Pre-Conference Workshops for the 2022 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference will take place on Saturday and Sunday, December 3-4, 2022 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand in St. Louis, Missouri.  Space is limited. Workshops are an additional fee above general registration. Registration for workshops will close on Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 12:00am EST. 

NOTE: you must be registered for the main conference to register for the pre-conference workshops. If you have already registered for the conference, please follow the instructions on your registration confirmation to add workshops to your invoice.

Workshop Descriptions and Schedule

Saturday, December 3, 2022

10:00am - 12:00pm 

Activities and Interactive Devices to Demonstrate Abstract Cybersecurity Topics

Fee: $75, Max attendees: 75

Speaker: Georgia Tyner - Founder/President, Associated Children's Media Publishing & Production Inc.

Most cybersecurity education programs are designed for middle school- or high school-aged children. Can a child in K-5 learn about cybersecurity, its environment, or terminology other than through books? Children love toys, activities, and interaction. They are visual learners and can also learn subliminally. But how do you demonstrate an abstract topic like cybersecurity? Demonstrate cybersecurity in action, via the way they learn, in a colorful, interactive, and fun way. Children K-2nd create with building blocks. The blocks may or may not have images on them. Children put together puzzles. Why not make age-appropriate building blocks and puzzles that are a visual for cybersecurity? Colorful blocks and puzzles can show computer and network connectivity and the terminology they will inevitably come to use and know. Children in 3rd and 5th grade are already online playing games, sending emails, and texts, and using social media. They neither understand nor can they visualize how good things can go bad. This age can better learn from an interactive toy. An interactive toy can give children an overview of computer, networking, and cybersecurity knowledge. It can allow for groups of 4-5 children to work together as a LAN and with other groups of 4-5 children on other LANs to form a WAN demonstrating the sphere of security, and learning how to protect information, systems, and networks. It will also allow the students to send various malware and watch how they spread. Keep learning fun, colorful, visual, and interactive!

Using a Cyber Range in Your Classroom

Fee: $75, Max attendees: 75

Speakers: Joseph McAdam - Director of Cybersecurity Content, Cyber.org; Laurie Salvail - Director, Cyber.org

In this session, attendees will learn to use a cyber range to give students a real-world understanding of cybersecurity topics. Attendees will understand how they can use a cyber range in their classroom to help students obtain the hands-on experience needed for them to enter the cyber workforce and help pass exams to obtain credentials for a cyber career. This session will not only show how certain attacks work from a malicious actor’s side but also the mistakes a victim makes and how a person can defend themselves against these attacks. Attendees will gain access to a cyber range using Kali Linux and Windows virtual machines where they will work through phishing, backdoor, cross-site request forgery, and ransomware attacks. Attendees will learn how they can obtain access to a cyber range for their classroom and what resources and labs are available to support their cyber range. This session will also cover how a cyber range can be used for a CTF environment to be used in a classroom. The cyber range used in this workshop will be a completely sandboxed environment that is run through a web browser, so no special software is needed to be installed on the attendees’ machines. Attendees will receive free access to a range that can be used for weeks after the conference.

Secure the Enterprise, Cloud, and Future (Part 1 of 2)

Fee: $125 ***This workshop has 2 parts***, Max attendees: 75

Speaker: Thomas Trevethan - Academic Program Director, Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is spearheading the effort to restore faith in the digital age by taking strategic action to bridge the cybersecurity skills gap. The Cybersecurity Academy creates partnerships with qualified secondary and post-secondary schools to provide next-generation security technology, course materials, certification, and hands-on labs at no cost to be implemented as part of their academic cybersecurity curriculum. The program is designed to equip students with the cybersecurity skills and knowledge based on NICE work roles required to succeed in today's rapidly evolving threat landscape. 

This workshop will prepare faculty to teach the Cybersecurity Foundation, Network Security Fundamentals, Cloud Security Fundamentals, and Security Operations Fundamentals courses offered through the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy program. The session will include a review of content and cloud-based hands-on labs that can be used for secondary and post-secondary classroom instruction. Further, this session initially prepares faculty to become a Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-Level Technician (PCCET) available through PearsonVue and no-cost exam vouchers will be provided to workshop participants that complete the course requirements.

