Survey Calls For More Cyber Education
A new poll released Thursday of elementary and high school teachers, administrators and technology coordinators shows they lack the professional skills to adequately train students about cyber safety, security and ethics. "The study illuminates that there is no cohesive effort to provide young people the education they need to safely and securely navigate the digital age and prepare them as digital citizens and employees," Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, said in a statement.
The poll, conducted by Zogby International of more than 1,000 teachers, 400 school administrators and 200 technology coordinators, was released by Kaiser's group, along with Microsoft and the University of Maryland's Educational Technology Policy, Research and Outreach. The survey found that four out of every 10 teachers have not taught any topics related to cyber safety or cybersecurity in the past year. And while more than 90 percent of technology coordinators, school administrators and teachers said they favor teaching cyber ethics, safety and security in schools, only 35 percent of teachers and half of administrators require that these subjects be included in their curriculum.
The poll also found that schools tend to focus more on shielding students from inappropriate Internet content - with more than 90 percent using filtering and blocking software - instead of teaching children ways to safely and securely surf the Internet.
Given students' increasing reliance on electronic media, the study notes the importance of teaching appropriate cyber surfing habits. A Kaiser Family Foundation study released last month found that children between the ages of 8 and 18 consume an average of nearly 7 and a half hours of electronic content per day.
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