The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday its $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program is just days away from being operational. Eligible K-12 schools and libraries can apply for funding starting September 17, with the window closing on November 1, according to the agency’s public notice.
Adopted by a 3-2 FCC vote in June, the three-year pilot program will bolster cybersecurity protections for educational institutions, which have become frequent targets of ransomware attacks and data breaches due to the large amounts of personal data they manage, including addresses, social security numbers, and medical information.
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday took the first step toward creating a pilot program to invest millions of dollars into cybersecurity software for eligible K-12 schools and libraries.
The agency voted to adopt the proposal 3-2, with Republican Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissenting.
“The vulnerabilities in the networks that we use in our nation’s schools and libraries are real and growing, so today we’re going to do something about it,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in her statement.
The proposal, first introduced last November, would provide $200 million from the Universal Service Fund to pay for firewall protections in eligible schools and libraries over the next three years. The funds will also go toward studying the most effective equipment, services and tools to safeguard digital infrastructure.
Thanks to Steve Kraus I had the opportunity to join the Office of Broadband Development on a visit with folks in Waseca to talk about broadband use and need. We stopped to visit the library, the superheroes of the pandemic era, especially in an area without ubiquitous broadband. We visited with the Warden of the federal women’s prison and several stops related to farming or ag business. They are great stories of people making smart use of technology.
9:30am – Board of Commissioners Meeting and OBD Presentation
It was great to meet the Commissioners in the person, after meeting them through Zoom last summer. There were 12 people in attendance. They discussed a number of topics but I focused on broadband. Hannah Buckland from the Office of Broadband Development gave a presentation. Commissioners had questions about communities with excellent broadband, such as Rock County and NW MN.
11:00am – Visit to Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library
We spoke to librarians about how their Digital Equity plan evolved. Initially, they had one person who did digital training, which wasn’t enough for a library system with nine locations. Also, the classes weren’t well attended. It turned out there was need but patrons needed them on-demand. So, they shifted to helping patrons on a question-by-question basis. Then we thought about a more system way to address the needs.
They have 9 libraries and only one has more than one person behind the desk.
5 libraries are open fewer than 23 hours a week
Very little tech training for staff
Most patrons don’t have jobs that require digital skills. So, they don’t have basic skills. They need help. Users share their passwords. People feel shame.
Many people have phones only for technology so they come in for needs – such as related to telehealth.
Need more reliable broadband for distance higher ed.
Most frequent questions are about printing
They still circulate hotspots. They had 500 hotspots until grant ran out; now they have around 20 and that’s because of vocal demand.
They want to help but we don’t have the capacity. Theydid a survey with patrons are learned that people like to figure things out on their own, then learn through videos.
The dream solution is to have Digital Navigators. They want to promote creativity online and content producers.
A plan from OBD is to have noncompetitive grants for libraries. But the budget and timeline are vague. There will be funding available and this is in line with what it’s for.
Favorite COVID stories:
They held a Folktales and Fairies online event where kids from all over the world attended. And they were able to get authors who would not have been available if it required travel. Even author-to-author connections were unusual and outstanding.
11:40am – Tour of AURI Bioindustrial Innovation Center
Alan Doering, Senior Scientist for Coproducts
The tour says it all – with great enthusiasm. AURI works with businesses to test and research their technology. A lot of what they work on is creating sustainable solutions, such as replacing plastic with byproducts that are biodegradable. They need broadband to promote and remote what they do but they need serious broadband to transmit and process data remotely.
It is a nice example of how broadband contributes to sustainability.
12:15pm – Lunch at U of M Southern Research Outreach Center (SROC)
Lunch provided by Lush Cakes
Jason Stenzel, Director of Operations at SROC
Exploring how SROC is helping to bridge the digital divide in all sectors of the Agricultural Economy
Warden Michael Segal, Federal Correctional Institution Waseca
Upskilling and education for incarcerated individuals. Warden Segal will walk through his philosophy of corrections and discuss some unique and creative tools implemented at FCI Waseca.
Fun to learn about U of M Southern Research Outreach Center. One of the things they do is track local weather. Apparently, checking the local tracking of local weather is a popular activity with local farmers and beyond. Folks use broadband to access the information but the SROC uses more to upload and process the multiple factors associated with all aspects of weather measures.
Also interesting to learn about broadband in the federal women’s prison. Warden Segal is clearly dedicated to presenting inmates with opportunities to improve their lives in and out of the prison, including a wide range of educational opportunities. Broadband has bee essential in delivering remote education.
1:30pm – Jeff Huelsnitz (Huey) Farm
Jeff will discuss precision planting and agriculture and demonstrate some of the equipment used in this critical sector.
The Hueys have a large family farm but are also precision ag equipment dealers. They got interested in precision ag early and have become local experts. They talk about the difference that precision ag came make – for example they track seeds as they are sown, including skipped and double-seed drops, which apparently can cost 20 bushels per acre. They are often able to improve precision rates from 95 percent to almost 100 percent by helping people adopt precision ag. They also talk about the importance of time management in farming and how much can be spent or save regularly.
