The Adventures of ScriptKitty: Teaching Middle School Students Cyber Awareness with Comics on the Raspberry Pi

Abstract

Cyber security and on-line safety practices are not commonly taught in schools. However, there is an increasing need for education in these topics as children are joining the Internet community at a much earlier age than previous generations. It is crucial that young people understand the risks they may face on-line and how to mitigate them, ideally as soon as they begin using the Internet unsupervised. The Adventures of ScriptKitty (AOSK) introduces students to basic cyber security concepts using the Raspberry Pi, a single board computer that retails for $35.00. We created AOSK to help facilitate a culture of good cyber security practices and raise interest in STEM. The material is presented in the form of comics paired with instructional sections, including sections of more detailed technical information for readers who wish to learn more about key concepts. We piloted a portion of AOSK to a group of local middle school students. Our time with the students was limited, so we administered a short quiz, then discussed the Raspberry Pi. Next, students completed the packet sniffing exercise from Chapter 2, with the authors available to answer questions and help troubleshoot. Students were asked to re-take the quiz afterward. Our preliminary results show that students achieved a greater understanding of the material, with improved scores of 14%. A custom Pi image preloaded with Kali Linux and all needed software is included with the material. All the materials are published and available for free through GitBook at: https://suzannejmatthews.gitbooks.io/aosk/content