Online Professional Development for Educators
These four courses are offered through our partnership with the Cisco Networking Academy. The courses are self-paced and no cost to educators. Use the link below each course description to self-enroll.
If you are interested in the need for cybersecurity, privacy, and common attacks and protections start with the Cybersecurity Basics course. If you want to develop a broad foundational understanding, we recommend the Cybersecurity Essentials course. When you are ready to develop your understanding of networks, dive into the Networking Essentials course. The Packet Tracer course will introduce this network design, simulation, and modeling tool.
Intro to Cybersecurity (15 hrs, self-paced course)
Course Dates: Available now through Dec 8, 2023
This course is a good starting point to understand the relatively new world of cybersecurity. Explore some common threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities (for example: malware, buffer overflow, DDoS, social engineering). Investigate some data protection measures. No prerequisites required.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of safe on-line behaviors
- Describe the different types of malware and attacks
- Describe the protection strategies used organizations against attacks
Alignment to High School Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines:
Self-enroll now:
https://www.netacad.com/portal/web/self-enroll/m/course-1706407
Cybersecurity Essentials (30 hrs, self-paced course)
Course Dates: Available now through Dec 8, 2023
Build upon your cybersecurity knowledge and explore the essential information security principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Understand the types of attackers, common threats, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures. The McCumber Cube, the National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, the National Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database, and the ethics of working as a cybersecurity specialist are among the topics covered in this course. Cybersecurity Basics or comparable knowledge is recommended.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the characteristics of criminals and heroes in the cybersecurity realm.
Describe the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability as they relate to data states and cybersecurity countermeasures. - Describe the tactics, techniques and procedures used by cyber criminals.
- Describe how technologies, products, and procedures are used to protect confidentiality.
- Describe how technologies, products, and procedures are used to ensure integrity.
- Describe how technologies, products, and procedures provide high availability.
- Explain how cybersecurity professionals use technologies, processes, and procedures to defend all components of the network.
- Explain the purpose of laws related to cybersecurity.
Alignment to High School Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines:
1.3 Cybersecurity practices are highly complex and variable causing tension between what the ethical duties are, to whom the ethical concern should be considered, and whose interest should be invested in protecting
2.1 Cybersecurity relies on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (the CIA triad).
2.3 The more you restrict access, processes, resources, and users based on the policy, the more secure the system.
4.1 Data security deals with the integrity of the data, i.e., the protection from corruption or errors; the privacy of data; and data confidentiality, i.e., it being accessible to only those who have access privilege to it.
4.3 Cryptography techniques are necessary to keep data private and secure, and evolve with changes in technology.
5.1 Systems consist of a combination of hardware and software that together achieve some objective and security requires integration of both.
6.1 Adversity comes from anyone or anything where the end result differs from that intended by the system designer and user.
7.1 Cybersecurity risk is a measure of the potential damage or loss a vulnerability could cause weighed against the likelihood an adversary will exploit the vulnerability.
8.2 Cybersecurity is global, transcending traditional boundaries, and is always evolving.
Self-enroll now:
https://www.netacad.com/portal/web/self-enroll/m/course-1705826
Introduction to Packet Tracer (10 hrs, self-paced course)
Course Dates: Available now through Dec 8, 2023
This course is designed for new users of Packet Tracer for self-study and familiarization with the tool used in many Networking Academy courses. It is not the intention of this course to teach networking and IoT technology.
Packet Tracer is an exciting network design, simulation and modelling tool that allows you to develop your skill set in networking, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
You’ll Learn These Core Skills:
- Simulate data interactions traveling through a network.
- Visualize the network in both logical and physical modes.
- Apply skills through practice, using labs and Cisco Packet Tracer activities.
- Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Self-enroll now:
https://www.netacad.com/portal/web/self-enroll/m/course-1701754
Networking Essentials (70 hrs, self-paced course)
Course Dates: Available now through Dec 8, 2023
This course is designed for teachers wanting to learn more about communication in a connected world. There are 20 modules covering topics such as: the Internet, networking protocols, TCP/IP and OSI models, IP addressing, building a home network, security threats and attacks, and troubleshooting common network problems.
You’ll Learn These Core Skills:
- Plan and install a home or small business network using wireless technology, then connect it to the Internet.
- Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills using Cisco Packet Tracer.
- Practice verifying and troubleshooting network and Internet connectivity.
- Recognize and mitigate security threats to a home network.
Alignment to High School Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines:
3.1 The Internet is a large, globally distributed network that is divided into layers, governed by protocols, and connects a wide variety of devices.
3.2 The Internet provides a large attack surface, which offers efficiencies or economies of scale for adversaries.
Self-enroll now:
https://www.netacad.com/portal/web/self-enroll/m/course-1703178