REPORTING BY DEBBIE COLLINS-PALMER

Amidst all the recent news about cyber-attacks, have you ever asked the question, how secure am I? One can only speculate as to the extent of their own personal online safety, as the world around us continually evolves into a technologically savvy society. MGTA is launching a series of summer courses for kids designed as a personally engaging introduction to Cyber Security.

“The need for trained security personnel has accelerated to an all-time historical high, requiring not only college degrees but security certifications to meet the demand,” explains MGTA Cyber Security instructor Debbie Collins-Palmer. “Learning cyber safety encompasses everything from personal and professional protection to securing social media networks. Learning to identify and secure your personal data vulnerabilities plays a major role in your safety. It is never too early to learn how to protect yourself and others against the cyber threatening elements!”

The MGTA Cyber Defense course will provide an introduction to personal cyber defense, and it will provide an opportunity for students to embark on the path towards developing the skills for national competitions, more advanced cyber security education in college, and certifications which will lead to launching a lucrative cyber security career. Students will learn the foundational concepts of Cybersecurity and develop skills that will allow them to protect their personal and family accounts, as well as office environments, from viruses and attacks.

Topics we will include: types of attacks (Trojan horse, worm ransomware, social engineering), how to identify scamware, how to identify safe/unsafe sites, personally identifiable information (PII) protection, (types of information that can be taken from social networking accounts), encryption techniques, good vs. bad anti-virus software, how to address virus issues on your computer, and where to go for emergency help. More advanced students engage in hands on exercises to learn the basics on how to secure Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems, and they will be challenged to find vulnerabilities through competitive, team based exercises.

“The importance of protecting yourself in the cyber world today,” says Ms. Collins-Palmer, “could affect and prevent personal cyber safety compromises in your future!”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUMMER CYBER DEFENSE COURSE

The Mason Game and Technology Academy, with support from the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, is excited to bring several of our popular summer courses to the Mason in Loudoun instructional site in Sterling, VA.

Now in its second year at Loudoun, this select line-up of week-long MGTA summer courses teaches kids ages 9 to 18 about programming, modding, and game design. Courses include:

• Personal Cyber Defense
• Minecraft Modding: Three Levels of Challenge
• C# Programming
• C++ Programming
• Intro to Game Design, Creation, and Entrepreneurship
• Java Programming
• Illustrative Python – An Intro to Programming

The Mason in Loudoun instructional site, located at 21335 Signal Hill Plaza, Sterling, VA 20164, is just off of Route 7. Parking is free and the building is easily accessible.

There are still spots available, so don’t miss out. Register today!

SEE LOUDOUN SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE

Visiting Fullbright Scholar Tania Ouariachi Peralta, a PhD Student from Spain’s University of Granada, recently led a discussion about connecting serious games and environmental issues with Mason Game & Technology Academy students.

On Saturday, April 23rd, Ms. Peralta, Fulbright Visiting Scholar from Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication, was joined by seventeen MGTA students ages 11 to 18 for a mock game design project and brainstorming session. The students were asked to imagine that they were working together as a game design company and, in this scenario, their company was asked to make a serious game about climate change, the environment, and pollution. They had to brainstorm and collaborate together to come up with elements that they could add to a game about these issues that would engage the player, create an emotional investment, and inspire the player to make changes in their real life based on what they learned in the game.

The discussion was a huge success! Not only did the Scholar glean a lot of great information for her own research, but the students themselves were inspired as they began writing down additional gaming elements that could be added to assist these three criteria, and they continued sharing their ideas with their classmates. Furthermore, several parents and MGTA teachers also began their own discussions on what sort of games they could make that would be able to make a real difference.

Pictures of this event are now up on our Facebook page, along with photos from our Spring Semester weekend classes.
SEE FACEBOOK POST

We at MGTA wish Tania all the best in her future research and thank her for joining us for this very insightful talk!

SEE SUMMER GAME DESIGN PROGRAMS AT MASON