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UMGC Global Media Center GenCyber Campgoers Take Their Training to the聽Classroom

GenCyber Campgoers Take Their Training to the Classroom

Alex Kasten
By Alex Kasten
  • Cybersecurity Awareness Month |
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. . . and It's Paying Dividends

For Washington, D.C., area high school teachers Helene Johnson and Lorraine Lloyd, the GenCyber Teacher Camp they attended has been a real game-changer.

Johnson, a computer and cybersecurity teacher at Suitland Senior High School in District Heights, Maryland, and Lloyd, a cybersecurity teacher at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Virginia, were among the 25 educators who participated last July in GenCyber Teacher Camp 2019, sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation and hosted by 抖阴视频.

The intensive week-long program, which provides an array of skills, games, labs, and other supporting tools and technologies to take back to the classroom, is designed to help K-12 teachers train the cybersecurity workforce of the future by promoting best practices in cybersecurity teaching methodology and curriculum development and providing lesson plans that infuse cybersecurity principles across many subject areas.

Johnson and Lloyd told UMGC that attending the camp helped them better respond to greater interest in cybersecurity, make a real difference in the lives of their students and grow professionally.

Lloyd, who said she has seen the number of students taking her cybersecurity class double in one year, described her students as eager to get involved outside of the classroom, adding they are especially interested in participating in capture the flag competitions. Some have competed in contests and Girls Go CyberStart, she said. Her students are also interested in learning material toward certification tests such as CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+.

鈥淚 love it when I can show students new skills and information and build on their existing knowledge so that they are able to solve complex problems,鈥 Lloyd said.

Through the camp, Lloyd learned about an NSA-UMGC co-funded scholarship opportunity for a graduate certificate in cybersecurity, and was selected as one of the five scholarship winners. She is about to complete her program in Cybersecurity Management and Policy.

聽鈥淚 would not have been able to afford the classes if not for the scholarship and I am a vastly better teacher for doing it,鈥 she said.

Recently, a colleague from the Loudon County school system nominated Lloyd for the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award. Bestowed by the U.S. Secretary of Education, the award is presented annually to two educators鈥攐ne at the elementary level and one at the secondary level鈥攚ho demonstrate superior achievement in instilling skills, knowledge, and passion with respect to cybersecurity and cybersecurity-related subjects. Lloyd said she is honored to have been nominated and is 聽realistic about her chances of winning. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy to be a part of such a critical mission.鈥

Specifically, Johnson said the GenCyber camp helped her gain a more in-depth understanding of cryptography and how to offer a better-guided practice of the topic to her students. 鈥淚 continue to seek ways to present cyber material so it is relatable to today鈥檚 students and the GenCyber camp provided fun lesson聽plans students can enjoy,鈥 she said.

Although it鈥檚 too early to tell if Johnson鈥檚 cybersecurity students will end up working in the field, one of her recent graduates is enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has declared a major in management information systems.

鈥淗e is a born leader who has aspirations to work for Google and then own his own IT firm,鈥 Johnson said.