[attention]We all know there has been a lack of official Cyber Security & Incident Management resources provided by the exam board. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a wealth of great resources out there though.[/attention]
Obviously, KnowItAll Ninja‘s dedicated Unit 11 Cyber Security & Incident Management course is a fantastic tool in maximising your student’s success. It covers every topic in the BTEC Level 3 Information Technology specification for Unit 11 with clear explanations, presentations & quizzes.
However, there are many other free resources out there that can help to supplement KnowItAllNinja.com along with your excellent teaching. I’ve gone through a huge number of these and identified some of my absolute favourite free cyber security resources.
Pearson Unit 11 Learner Workbook
If you’ve missed it, while there hasn’t been a paid revision study guide or workbook from Pearson, there is a free learner workbook downloadable from the BTEC website.
You can download this by visiting the BTEC 2016 Information Technology page on the qualifications.pearson.com website, or clicking this link which will take you directly to the page to download the workbook. You should see the top link is the BTEC National in Information Technology: Learner Workbook (Unit 11).
While it is a huge shame that we haven’t seen official published materials, such as a student book or revision guide, this is a fantastic resource none-the-less, and completely free. There’s also a similar learner workbook for Unit 14 IT Service Delivery.
Crash Course Computer Science
One of my absolute favourite video series for teaching is the Crash Course Computer Science series on YouTube. These videos are interesting, informative, and a good length for in classroom use.
While not Cyber Security & Incident Management specific, there are a number of videos that cover related topics, including:
Check out the video on cyber security here:
Cybrary
If you’re looking for a website to study a wide range of Cyber security topics to a high standard, then there is no better place than Cybrary.
For completely free (though you do need to register with the site) you can study beginner, intermediate & advance cybersecurity topics. They even have many courses that will teach you the content of many professional qualifications in related areas, like Comptia Network+ and Comptia Security+.
These video courses are quite long and are not the best tool for in-class use, but if you’re looking for assigning extra study for outside of class then this could be very useful.
Some great courses include:
Those are just a few examples though, there are hundreds of relevant courses on the site. It’s a great choice not just for students but for a teachers own personal development.
Microsoft Virtual Academy
Much like Cybrary, the Microsoft Virtual Academy offers a wide range of courses that often cover professional qualifications (in this case Microsoft ones like the MTA). However, Microsoft Virtual Academy covers more than just cybersecurity.
These courses are also free, though if you want to track your progress you’ll need an outlook.com email account (which is free to sign up for).
These are also generally not too much of an in-class tool but are great for outside of class teaching. Some of the best videos include:
- Networking Fundamentals
- Networking Fundamentals: Academic Edition – these videos are reasonably short and could be used in the classroom.
- Security Fundamentals
Again, there are many more courses that can go into quite advanced topics and are great for either extra study or for teacher personal development.
Stem.org.uk
The stem.org.uk website is one that you may well be aware of already as they are “the UK’s largest provider of education and careers support in science, technology, engineering and mathematics”. Their resources section is a fantastic tool for teachers and you can find a lot of cyber security specific teaching resources on the site.
For example:
- GCSE Cyber Security – Obviously a little low in level, but still some great tools.
- Cyber Security & Engineered Solutions – A mix of level 2 & 3 resources.
The stem.org.uk site does take a little digging through to find the best materials, but with a little effort, you’re sure to find some great resources to help your students in their Unit 11 Cyber Security & Incident Management external assessment.
Cyber Security Challenge UK
This website, which is actually linked to in the Cyber Security & Engineered Solutions link above, provides educational games to learn about Cyber Security. These are absolutely fantastic tools for learning a range of threats and prevention mechanisms in a fun and easily digestible way.
You can access them on the https://www.cybergamesuk.com website. I highly recommend them.
We all know the benefit of using games in and outside of the classroom for learning, and these have been created by people with good understanding of Cyber Security issues. Cyber City is a good starting point, but other games cover specific topics in more detail.
Other Links
The suggestions on this page are just a few useful resources for delivering Unit 11 Cyber Security & Incident Management for the BTEC Level 3 IT qualification. There are many more, both free and paid that you can find.
- Introduction to Cyber Security: Stay Safe Online – provided by the Open University, this is a great course and the exact same as the FutureLearn cybersecurity course.
- The Complete Cyber Security Course: Hackers Exposed! – a paid course on the Udemy website, and merely the first in four parts, but if you have an especially keen student, or what to do some CPD, I can highly recommend it.
So, with KnowItAll Ninjas Cyber Security & Incident Management course, and a few of these resources, I am sure you’ll have a wealth of tools available to make sure your students succeed. If you have anymore you use that you’d like to share, please contact me and I’ll update this post.