Episode 508: Cybersecurity Education: Be Discerning and Open to Learning

Technology-use in education is on the rise, so how can we keep our students safe from cyber attacks? Join us in conversation with cybersecurity expert Lakecia Gray of Gwinnett County Public Schools to learn more.

TRANSCRIPT

Ashley Mengwasser: Greetings educators, welcome back to your trusted platform for teacher talk, Classroom Conversations presented by the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Public Broadcasting. I'm your verified host, Ashley Mengwasser, here with a new opportunity for Georgia's teachers to share and learn. We thought we'd keep the computer science topics rolling, and keeping with our digital age today's content has been locked. It was vetted all the way at the top of DOE's chain of command, and this connection is secure. Our communication is safe for sharing. If you're listening, remain alert. Today we're strategically approaching cybersecurity education so that you can wield more power and teach students the same in command of your classroom technology. We'll justify the importance of cybersecurity education and show you ways to incorporate cybersecurity into the curriculum. My guest is a falcon, not an actual raptor because that would be insane for the studio, but an educator from Dacula High School where the falcon is their mascot. This is certainly fitting to have a falcon training us on cybersecurity education, falcons have true oversight. According to Smithsonian Magazine they see eight times better than humans, they're fast, they're able to target and pursue their prey very quickly and efficiently. And that's rather perfect I think for a woman who's on the lookout for cyber threats. Professionally Lakecia Gray teaches computer science and web design at Dacula High where she's been for two years. I'm now naming her our cybersecurity agent on duty. Welcome to the podcast, Lakecia.

Lakecia Gray: Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here.

Ashley Mengwasser: I'm so glad you're here. What was your career before you got into education a little over two years ago?

Lakecia Gray: Yes, so actually I started out in the telecommunications industry, primarily in the wireless industry. So I worked for GTE, Cingular, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile.

Ashley Mengwasser: I have not thought about Cingular in about a century, that is wild to think about them.

Lakecia Gray: I'm aging myself, right?

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah, a little bit. What brought you to the classroom from telecom?

Lakecia Gray: So, it was a mix of things. Number one, working in the IT profession, we would see reorgs in which a lot of the support groups were being moved overseas. So I supported support application, support activities. And that's when we were moving to the follow the sun framework, in which when we got off work a team would cover in India, and so they moved to moving our entire department functions overseas. And the other piece was I had a family member actually pass from breast cancer, and I had the opportunity to impact their life and help with rearing, so they came to live with me.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay, so some little ones came to live with you. At the time, how old were they when they came?

Lakecia Gray: The youngest was 10.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, wow, that's wonderful that you did that and gave back to your family in such a way.

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: In terms of cybersecurity, how do you approach that in your work? What is your mission with cybersecurity? Why does it matter to you?

Lakecia Gray: So, for me, I've always liked trying to figure things out with little hints, just investigate if you would. Back in the day, even from high school, I'm the person in my family they'll call it to fix things. So when they started...

Ashley Mengwasser: There's always one.

Lakecia Gray: Yes. And so when they started talking about cybersecurity, as a teacher, we would get a lot of communication via email just asking teachers to participate in professional learning opportunities. And maybe about three, four years ago, I received an email and pamphlet via email of opportunities over the summer for teachers to participate in a GenCyber camp. And that was an initiative that kind of surfaced as grant money funding became available for your local public schools, in which the teachers could participate. And I've had the opportunity to work with University of North Georgia for three years, I moved into peer leadership, just helping other teachers seek out resources in collaboration to help with the movement, get more students engaged and aware of the opportunities in cybersecurity.

Ashley Mengwasser: Even though you're doing cybersecurity in the classroom now, you're still so connected to industry, right?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: The industries that you came from. What are your business contacts saying about students this day and age and how they're using technology?

