high school teachers but the training for educators went
beyond one week in a classroom on the Health Campus.
Sara Sutton, camp director and assistant professor of computing, said
the GenCyber program for teachers started in the spring and will
continue through December. Teachers applied and were accepted into the
cohort of 25; they received professional development hours and a
$1,000 stipend.
"We have three sessions. A pre-camp in April prepared them for
the week of summer camp, and we will host post-camp monthly meetings
through December. The camp is a learner-centered, hands-on, intensive
program focusing on the Gencyber Cybersecurity Concepts
Framework," Sutton said.
Participants learned how to develop lesson plans around cybersecurity
while discussing recent cyber attacks, password protection and
phishing, and how to protect their technology.
Mary Spoelhof, a teacher at Creekside Middle School in Zeeland, was
one of the few middle school teachers in the cohort. Spoelhof teaches
computing technology for sixth and eighth graders and said her
bolstered lesson plans will work well toward her students' digital
citizenship skills.
"It's also nice to be in a cohort of teachers learning the same
material, so you can bounce ideas off each other and ask questions
once the school year begins," she said.
GenCyber is a national program funded by the National Security Agency
and the National Science Foundation.
“By investing in our instructors, we make a meaningful difference
today while also shaping and uplifting generations to come, year after
year," Sutton said.
Three French professors received an award from the Reacting Consortium; their prize money will launch a November conference for high school and college instructors to invigorate their classrooms.
October 1, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 3)
Article by
Peg West