Seminole Superintendent talks of cybersecurity, technology in education
I continue to be amazed by the speed at which technological innovation offers new opportunities to all of us as entrepreneurs, employees, consumers, and citizens. Recent significant advancements in a variety of technologies such as 3D printing and scanning, sensors, and mobile payment systems are transforming the ways in which we work and live in Central Florida, the United States, and the world!
As superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS), it is my job to ensure that our students have the opportunity to use emerging technologies to learn in different ways than I did when I was in school. It is also my responsibility to make sure that we are educating students and families about the challenges that arise from everyday technology use. In Seminole County, we devote instructional time to educating students about important concepts like digital footprint, online safety, and cyberbullying.
One issue that I am especially concerned about is cybersecurity and the protection of data that is important to each of us as consumers and private citizens. Sadly, media reports of data breaches, dangerous ransomware, and online fraud schemes have become as common as stories about new technologies. It appears that our children are growing up in a world where the privacy of their current and future financial and medical data is at great risk, even when they follow good online safety practices. In its 2015 year-end review of the cybersecurity business market, Forbes estimated that cyber attacks cost businesses $400 to $500 billion annually, and that demand for cybersecurity workers is growing so quickly that there will be 1.5 million unfilled positions in this field by 2019. Locally, we continue to hear from employers that they need more information technology and cybersecurity specialists in their businesses.
SCPS is committed to providing our students with the employability skills and education pathways they need to be ready for the high-wage, high-demand jobs of the future. This includes opening, and closing, programs in response to changes in technology and jobs. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that our school district will launch two new applied cybersecurity high school programs at the start of the 2016-17 school year. Our nationally recognized magnet school, Crooms Academy of Information Technology, will offer these courses along with a new Program of Emphasis in cybersecurity at Lake Howell High School. The Lake Howell program will hold classes in a lab that is being reconfigured and customized for cybersecurity training, and any rising 9th grade student in Seminole County can transfer into Lake Howell for this program on a space available basis. Our award-winning Cyberpatriots team at Winter Springs High School will also continue to compete in national cybersecurity competitions.
Cybersecurity education is one small but important part of our larger Computer Science 2020 initiative, which boldly expands student exploration of, and access to, technology disciplines that play an important role in the work and personal lives of all of our future-ready graduates. We look forward to continued partnerships with post-secondary education providers, the business community, and local government to both support these specific initiatives and collectively ensure that our community remains a vibrant place for talent development, entrepreneurship, and economic prosperity.
- By Dr. Walt Griffin, Superintendent, Seminole County Public Schools