Lakecia Gray: So, the school allows us to set up an advisory board, and so I was intentional in trying to secure business partners that worked in the industry. So I have a partnership with Microsoft TEALS, Georgia Tech, Honeywell, just to name a few. And pretty much what happens is I reach out to them to try to collab or collaborate around lesson planning, and so they've been impressed that I took the extra step to give the students the opportunity to see how it looks in real life and to step through actual scenarios, and have been very pleased at how my students engaged. Last year, the Microsoft TEALS contact actually offered opportunities to the students to help with looking at errors in code, and he would write a recommendation letter. So they were able to get engaged and then have an opportunity where they had a real life reference that they could add to their resume, so I'm very proud of that opportunity.

Ashley Mengwasser: You should be. And you said that these cohorts are saying, "Wow, these students have a lot of technical knowledge, they have strong technical savvy." But what are they saying about the social side of this for kids?

Lakecia Gray: When working with them I seek out feedback on what can I do as a teacher to help prepare my students for the workforce? And they said that there's a definite need for employability skills, presentation skills, and with that information I try to incorporate that in the planning as well. And a lot of them just have been very positive, in that they wish that they had that type of environment. I asked a lot about, "Hey, what would you tell yourself in high school that you didn't know about this field?" And so they've just been able to share some really good information for the students who are interested in helping them to get on the pathway to the career in tech.

Ashley Mengwasser: And it keeps you connected so that you do have the social support. You and I spoke about the dangers of being high-tech in isolation, and kind of what that can do to a person's psyche. So you've got this real mission to keep us interconnected, you've got a duty around it. So tell me about this league of girls you're raising up, the Girls Who Code Club.

Lakecia Gray: Oh, yes. Because of my experience... And I remember leaving that wishing that it was more females, because sometimes just through talking and thinking through resolutions is important to have a diverse group at the table for exchange of thoughts. I had a personal mission that I wanted to help raise awareness and get more girls engaged in computer science. And so I sought out different opportunities, and then I found the club Girls Who Code. And so I was able to implement that at my school, we have what is considered a Falcon 30, it's 30 minutes every day that you can come together with a group based off interests. And so I meet with the girls every day. It's an awesome software in that they offer curriculum, they offer support, they offer camps throughout summer development. So it's a really positive platform, and if young ladies are interested in coding, they help get you there, push you there pretty much.

Ashley Mengwasser: You're elevating girls in technology, and you're also keeping them connected and giving them their own cohort. That is so classic about you now that I know you, Lakecia. Tell us a little bit about your personality and your mission to serve.

Lakecia Gray: Personality, so if I could close my eyes and create my own profession.

Ashley Mengwasser: Go right ahead.

Lakecia Gray: What I would like to do is to be able to take all experiences from industry, teaching, real life and pour that into young people and help them map out their career pathway earlier than later, because a lot of us go to school for different things and we end up doing different things. I majored in marketing, an undergrad, and so I feel like all of those components I've come full circle in being able to utilize all of the knowledge. When it comes to preparing the students for the workplace, just getting them involved in competitive events, encouraging them, building their confidence, those are the pieces that I enjoy the most.

Ashley Mengwasser: You mentioned undergrad, and for grad school, where did you go for grad school and what was your degree?

Lakecia Gray: University of Georgia, so I did marketing education to bridge the two and get into education.

Ashley Mengwasser: Sounds like a good meld to me. But you told me this, and it made me chuckle, that you have an undying need to help people, and that you say yes to everything. And I thought, wow, that's probably how we got you on this podcast, you couldn't say no. Are you regretting that yet?

Lakecia Gray: No, awesome experience. And I consider myself a continual learner, I love networking, and I appreciate the opportunity to be exposed and be connected to other educators.

Ashley Mengwasser: I know what you meant. I'm thrilled to have you here, especially as we dive into our subject matter of cybersecurity. So why don't we start by going over some myths that I've heard out in the world? And you can tell me, are these true, false, or somewhere in between? I just want your take on them. Should we be covering our cameras on our devices when we're not using them?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: We should?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Tell me why.

