K-12 school districts are on the frontlines of cyber warfare, with many districts across America to become victims of phishing, social engineering, malware, and ransomware attacks. As a result, many districts have been forced to cease operations for extended periods of time, pay costly ransoms, and endure the embarrassment of having highly…

A qualitative case study focused on understanding what steps are needed to prepare the cybersecurity workforces of 2026-2028 to work with and against emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Conducted through a workshop held in two parts at a cybersecurity education conference, findings came both from a…

The Council of Europe's (CoE) model on Digital Citizenship Education (DCE) has at its basis the 'Competencies of Democratic Culture' model, which considers being an active and responsible citizen and implies the development of a set of lifelong competencies both online and offline at various levels, as well. Taking the 'Competencies of Democratic…

The requirement that schools must monitor student internet use is not a new concept to K-12 education; however, the use of safety management platforms (SMPs) to help with this task is new. These tools utilize artificial intelligence to sift through the data attached to student information and communications technology (ICT) use and report it back…

This is the second in a series of five briefs published by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology on the key considerations facing educational leaders as they work to build and sustain core digital infrastructure for learning. These briefs offer recommendations to complement the fundamental infrastructure considerations…

During the past year, teachers have pushed their technology skills to the next level, improving their understanding of how to use learning management systems effectively; integrating digital curricula, online assessments, and interactive games into learning; and upgrading their skills for using modern communication tools such as Zoom. This new…

Digital inequity has been a long-standing issue in the education community. A lack of home internet and technology devices can not only hinder students' ability to access educational resources at home, but can also have a detrimental effect on student achievement. Education agencies have taken steps over the past decades to address digital…

A data breach occurs when a cyberhacker physically gains access to files on a computer or remotely bypasses a network's security system, gaining access to data, and stealing sensitive information. Remote network security breaches are a common method for taking sensitive information from companies. The confidential information can then be sold on…

Our children, and our nation, face new challenges in our increasingly digital world. The following report makes the case for building greater resilience against the growing problems of misinformation and disinformation by equipping our teachers and students with the tools and skills they need to face and understand those problems. It begins with…

Rationale: Former President Barack Obama's $3.9 trillion for the 2015 fiscal year budget request included a $2.9 billion investment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Research then showed that the national spending for cybersecurity has exceeded $10.7 billion in the 2015 fiscal year. Nonetheless, the number of…

Providing access to robust connectivity is critical to ensuring today's students are college and career ready. As such, federal, state, and district-level leaders have dedicated a significant amount of time, effort, and resources toward improving our schools' external broadband access, including both Internet access and wide area network (WAN).…

Almost everyone uses social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Since Facebook is the most popular site in the history of the Internet, this article will focus on how one can protect his/her personal information and how that extends to protecting the private information of others.

No matter how many car washes or bake sales schools host to raise money, adding funds to their coffers is a recurring problem. This perpetual financial difficulty makes expansive technology purchases or changes seem like a pipe dream for school CIOs and has education technologists searching for ways to stretch money. In 2005, state K-12 school…

In December, Microsoft announced a major security flaw affecting its Internet Explorer web browser. The flaw allowed hackers to use hidden computer code they had already injected into legitimate websites to steal the passwords of visitors to those sites. Reportedly, more than 10,000 websites were infected with the destructive code by the time…

A basic definition of "cyberbullying" is provided by Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. She has defined cyberbullying as using the Internet or other mobile devices to send or post harmful or cruel text or images to bully others. The advent of social networking has highlighted cyberbullying. Library media…