Hello everyone,
Welcome to my A3 Forecasting Project on “Enhancing Cybersecurity Education Through Generative Simulations.” This project builds upon the insights from the A1 Analysis and applies them to the realm of cybersecurity. It explores the transformative potential of fully automated simulation generation, particularly when integrated with gamified learning. These innovative generative simulations represent a cutting-edge approach to mastering cybersecurity, offering an engaging and compelling learning experience.
Please take a look at my A3 Google Site: Here
Joel Flanagan
Hello Joel,
Thank you for going into depth on cybersecurity. It is such an important topic as we continually evolve towards building greater accountability on data privacy and safety. Staying safe online is one of the critical topics we discuss frequently at our school, and it is such a priority when it comes to younger children whom are the most vulnerable. This topic definitely culminated recently over the state hearing against Mark Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, Evan Spiegel and other leading social media executives on 2024 January 31st, and echoes a lot of the importance of this topic to equipping students with tools to protect themselves onliine.
I definitely agree with the generative AI use towards creating gamified learning of cybersecurity. I do think though that it would need balancing out with active engaged learning of skills, towards something output focused or project-based, that requires a generative nature on part of the student side, not the AI side, to deepen the learning. How do you suggest using AI to promote a constructivist approach towards learning and promoting student agency?
Also, I would want to further probe is your thoughts on how you effectively teach cybersecurity. How do you balance teaching the importance of it without evoking fearmongering, or effectively addressing parental concern in regards to this topic?
Hi Joel,
Great idea and a well-executed outline of it. I found that I needed to think fairly hard to follow your proposal, not because it was unclear, but because the topic is deep, meaningful, and engaging. By connecting AI and Cybersecurity I really think you can provide your students with meaningful and impactful content and learning experiences. I found myself wondering how you could package this into some form of an entrepreneurial endeavor as well as an experience that uses existing opportunities.
I wonder, as well, about the application of AI gamification to other areas of learning in schools. How can this AI production of simulation experiences lend itself to stronger learning experiences in other subject areas as well? You’ve inspired me to play around with this and see what I can come up with for my subject areas – history for instance.
Thanks for all your work on this!
Steve Acree
Hello Steve,
Thank you for your considerate feedback. I aimed to craft content that not only remains accessible but also showcases enough to be valuable for those conducting detailed research on similar topics in the future or for those who might come across it while exploring the World Wide Web. The specialized nature of the subject requires a balance between technical rigour and clarity, which I strived to achieve.
Your insights have sparked my imagination—not only about these possibilities but also about playing Assassin’s Creed (if any of my students are reading this, it’s just for the Discovery Tour) again! I can’t help but imagine dynamically generating content using a game engine like that to create an interactive lesson plan for students. Just imagine the thrill of exploring historical events or complex concepts in real time, all within a game-like environment. The potential of this approach is truly exciting and inspiring!
Thanks again for engaging with the content and sharing your perspectives.
Joel
Hi Joel,
Cyber security is often spoken about in my role as an EdTech for our district. We recently had to roll out some training for staff to satisfy our insurance requirements. There was a bit of gamification to it with tasks and rewards. Have you had the chance to look at Cyber Legends? It is an online dashboard geared towards teachers to support all-around digital literacy, fluency, and cyber security education. It has a gamified component that is quest-based (new this summer) and it aligns with the Alberta and Ontario curricular outcomes. I have not had the chance to see the quests yet, as we are rolling it out in our district in September but it might be an interesting look.
Your OER highlights the rise of cyber security education. I found it a bit content-dense and, like Rich, would have liked a few additional videos or infographics etc. With that said, it is a very important topic and using AI to create various scenarios is a smart pairing for education and efficiency. Thank you for your hard work.
Jeannine
Hello Jeannine,
Thank you for your feedback on the topic forecast. I had considered adding a video to the final section but was uncertain about how to creatively present a concept that doesn’t yet exist. Reflecting on it now, a demo of the existing tool with a voiceover explaining its functionality might have been more effective than just relying on text.
One of my mentors once told me that you need to teach/do something three times to really get comfortable with it. I may need to enroll in ETEC 523 a few more times to perfect things!
Joking aside, regarding the Cyber Legends material, I haven’t come across it yet. It’s been a few years since I taught Technology 9, where that curriculum would be most relevant. I noticed it’s a Canadian product. Have you used it before in your teachings? If so, how did you like it?
Thank you for the suggestions.
Joel
Hi Joel,
I found this to be a very exciting OER to read. Although cybersecurity is not a realm I have a strong connection to, as an educator I really liked your model of creating dynamic and interactive tasks.
This made me think of the traditional approach to education of apprenticeship, with the learner engaged in real albeit selected and mentored projects. This is a sharp contrast to the large-scale classroom/worksheet/exam format in much of formal education. While there are definitely efforts to bridge this gap (such as project based learning), there still seems to be a split between the “academic” subjects using artificial classroom techniques, and the “trades” that provide more of the hands on apprenticeship approaches.