Lakecia Gray: Just like we're seeing a lot of hacking instances, when they're hacking and getting into the computer, it's the same thing. And if you pay attention, because I've tried it some nights... I don't want to scare anybody.

Ashley Mengwasser: No, that's okay.

Lakecia Gray: If somebody's attempting to hack, you don't know which components they're going to access. So it could be your settings, your cameras. A lot of companies are passing out the camera's covers for you to utilize.

Ashley Mengwasser: I knew someone who was doing this about 10 years ago, and I thought it was just paranoia. And they explained to me later, "This is actually a really good practice." And I said, "Oh, wow, I didn't think about that, I need to get a camera cover for my laptop here."

Lakecia Gray: And it goes beyond that. I participated in a GenCyber camp at Kennesaw State, and they showed us how people were hacking the machines in hospitals, so the machines just checking blood pressure, sugar. So it goes beyond, just think anything that could be hacked into. And a lot of people are using the biometrics to make sure it's you, if they're able to get a picture of your eyes, if you have any of that going on, you just don't want to leave yourself open that way.

Ashley Mengwasser: Exposed.

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay. And what about links and clicking links? Should we view all links that we receive with a bit of skepticism?

Lakecia Gray: Most definitely. And I teach my kids, there's ways to confirm that the site or link is valid, you want to pay attention to the URL. Because they've gotten good, they make it look like the authentic site. But you want to pay attention to where the email is coming from or the ad is coming from, pay attention to the changes that you see in the URL, where it has the locks indicator on it as well. So we should most definitely, that's the number one way they're hacking into our system is utilizing emails, phishing and links.

Ashley Mengwasser: Be a detective, a falcon like you when we're viewing those links. And hover, don't click right away, do your research.

Lakecia Gray: And I did a fun thing with my classroom. We actually had an activity assignment called Sketch a Scheme, and so we were on the topic of social engineering, and pretty much the students were asked to create their own scheme. So they had to come up with this idea, concept, and then step through how the process would work, how they would obtain information.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow, wow. And mobile devices, are they more secure than our desktops and laptops, true or false?

Lakecia Gray: So, it depends on a lot of things, it's not just that simple. Most of us don't update our phones when they send out those patches, so that kind of leaves us exposed or vulnerable as well. So it's important that we follow the recommendations from the manufacturers to increase the security.

Ashley Mengwasser: Follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Got it. And how about this one, this last one, cyber security practices are always very expensive?

Lakecia Gray: True or false?

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Lakecia Gray: I'm going to say false, because you could find free resources. Most companies require their employees to go through different software, tests, practices just to get us more protected going in. I would say that's false.

Ashley Mengwasser: And I think as you've shown and are going to show us that it's not always just going and buying a software, sometimes it's the individual practices that we make when we interface with our technology.

Lakecia Gray: Correct.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's cybersecurity too.

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: All right, and that's what we're going to focus on now. What is one cybersecurity tip that you would advise all technology users to adopt right away?

Lakecia Gray: So, the main thing is really making a strong password, we take that for granted. And be careful and intentional about not including personal information that people can analyze and figure it out, and not using the same password for everything. Because if a hacker gets one password, you're pretty much open in every area, you're vulnerable for the theft to go on with your identity.

Ashley Mengwasser: And there are some excellent tools out today that will tell you, "Hey, I found your password in five platforms of the dark web."

Lakecia Gray: Yeah. And we actually have a lesson in which the students can go in and enter their passwords to see if it's strong enough. And you'll be amazed, I let the students try to figure out their neighbor's passwords, and a lot of them could do it. Because again, if you know their name, birthday, pet.

Ashley Mengwasser: Pet's name, yes.

Lakecia Gray: Yeah, exactly.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes, I'm vulnerable in that regard. All right, I want to hear what you have to say about cybersecurity education. So let's approach the keyboard if we will, let's begin by establishing how cybersecurity education is crucial in a digital age for student users.

