Wednesday, 5 August 2015

Hephzibah High teacher looks forward to new cybersecurity classes

Lionel Harper summed up his feelings on being one of four Richmond County teachers selected to start a pilot of the district’s new cybersecurity career pathway this year with one word: “privileged.”

As Harper readied his computer lab and took inventory of his equipment Tuesday, the Hephzibah High School teacher said he was glad to be “on the cutting edge of education.” Around 14 Hephzibah High School students are expected to take the cybersecurity-related courses he will oversee.

“I’m usually happy to see the school year begin, but I’m really starting to get excited with this new pathway on the horizon,” Harper said. “It’s something that really needs to be taught, and my goal this year is to make sure they leave this class with a working knowledge of the subject.”

Born out of a partnership with Fort Gordon’s Army Cyber Command, Georgia universities and Augusta’s major school systems, the cybersecurity pathway is designed to train students in techniques needed to protect military and civilian computer networks.

The state Department of Education gave its approval of the new curriculum April 2, and classes are scheduled to begin during the fall semester. Students at the Academy of Richmond County, Richmond County Technical Magnet School and Hephzibah High School will be able to take at least introductory classes in the career pathway this year, and they will be students in all four of the pathway’s classes during the 2017-18 year.

Harper spent most of his summer meeting with school officials, cybersecurity experts and representatives from Fort Gordon to start planning his classes and teaching style.

Over the past few months Harper “read everything he could” on major hacking attacks and current government initiatives to secure computer networks, hoping to incorporate real-life examples into his daily lectures to pique students’ interest. He will also focus strictly on ethics and law “from day one,” a subject he considers one of his most important teaching points.

“Some of these kids will already understand some of the techniques we discuss in here, but they might not know just how much trouble they can get into by practicing on their own in an uncontrolled environment,” Harper said. “It’s imperative that students get an education on the ethical side of this before anything else. I’m going to push that from the first class forward.”

Along with theory, Harper also plans to teach his students practical skills.

They will learn the “nuts and bolts” of computer network creation and securing computer systems, along with the techniques infiltrators use to gain illegal access to them.

Along with basic theory, students will also get a chance to put their skills to the test in virtual networks designed to allow students to practice cybersecurity techniques hands-on in a “safer environment.”

“Eventually, you’ll have to get past the theory and start working with the real thing to really understand it,” Harper said. “To learn how to defend a network, you have to learn how to attack it. Only then can you really understand your weaknesses. As officials put it, we’re going to use that virtual network like a sandbox.”

Harper said that he felt cybersecurity classes could really help students find “rewarding and well-paying work,” and that the pathway could bring new opportunities to his school.

“Everybody, from businesses to military facilities, needs strong computer networks to stay functional,” Harper said. “Students taking this class will get the skills they need to be competitive in that environment. There are also competitions and clubs out there that our kids could enter… All around, it brings a lot to the table.”

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