CyberSecure Teaching: Strengthening Digital Resilience in K-12, Vocational Education, and Teacher Training

forthcoming

The rapid digitalization of education and daily life has changed the role of teachers, requiring them to develop new skills in cybersecurity and safe digital practices. With the rise of AI, deepfake and online misinformation, educators face new challenges in ensuring a safe learning environment. However, many teachers lack training in cybersecurity, making it difficult to act safely or teach students how to protect themselves online. The CyberSecure Teaching project tackles this issue by providing K12 and VET teachers and teacher educators with the tools and knowledge to understand and teach cybersecurity effectively and act accordingly in their work. The project supports key EU initiatives, such as the Digital Education Action Plan and the Cybersecurity Skills Academy, and helps teachers follow regulations like the GDPR. The project focuses on three main areas: 1. Creating practical teaching materials, including a 5 ECTS training module, a 3 ECTS online course (MOOC), and assessment tools. 2. Building a European Community of Practice, where teachers can learn, share knowledge, and get support on cybersecurity topics. 3. Organizing Summer Schools to provide hands-on training for K-12 and vocational education teachers across Europe. A consortium of nine pre-service and in-service teacher education institutions and training schools from Finland, Portugal, Austria, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Belgium brings expertise in teacher training, cybersecurity, and digital education. With this consortium, the project will reach thousands of future teachers and hundreds of teacher educators across Europe at K12 and VET levels. It also fills a gap in cybersecurity education by offering practical, easy-to-use resources for teachers. By improving digital skills and awareness, CyberSecure Teaching helps teachers create safe and secure digital school environments, strengthening digital resilience in Europe through a Europe-wide teacher academy network.