Lakecia Gray: Most definitely. And not only in the classroom, we have about 750,000 jobs that are available. What I find in education is that there are opportunities for us to utilize free resources in a lot of cases, because the government has realized, "Hey, we don't have enough people working in the field, so we need to train them up." So there have been many opportunities that I participated in with my students, in which they're using the gamification to kind of recruit students and see how they're doing with their critical thinking skills. And just based off their scoring, they're in a database in which they try to follow and try to recruit them for cybersecurity.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's pretty incredible. And maybe we can also understand the significance and importance of this, by thinking about what are some potential consequences if we neglect cybersecurity?

Lakecia Gray: Yeah, we could look up and just have a lot of our industries in jeopardy. Banking, utility, we've seen it with the pipeline, and so we just don't want to be vulnerable as a state, as a country in that regard. But it's most definitely an extensive need as we do more things online, and not a lot of compliance and control on what is accessible.

Ashley Mengwasser: You can have your data stolen, you can lose your identity, all of this stuff. What real world cyber threats and attacks do you know about that might highlight the importance of teaching cybersecurity to kids at a young age?

Lakecia Gray: So, on a basic level, I think pipeline was a really good one.

Ashley Mengwasser: Tell us about that.

Lakecia Gray: A couple of years ago we had the pipeline hack, and then I had the opportunity to actually go tour the facility. So it was just very cool to see the monitoring that they have in place, and just stepping through with the students how that networking, monitoring worked, and just point out different pathways that are available or career options as we try to support any of the hacking. So that piece was really interesting for the kids, they got engaged with it. They tend to relate well when it's tied to their devices, we've had a couple of days where one of the companies... I will not name...

Ashley Mengwasser: That you used to work for?

Lakecia Gray: They can relate to that, yes. Or being able to hack other gamers when they're playing online. So I try to tie it to things that they're interested in, and that seems to go over really well.

Ashley Mengwasser: It's grounded with them, yeah. As educators design curriculum content for students, different age groups, different academic levels, what cybersecurity concepts are fundamental across the board?

Lakecia Gray: Confidentiality, just understanding that it's an important practice to have, no matter how cool you feel you are with your classmates, you just don't want to share personal information, passwords, your student ID, email, just things that would allow somebody to go in and act like they were you to gain access. Integrity, just really building up the concept on being moral, intentional, doing what's right.

Ashley Mengwasser: Digital citizenship.

Lakecia Gray: Yes, that is one of the standards that is under the computer science realm in which we spend a lot of time on that. And it's particularly as you open up resources that they can get in trouble if they don't do the right thing, so we just want to emphasize that as well. And then accessibility, just understanding that as you access different sites or software that you can be putting yourself at risk. Our county has done an amazing job with blocking out a lot of sites, but you still have kids that want to test it and take it to the next level. And just understanding, "Hey, you're creating a digital footprint, you can't do much online and it not be tracked back to you." So just getting the students to understand those concepts.

Ashley Mengwasser: Digital footprint, I know we hear over and over, that's a very relevant term. What resources can help educators teach cybersecurity, and how can they be tailored to students' needs?

Lakecia Gray: So, I've used a couple of awesome resources. The number one is CyberStart, and pretty much the past three years they've had a competition, and pretty much it was a gamification in which the students would go in and compete with different challenges. And as they progressed in the challenges, it would expose them to different careers in cybersecurity. So some of what we're just talking about, they may have an activity in which they're having to figure out the password for a particular challenge. And it may be something as simple of how you can expect the code on the computer and see somebody's password. So we stepped through scenarios like that. Another one is cyber.org, they have amazing resources. And literally the lesson plans are there, the engagement piece is there. They have a cyber range, so again, it allows you to do some activities that the school network may not allow. So those are my two main ones. TestOut was another software that I enjoyed, because it was a simulation of real world experiences on what the professionals utilize.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah, let's talk about that, because educators and students are all too familiar with school safety drills for physical safety. And the need to practice I imagine exists for cyber safety too. So that program is giving them hands-on interactive simulations, tell us about it.