US Air Force Cyber Operations

Fee: $75 Max Attendees: 75

Speakers: TBA

The Cyberspace Capabilities Center [CCC], located at Scott Air Force Base, is a direct reporting unit to Air Combat Command.  It serves as the Air Force's front door for cyber and information technology requirements.  In collaboration with Air Combat Command, 16th Air Force, and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the CCC provides data-driven, decision-quality information and technical expertise that is required to design, develop, and deploy air, space and cyberspace systems and capabilities into the cyberspace domain.  Utilizing an innovative industry standard framework, Information Technology Service Management, the CCC integrates new cyber capabilities to today and tomorrow's warfighters. These capabilities are intertwined with intelligence, command and control, air superiority, personnel recovery, and precision attack missions.  The presentation will discuss the capabilities to provide rapid, tailored defensive mission assurance to United States Transportation Command’s (USTC) global mobility operations and Joint Force Headquarters Department of Defense Information Network’s worldwide information network. These capabilities provide mission assurance in the cyberspace domain for operations around the world. They also provide mission assurance to the critical systems that USTC relies on every day to move cargo where it needs to be. Presenters will share the importance of cyber education, the career pathways available to high school students and those seeking advanced education. Come see how cyber is used to protect our national security and learn how your students can join the cadre of professionals who protect our nation.

1:00pm - 3:00pm 

Secure the Enterprise, Cloud, and Future (Part 2 of 2)

(see description above)

Business Immersion for Cybersecurity Education

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speaker: Donald Pipkin - Instructor, Tulsa Technology Center

Tulsa Technology Center’s Cybersecurity Program changed itself from a lab-heavy academic cybersecurity class into a hands-on cybersecurity apprenticeship. The class is now run as a cybersecurity consulting company, where the students are employees, and the teachers are team leaders. This methodology provides a more holistic view of cybersecurity and allows the student, as an apprentice, to incrementally add to their existing knowledge and skills. The scope and sequence of the class follow the NIST cybersecurity life cycle at each level of the cybersecurity maturity model, presenting the students with hands-on scenarios requiring project-based problem-solving. Come learn how to convert educational materials, which are traditionally organized for instructors to present, practice, review, and test on a specific topic, into contextualized customer issues that require research, clarification, communication, implementation, verification, and documentation. Examples of assessing the completeness of the lab and the quality of documentation will be provided. Gamification of the process by adding badges (employee awards) and leveling-up (promotions) will also be discussed. Work through receiving a help ticket for guidance on research materials, developing an implementation strategy, implementing, and verifying the solution, and documenting the process with appropriate follow-up communication to the client that submitted the help ticket. Participants will receive guidance on developing scenarios and creating complete customer discussions along with how to implement business systems (help-desk software) and automate (virtualized computer provisioning) processes.

Cybersecurity Ethics, Case Studies, and Tabletop Activities with CYBER.ORG

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speakers: Charlene Cooper - Curriculum Development Specialist, CYBER.ORG; Laurie Salvail - Director, CYBER.ORG

This session by CYBER.ORG will focus on real-life experiences that students have with cybersecurity. Cyber Society debates engage students in thoughtful discussion, research, and collaborative debate. Lessons focus on critical thinking, teamwork, and verbal communication skills. Skills learned from our cyber society course help students to become more confident in how they interact with the ever-growing and connected world around them. In this session, you’ll experience one of our AICS cyber scenarios. AICS (Analysis and Investigation of Cyber Scenarios) drops participants into the role of DHS agents tasked with solving complex scenarios. Participants will use their critical thinking/reading skills to sift through documents for the potential solution. In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, CYBER.ORG's Cyber Society course is designed for 9-12 cybersecurity classrooms at no cost to educators/schools.

Sunday, December 4, 2022

10am - 12:00pm

Hands-on Hacking: Capture the Flag Workshop

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speaker: David Raymond - Director, Virginia Cyber Range

Bring your laptop! In this workshop, you will learn about Jeopardy-style Capture the Flag competitions and how to use them to drive student interest in cybersecurity and enhance learning in critical cybersecurity topics. More importantly, you will learn how to approach different types of CTF challenges and the tools that you and your students can use to solve them, with some hands-on challenge solving along the way. Finally, you will learn where to find CTF competitions for your students to try. You might even get some hints related to the conference CTF!

Diversify Your Cyber Engagement - Algorithm Yoga, Python & HMTL STEAM Fun!

