CBSE teacher workshop on cyber security

A two-day prospective resource person programme on Cyber Safety and Security was conducted offline by CBSE COE on 15 & 16 December 2021 at their Patparganj office. The session marked the attendance of almost 50 educators from across Delhi-NCR. Ms Simranjeet Kaur of The Indian School computer science department attended the workshop.

The resource persons were Ms Gurpreet Kaur (Chief Manager-Education and Training, Shri Educare Ltd.) and Ms Mona Chopra (Academic Coordinator, Birla Vidya Niketan). The workshop aimed at creating awareness about different types of cyber crime and the imperative need for cyber security.

The session on Day One commenced with Ms Gurpreet Kaur quoting Rabindranath Tagore, ' Where the mind is without fear and the head held high' , and explained that the same should be true while working in cyberspace.

The resource persons took turns to explain how the crime rate has grown due to the extensive use of technology. They emphasised that the cyber cell and POSCO play a significant role at school. It is the responsibility of the teachers to guide students about cyber rules and how to keep oneself protected.

Ms Mona Chopra discussed cyber ethics, netiquette, digital footprints, juice jacking, cyber trolling, cyber harassment and, types of malware during the workshop. The resource persons explained the significance of curating positive digital footprints and shared several practical tips on privacy settings and safe practices. They also provided information on how to report a cyber crime.

The session concluded for the day with a collaborative activity that saw participants create a generic IT policy for schools. The educators discussed salient features pertaining to the use of technology by students and school staff. For example, how teachers could monitor students during virtual competitions through monitoring servers, etcetera.

On Day Two, Ms Chopra highlighted the types of issues faced by students in cyber space such as child pornography, cyberstalking, camfecting, cyberbullying, and catfishing.

Ms Gurpreet Kaur spoke about the importance of digital literacy and also elaborated on age-appropriate content to be used by educators to sensitise students about various cyber related issues.

Mr Mukesh Kumar, a participant from DPS R.K.Puram presented the exemplar policy drafted by the participants the previous day.

During the session, the resource persons discussed case studies with the help of multimedia and activities. The session concluded with a question-answer round followed by the distribution of certificates and a group photograph.

Overall, an informative session that focussed on how to stay safe: Preach and Practice!