Lakecia Gray: It is a software that the county has to purchase, but again, I was able to connect and get some grant opportunities to actually try it. I would encourage educators, if you're looking for resources, you need to network a little bit and be connected to just someone who can direct you to the resources that are out there. But they do have a trial period, if you want to just try it out, they'll give you access to it.

Ashley Mengwasser: And what's it called again?

Lakecia Gray: TestOut.

Ashley Mengwasser: TestOut?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: And the objective is?

Lakecia Gray: For the students to actually work in a simulated environment that kind of mirrors what the professionals do. And they have practice tests that are out there. Most cybersecurity professionals are required to acquire some type of certification, so they have practice tests that come along with this software as well. We have seen high school students utilize the practice software and go and get the industry standard certification as well as a result.

Ashley Mengwasser: Amazing. And how can educators and students collaborate with industry professionals, government agencies, community organizations to really enrich their cybersecurity education initiatives? What have you done?

Lakecia Gray: My number one thing is that I look at the network of people that I'm already connected to, because whether you've worked in the industry, you work in your community, or even in your family, sometimes you have someone that already works in the industry, and it's just about having a conversation. Even if they're not the contact, they may be able to reach out and find somebody to connect you. And you just want to ask basic questions about, "Hey, do you have someone that works with school systems?" Because I presented at a cybersecurity summit in Huntsville last year, and I learned a great lesson. Most companies have a goal of partnering with schools, so it's just about figuring out who the contact is and reaching out to see how you can make that partnership work.

Ashley Mengwasser: They're more than receptive.

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: And how do you have them interacting with your students? Are they coming into your class?

Lakecia Gray: Yes, I do a combination. So I have had them come into the class to co-teach with some employability skills exercises, elevator speech was the latest one that I could think of with Microsoft. Just gave them some topics, they had five minutes, we grouped them off, and they had to get up and respond in a quick... And that's a real thing, that you may have just a few minutes to explain something.

Ashley Mengwasser: On the spot, yeah, that's a very usable skill.

Lakecia Gray: And so, another piece is I may ask them to sponsor resources or activities. With Girls Who Code recently I was able to secure partnership, sponsorship to helping us do a college tour at Georgia State. They provided food as well as some assistance with the transportation. I believe in, hey, asking, they can only say no.

Ashley Mengwasser: Exactly. And with your mission to serve and support students' development, it makes sense that you have professionals coming into your class. You have them going out in the community, because you want them to show... That's an imaginary wall, you guys are bidirectional parts of this community. You're a computer science and web design teacher, how can educators effectively integrate computer science education into teaching more than just computer science, maybe mathematics, social studies, other disciplines?

Lakecia Gray: The curriculum or standards does include a part that will allow you to expand out the lesson to cover your STEM classes, your core classes. And the example I was giving, is that you may have a student or a project working on prototypes or where they're creating something from scratch.

Ashley Mengwasser: Innovation curriculum, yeah.

Lakecia Gray: Yes, innovation. And then you want to write a description and kind of plan out, do your flow chart about how this project will work. So you can easily pull in your language arts teachers to help with the description piece, just working with how the kids develop their collateral. Same way with science, if we're working down to the physical components, maybe they can come in and help with the calculations. So it's opportunities to do so under the project-based learning umbrella.

Ashley Mengwasser: It sounds like just stay in touch with your computer science teacher, right?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's part of it. To our general educators listening, cybersecurity might feel overwhelmingly complex if we think about it, but what is your advice to those who are passionate about integrating this in their classrooms? What can they do first?

Lakecia Gray: The number one thing I recommend is just be open and understand that you don't have to know everything, and you have to be open to being a facilitator. And sometimes that just means being genuine and honest with your kids, "Hey, I don't know this stuff, I'm learning it with you." And you'll be amazed that the students will come in and be glad to teach you and help you learn and grow as well. You got to be open to connecting with communities, in this day and age with online groups, there's an opportunity for you to connect, Facebook, Instagram, with groups that are sharing all kind of information to educators. In my county, we actually have a Teams group. So you could literally have questions about resources that you're utilizing, and the teachers are always responsive in sharing information.