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speakers: Donna Woods - CTE Cyber Academic Pathway, Lead Instructor, Moreno Valley Unified School District; Becky Baez - Teacher: COS/Cyber Security/ STEAM, MVUSD/ Landmark Middle School; Sarah Lucas - Partnership Manager, Skillstruck

Are you looking for engaging and unique ways to "Cyber-Up" your curriculum? In this fun and interactive session, participants will engage in hands-on activities that provide the use of interactive platforms in computer science, cybersecurity, Python, HTML, and Gamification. Come explore how Cyber Pathways integrate a myriad of STEAM, Cybersecurity, and Computer Science principles into their curriculum while building students’ knowledge and skills within the NICEK12 Framework. Participants will leave with access to the software they can immediately begin utilizing, as well as a wealth of fun, creative ideas to start off the new year in 2023. We invite you to join the team of instructors from MVUSD Cyber Academic Pathway (MS & HS) and their Academic Partner, Skill Struck, as you take a refreshing dive into the curriculum where every student and even “newbie” instructors find great success, regardless of their previous cyber and computer science abilities. Oh, and be prepared for some fun Algorithm Yoga!

Hands-on Workshop: Cybersecurity and STEAM Meet at the micro:bit

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 50 (First Offering)

Speakers: Andy Lindsay - Applications Engineer & Curriculum Developer, Parallax; Ken Gracey - CEO, Parallax 

This hands-on workshop with the popular BBC micro:bit and free curriculum from Parallax demonstrate cybersecurity concepts in a fun and engaging way. No matter what fields your students pursue, they will likely encounter electronic devices that communicate through the internet or with other networked devices. This could be shop or lab equipment, consumer products, environmental sensors, habitat control, or even art installations. As all are potential cyberattack targets, cybersecurity should be treated as an essential component of technology literacy. In this workshop, the micro:bit module serves as a stand-in for any such device. You will use the micro:bit module’s built-in Bluetooth radios to exchange initially unencrypted data, and experience firsthand how some sample micro:bit and robotic applications can be affected by cyberattacks. You will then modify application scripts to incorporate encryption and harden the network and its applications against attacks. This safe microcosm of cybersecurity for the Internet of things has potential for wider adoption since the micro:bit minimizes IT setup hurdles. No software driver installations are needed, and micro:bit radio networks exist separately from any school networks. Developed in partnership with cyber.org, this curriculum and the cyber:bot robot build transferable skills and cybersecurity awareness into any STEM or STEAM program. Bring your laptop or Chromebook with a USB A port, and bring its power supply, too. Parallax will supply the micro:bit modules and cyber:bot robots. Examples at learn.parallax.com/cyberstudents and learn.parallax.com/cyberteachers

Hands-on Introduction to Innovative Tools for Teaching and Learning Cybersecurity

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speakers: Mike Qaissaunee - Professor/Chair, Engineering and Technology, Brookdale Community College; John Sands - Moraine Valley; Stephanie Wascher - Computer Information Systems, Rock Valley College

Mike Qaissaunee and Dr. John Sands have been leading the introduction of new and innovative technologies and approaches to teaching and learning. Their efforts focus on leveraging and developing free or inexpensive, easily accessible online resources to engage instructors and learners better. The growing library of resources includes a broad spectrum of disciplines, from basic math to introductory networking and electronics/breadboarding to advanced cybersecurity and compliance and auditing. Qaissaunee and Sands have also worked to expand the pool of faculty developing and implementing these tools, with young, dynamic faculty such as the third presenter, Professor Stephanie Wascher from Rock Valley College. This hands-on session will introduce a wide variety of tools and resources already used in classrooms‚ online and face-to-face. The discussion will start with a brief overview (what it is, where I can get it, etc.) of each tool. Presenters will then demonstrate and discuss how each resource is used in their classrooms and how attendees may use it in their classrooms. Finally, presenters will solicit feedback on how to improve resources, other resources needed by the community, and how attendees can get involved with these efforts.

