Scottsdale teachers participate in cybersecurity training at GCU

Scottsdale Unified School District teachers, Tracey Dodrill, Luz Maria Van Daam and Lauren Reeve attended Grand Canyon University’s Cyber Center for Excellence 2023 GenCyber Teacher Training, June 26-30, in Phoenix.

Dodrill, with Scottsdale Online Learning, Van Daam, of Pueblo Elementary School, and Reeve, a substitute teacher, were selected to be a part of a 40-teacher cadre for exploring aspects of cybersecurity including, ethics, cybersecurity careers, and online safety, according to a press release.

The 40 hours of training included helping teachers develop cybersecurity lesson plans designed for implementing in their classrooms with STEM activities that corresponded with cybersecurity and cyberspace, the  release stated, adding the GenCyber program provides cybersecurity experiences for teachers at the secondary level.

The goals of the GenCyber program are to ignite, sustain, and increase awareness of K12 cybersecurity content and cybersecurity postsecondary and career opportunities for participants through year-round engagement. The program also is structured to increase student diversity in cybersecurity college/career readiness pathways at the K-12 level, facilitate teacher readiness to learn, develop, and deliver cybersecurity content for the K-12 classroom with other nationwide initiatives.

Striving to quell the nation’s shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, the GenCyber program ensures that enough young people are inspired to use their talents in cybersecurity to benefit the future of the country’s national and economic security “as we become even more reliant on cyber-based technology in every aspect of our daily lives,” the release said.

To ensure a level playing field, GenCyber camps are open to teacher participants at no cost. The GenCyber program is financially supported by the National Security Agency, the National Science Foundation, and other federal partners on an annual basis. The GenCyber Program Office is at the National Security Agency.