Cyber.org has released a free, full-year Cyber Literacy curriculum for middle school and high school, teaching Python scripting with the micro:bit, focused on coding fundamentals, cybersecurity and AI, and extending into robotics. The cyber:bot tutorials can be woven into the Cyber Literacy curriculum as a live demonstration platform where students can control or hack other student’s robots using the micro:bit’s wireless communication ability.
Cyber Literacy is released as a well-supported curriculum with lesson plans, slides, standards alignment and assessment/answers. The structure of the curriculum is here:
- micro:bit
- Get Started
- Save and Reopen Scripts
- UI Controls and Side Panels
- Serial Monitor Intro
- Scripting
- Scripting Essentials – Program Flow
- Scripting Essentials – Common Tasks
- Intro to AI with Chatbots
- AI Assisted Scripting – The Basics
- AI Assisted Scripting – Iterative Development
- Encryption (can be used in parallel with cyber:bot https://learn.parallax.com/tutorials/series/cyberbot-tutorial-series)
- Caesar Cipher
- Objects and Modules
- Substitution Ciphers
- Transposition Ciphers
- Polyalphabetic Ciphers
- Binary, ASCII, and Digital Logic
- Simple Binary Ciphers
- Hex Values and AES Encryption
- Radio Networks
- Unidirectional Communication
- Bidirectional Communication
- Frequency Hopping
- Encrypted Terminal Chat
- Encrypting App Communication
- Encrypted Terminal Chat
- Encrypting App Communication
- Network Addresses
- Network Topologies
- Communication Protocols
- Network Components
- Attacks and Defenses
Here’s what you need to do to access the full curriculum:
- Sign up at Cyber.org to access Cyber Literacy
- Access the Cyber Literacy Course Content using your approved login
- Use the accompanying Parallax cyber:bot tutorials
The only hardware required for the Cyber Literacy tutorials is a single micro:bit module:
The cyber:bot is available in similar packages:
Congratulations to cyber.org on this tremendous release!
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.