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Capture-the-Flag Competitions: Assessing Employable Cybersecurity Skills

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speaker: Wesley Alvarez - Director of Academics, EC-Council

In this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of single and multiplayer Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competitions that can be implemented in or outside of the classroom. The platform host, CyberQ, is a multi-purpose CTF platform offering cybersecurity challenges on live virtual machines in a real-time environment, benchmarking student knowledge, skills, and abilities. This workshop will explore the basics of CTFs and CTF implementation, also discussing how player data is collected and aligned to the NICE framework so players can understand how their skills contribute to today's careers and industry. Each participant will receive access to the CyberQ CTF platform covering network defense, ethical hacking, and digital forensics CTFs. CTF challenges within this session are aligned to the EC-Council Essentials Series, a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) certification series offering three certification courses designed to teach hands-on, tactical cybersecurity education to high school students so they can pursue entry-level employment in the field.

Hands-on Workshop: Cybersecurity and STEAM Meet at the micro:bit

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 50 (2nd offering)

Speakers: Andy Lindsay - Applications Engineer & Curriculum Developer, Parallax; Ken Gracey - CEO, Parallax 

This hands-on workshop with the popular BBC micro:bit and free curriculum from Parallax demonstrate cybersecurity concepts in a fun and engaging way. No matter what fields your students pursue, they will likely encounter electronic devices that communicate through the internet or with other networked devices. This could be shop or lab equipment, consumer products, environmental sensors, habitat control, or even art installations. As all are potential cyberattack targets, cybersecurity should be treated as an essential component of technology literacy. In this workshop, the micro:bit module serves as a stand-in for any such device. You will use the micro:bit module’s built-in Bluetooth radios to exchange initially unencrypted data, and experience firsthand how some sample micro:bit and robotic applications can be affected by cyberattacks. You will then modify application scripts to incorporate encryption and harden the network and its applications against attacks. This safe microcosm of cybersecurity for the Internet of things has potential for wider adoption since the micro:bit minimizes IT setup hurdles. No software driver installations are needed, and micro:bit radio networks exist separately from any school networks. Developed in partnership with cyber.org, this curriculum and the cyber:bot robot build transferable skills and cybersecurity awareness into any STEM or STEAM program. Bring your laptop or Chromebook with a USB A port, and bring its power supply, too. Parallax will supply the micro:bit modules and cyber:bot robots. Examples at learn.parallax.com/cyberstudents and learn.parallax.com/cyberteachers

How Durable Skills Can Enable Cybersecurity Careers through Apprenticeships

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speakers: Amy Kardel - Senior Vice President, Strategic Workforce Relationships, CompTIA; Stephanie Short - Vice President of Partnerships, America Succeeds; Alisa Morse - CAPS Network Coordinator, The CAPS Network

As demand for technical cybersecurity skills rises in the U.S. job market, so does the demand for Durable Skills. In fact, research shows these skills‚ sometimes called “professional” or “21st-century” skills, are critical success factors in rewarding, lasting careers working with technology in any field. Why? What are Durable Skills? And how can paving a pathway to cybersecurity careers that pass through registered apprenticeships deliver the transformational value of Durable Skills to high school students and employers? Join three experts from the workforce development ecosystem who are answering these questions by putting Durable Skills into action for educators, students, and employers: Amy Kardel, leader of CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech, a program in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and supported by the U.S. Department of Labor; Stephanie Short, Vice President of Partnerships at America Succeeds, a nonprofit that engages business leaders in improving education pathways across the country; Corey Mohn, President and Executive Director of CAPS Network, empowering high school students to fast-forward into their future through real-world business projects and the development of professional skills.

This session advocates for transforming K-12 cybersecurity education in three ways: Refining and redefining the lexicon that describes core skills critical for successful careers working with technology using textual data from actual job descriptions; Integrating Durable Skills development into the cybersecurity curriculum in parallel and throughout the educational continuum from high school long into adult life; Delivering complimentary Durable Skills instruction through programs like apprenticeships that are accessible to traditionally under-represented and underserved communities.

Tools for Teaching Cryptography

Fee: $75 Max attendees: 75

Speakers: John Sands - Moraine Valley Community College; Jiri Jirik - Assistant Professor, Ivy Tech Community College

This session will introduce new and innovative ways to engage students with hands-on activities in teaching Cryptography and Crypto Analysis. The session will review a series of 12 new labs engaging tools for teaching cryptography, steganography, hashing, and cryptoanalysis. All participants will receive a student lab book, instructor guide, and classroom tools as part of the session. This session will enable you to teach both modern and classical cryptography.