Besides a practicality of reaching learning objectives, I think a significant advantage of realistic (or fully real) scenarios is the inherent enjoyment of the task. Subjects like woodworking or machining are taught with hands on projects, and the work is so enjoyable that many people pursue these as hobbies regardless of any practical application. This is less so in the academic areas: as lifelong science aficionado I’ll say that my personal enjoyment is not enhanced by completing textbook questions, and I suspect many English majors would rather read (or write) a novel than work on a five-paragraph essay. Your OER brings this intrinsic motivation to an area that previously was too complex to do so on a large scale.
Devon
Hello Devon,
Thank you for your feedback—I appreciate it.
In my classes, many students are technically inclined and thrive in environments where they can engage with practical, real-world scenarios. One of the challenges I face is creating authentic and engaging teaching materials, especially given the limited time available and the lack of existing resources. The materials often get outdated or deprecated, requiring time to update or change.
Organic learning opportunities can make the experience more enjoyable and impactful for students. It’s something I try to incorporate whenever possible.
Thanks again for your insights.
Joel
Hi Joel,
Really great information in your A3 project. It is a topic area that I have virtually no knowledge of. My district is also big into the global cyber-security student competitions and I am so impressed by both the students and teachers! Good on your for being instrumental in cyber security education in your province! In your A3, you provided some good resource links and examples of what is out there in terms of cyber security education and simulation. For me personally not knowing much about it, I would have liked to see a link to a video which, in your opinion, would be a good example of demonstrating a cyber security simulation teaching sitaution. Other than that, I thought your A3 brought forward a lot of valuable information, especially to those of us not so well versed in your area of expertise.
Great work!
Rich
Hello Rich,
Thank you for your feedback—I really appreciate it.
I initially considered expanding it further to provide more detailed explanations, but I was concerned that it might become too lengthy. As you suggested, a video simulation would be an excellent way to enhance the material without overwhelming the reader. I considered doing one. I was trying to figure out how to approach the design as it discussed a future forecast. I should have modelled a simulation and dubbed over the potentials now when I think it over with the feedback from people.
Thanks again for your thoughtful insights.
Joel
Hello Joel,
Your expertise in cybersecurity and and our course focus on the integration of AI, resonates in your A3. Regarding the general cybersecurity curriculum I feel that not only is it hard to teach but also hard to learn. I thought it was very creative for you to align AI, gamification, and generated simulations to enhance learning opportunities for cybersecurity. This makes such a grand topic to be more approachable and experiential.
I thought you went above and beyond in your Google site as you provided a long list of cybersecurity resources. I will definitely use this for one of my grade 12 students this coming school year as she will be enrolled in a work experience program focused on cybersecurity. So thank you!
Hello Clarisse,
Thank you so much for your feedback—I’m glad you enjoyed some of the resources I included on the website. I intended to provide viewers with a solid understanding of the background and current capabilities in a moment before diving into the concept of randomized generated simulations.
Teaching Cybersecurity to high school students has been one of experimentation, as only a few developed resources existed at the time I started. One of the things that I found quite helpful at the technical level of the course is to have students discuss and learn from each other. This highlights students synthesizing information and distilling it to other students at a level they understand.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Best of luck with the students next year! Feel free to keep in contact via LinkedIn if you ever want to catch up on ideas.
Joel
Hi Joel,
This is a fairly heady topic, but one you are clearly very well-versed in. It took me a little while to figure out exactly what your title was referencing, but you made it extremely clear through your delivery of the information on the site. It reminds me a bit of work that a friend of mine has been doing with simulations in medical training. He told me at length just how helpful simulations were, for some of the same reasons you outlined. The veracity, spontaneity, and unpredictability help create an environment where skills that are being learned or practiced can be truly tested and refined.
Cybersecurity is something we touch on in the Elementary grades I teach, but it is often abstract for younger learners, or they see it in an overly simplified way (the “hacker in the basement stealing your passwords” trope comes to mind). Through your description in your site, it becomes abundantly clear how the simulations (especially in gamified learning) could be very useful.
Thanks for your work sifting through and explaining this challenging topic.
Sam Paterson
Hello Sam,
Thank you so much for your kind feedback—I appreciate it. My goal with the project was to balance making the content accessible for those with some foundational knowledge and offering deeper insights for those who are more advanced and technical. Given the niche nature of the subject, I wanted to ensure that it could be valuable to a broad audience.
I have found it challenging to find suitable learning materials for beginner levels at times. There is just so much of it designed for corporate training. The students enjoy the simulations but can get bored of them at times. Enriching the experiences with teamwork and competition has been a way to keep them engaged and interested.
Again, thank you for your thoughtful feedback. It’s beneficial as I continue refining my future work.
Joel