3.2: Education
The Education of Cyber-Capable Citizens Other Information:
The Education of Cyber-Capable Citizens -- Many scientists believe that our society will benefit when K-12 students gain a
better understanding of how digital technologies work and how to use their applications safely and wisely. Innovation in several
dimensions of education could accelerate this process: employing learning technologies in all grades and subjects; incorporating
"computational thinking" -- the concepts, mathematics, and logic of digital processes -- throughout the formal curriculum
at all levels; and expanding outreach efforts to raise public awareness and better inform people of all ages about best practices
for IT users. Where we are now -- early IT educational applications offered mainly reading lessons or "skill and drill" testing;
emerging science-based knowledge about learning (e.g., its neural basis, psychological theories of knowing, and biologically
inspired learning algorithms) is informing the development of more sophisticated learning technologies. In addition, precollegiate
educators could exploit the types of computational resources that have transformed the conduct of science and engineering
(e.g., authentic and realistic data, digital telescopes, immersive environments, mobile and portable devices, modeling and
simulation capabilities, sensor networks, and remote instruments) to transform classroom learning. Deploying such approaches
widely will require educators able to apply IT expertise to subject-matter pedagogy. Today, however, according to computer
science (CS) experts who spoke at a NITRD strategic planning public forum in 2008, the K-12 curriculum in computer science
is extremely limited, mainly focused on beginning programming at the senior-high level. The Computer Science Teachers Association
has reported that the proportion of high schools offering an introductory CS course dropped from 78 percent in 2005 to 69
percent in 2011; only 36 percent offered an Advanced Placement (AP) course in 2011, and about 11 percent of AP test takers
were CS students.23 As The Washington Post noted, "It would be hard to find a student… who has never used the Internet for
a research assignment, socialized with Facebook, or played a video game. But few know much about how computers and the Web
actually work." Accordingly, NSF has initiated programs to: 1) recruit 10,000 skilled CS teachers for schools and transform
the CS curriculum; 2) introduce computational thinking into STEM education at all levels; and 3) create a new conceptual framework
bringing together the fields of pedagogy and learning science. But this work is just beginning. An Administration initiative
coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching a multi-pronged educational effort specifically
targeting cybersecurity, with the goals of increasing public awareness; expanding cybersecurity education and training at
all levels; recruiting skilled cybersecurity workers for Federal missions; and boosting cybersecurity training for Federal
employees.28 Many NITRD agencies, such as the Department of Energy/Office of Science (DOE/SC), NASA, NOAA, and the National
Science Foundation (NSF), sponsor a variety of educational activities and Web materials for schools related to their scientific
missions. Research and education needs -- developing the cyber-capable society will require ongoing advances in all the areas
discussed. Public awareness and education reform take time, persistence, sustained coordination of efforts, and high-visibility
support in every sector. A great national challenge, similar to winning the space race in the 1960s, may also be needed to
focus the attention of students, parents, educators, and the public at large on the strategic importance of IT knowledge and
skills for economic and scientific innovation, and on IT capabilities to advance education at all levels.
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