Ashley Mengwasser: In just a group chat?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, that's so accessible.

Lakecia Gray: Yeah, just being open to connect with another community. And when you don't know where to go, when we receive emails or we have opportunities for professional development, I say, "Take advantage." I'm probably the queen of that. If there's something out there and I can go and learn more...

Ashley Mengwasser: You're signing up?

Lakecia Gray: I am, I'm always saying yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: I know who you are, I know who you are.

Lakecia Gray: Yes. And so I feel like that has been a positive in every aspect of my life. Even getting here, it was just my students won Cybersecurity Amazon Award this year, and they bring in teachers and students from all over the state, and the DOE was there as well. So I think the reach out came from just the exposure. So just be open to connecting, participating. And I try to encourage people that I'm mentoring, "Hey, make sure you meet at least one person you didn't know before you leave any event that you attend." And make it intentional, if you hear them speak about something you're interested in, make a note so that you can go speak with them and get their contact information. And just let them know you're looking forward to trying to learn different ways, and ask if they will be open to connecting or sharing.

Ashley Mengwasser: Excellent point. Because people are the best resource, I think. And are you willing to offer yourself in your usual manner, Lakecia, as a resource?

Lakecia Gray: Of course.

Ashley Mengwasser: Our educators listening can find you at Dacula High.

Lakecia Gray: They can.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay. Don't go anywhere anytime soon, because they might be reaching out.

Lakecia Gray: Yes. And I've had the opportunity to come... Just next door they had a professional learning with code.org, so that's another awesome resource. And it was literally teachers in the room, and they were just talking about... You could talk through what worked in the classroom or what the teachers utilize. And it was just anytime you could get together with a think tank and get different other ideas or exchange of thoughts, that will help with your growth as well.

Ashley Mengwasser: And where was that next door?

Lakecia Gray: Georgia...

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, Georgia Tech Research Institute?

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes, they put on some excellent programs for educators and students. All right, Lakecia, everything we've discussed has made me realize that I need to be more secure all the way around. I'm leaving my phone, my keys, and my wallet places, it makes me wonder, where do you keep your purse at home? I feel like I need to up my general security as well.

Lakecia Gray: So, from my days of work in an industry, I don't really carry a purse.

Ashley Mengwasser: See, that's smart, less opportunity to be vulnerable. I have a giant exposed bag just plopped out on the floor here, so I...

Lakecia Gray: I have my wallet with the basics.

Ashley Mengwasser: She has the tiniest amount of personal effects here in the studio. I said, "How did you do that?" Lakecia Gray, thanks for showing us that technology is a gray area.

Lakecia Gray: It is.

Ashley Mengwasser: And we have to be discerning.

Lakecia Gray: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Any other final messages for our audience?

Lakecia Gray: And you have to be open to learning. So what worked last year? There's daily changes in technology, and you have to seek out knowledge. Again, our online web resources are good places to start. And with teacher education, a lot of teachers are willing to share. So just be open to taking some time out, even asking your department chairs any resources or any professional development you can attend is the first place to start.

Ashley Mengwasser: Thank you very much, Lakecia.

Lakecia Gray: It's been my pleasure.

Ashley Mengwasser: Teachers, in style of service uniquely encoded in her, by the way, Lakecia freely gave of herself today to ensure that we are securely using technology in the classroom. Stay safe out there teachers and protect your student users of technology by teaching cybersecurity in the classroom. You're a great teacher. I'm Ashley, now let's all go examine our computer settings before it's too late. I've already had my identity stolen once. Sadly, that person only took my name and not my responsibilities, now how is that fair? Anyway, join us again next week for Classroom Conversations, I'll be back, goodbye for now. Funding for Classroom Conversations is made possible through the School Climate Transformation Grant.