Inherent in precision ag is the need for broadband. Often a farm with want FTTH, a wifi network and cellular access to cover the needs of the farm business and crop tracking in the field. Hueys admit that their connectivity is fine, but not great. They work with some folks who have broadband that’s less than fine and want to work on precision-ag-adjacent solutions – but really can’t. No need to buy the best equipment if you can’t get online. In that case maybe there’s a way to make the tractor faster or find other fixes. But a farm without broadband is missing opportunities and going back to the first stop of the tour, that means loss of profits but also minimizes sustainability for the land.
Thursday, May 16, 2024, marks the 13th year of celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). If you’re looking for a way to gain a new perspective on digital access and inclusion, try the No-Mouse Challenge: do work on your computer for 15 minutes without a mouse.
Are people in your community seeking digital access to healthcare and information? Explore the possibilities of telehealth at your library through this new class from the Network of the National Library of Medicine.
This class introduces telehealth, why it’s important, and how it enables people to have greater access to quality healthcare. Explore how different libraries provided patrons in their communities with access to telehealth services.
You will need to create a free NNLM account, but there is no cost to take the course.
USA Today reports on the dangers of technology policies that lack nuance…
There’s a common complaint among high school students across the country, and it has nothing to do with curfews or allowances: Internet filters are preventing them from doing online research at school. Records obtained by The Markup from districts across the country show just how broadly schools block content, forcing students to jump through hoops to complete assignments and even keeping them from resources that could support their health and safety.
School districts must block obscene or harmful images to qualify for federally-subsidized internet access under the Children’s Internet Protection Act, passed by Congress nearly 25 years ago. But the records, from 16 districts across 11 states, show they go much further. Schools are limiting not only what images students can see, but what words they can read.
Some of the censorship inhibits students’ ability to do basic research on sites like Wikipedia and Quora. Students have also been blocked from visiting websites that web-filtering software categorizes as “education,” “news,” or “informational.” But even more concerning for some students are blocks against sex education, abortion information, and resources for LGBTQ+ teens—including suicide prevention.
MN HF5065 (money for STEM programming) was held over for possible inclusion in a committee finance bill. The Session Daily reports…
A pair of one-time appropriations both from the Workforce Development Fund aim to assist the Minnesota STEM Project and Milestone Tech Program.
Sponsored by Rep. Samakab Hussein (DFL-St. Paul), HF5065 would appropriate $750,000 in fiscal year 2024 and the same amount in fiscal year 2025 to each group. Per the bill, “In each year, 30 percent of the money granted under this section must be awarded as subgrants to nonprofits located within the city of St. Paul.”
The House Workforce Development Finance and Policy Committee held the bill over Wednesday for possible inclusion in a committee finance bill.
Minneapolis-based Milestone Community Development develops programs fostering economic growth in underserved and economically distressed neighborhoods.
Additional funds would focus on developing new training programs and maintaining existing programs in technology fields, especially for people of color who are underrepresented in technology careers, Hussein said.
In part, I’m sharing this because I want someone to attend and tell me about it. But also, it’s a great opportunity to get folks interested in cyber security and that would be a nice industry cluster for rural Minnesota! From the nonprofit, ITExperience…
We are Introducing our new Cyber Investigator Interactive game
You will be able to Join a team of cybersecurity investigators as they respond to a series of different cyber-attacks. Travel through three different industries to help them conduct interviews, stop the attacks, solve puzzles, and restore things to normal.
Duration: 1: 30mins
Do you want to have fun playing a game and also learn a lot about how cyber detectives work on a day-to-day basis?
The House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee heard HF4400 (Stephenson) Prohibiting Social Media Manipulation Act created, social media platforms regulated, and private right of action and attorney general enforcement provided.
Based on a report written for Legislature last year. The intent is particularly protect children. It places an assumption of privacy, better testing for bots or other potential bad actors, ability to break the algorithm based on clicks and no more testing on kids without permission.
Pro Comments
Social media is dangerous.
We can regulate safety of experience – just like we can in bookstores
We should not be beholden to social media companies. They sell our information
Con Comments
Let’s not have a private right of action; let’s talk to vendors. (A2 Amendment.)
It is challenging to do with and not cross the constitution
How can we handle border counties?
What’s the definition of social media? Dowe include educational platforms?
Maple Grove Middle School Principal Patrick Smith is among educators who believe cell phones are a distraction to learning in their schools.
“Any issues we had with conflict, whether it was physical or verbal … we found to be 100% due to cell phones. It just created a very toxic culture,” he told the House Education Policy Committee Tuesday.
Smith testified in support of HF4581, a that bill would request the Minnesota School Boards Association to develop a model policy on students’ possession and use of cell phones in school by Dec. 15, 2024. It would also require school boards to adopt a policy — not necessarily the created model policy — on students’ possession and use of cell phones in school by March 15, 2025.
The bill was held over for future consideration.
“The more we understand about cell phones in schools, the more it is clear that we need to be proactive, collaborative and thoughtful in how and when their use is permitted,” said Rep. Sandra Feist (DFL-New Brighton), the bill sponsor.
Here’s the long description…
A bill for an act
relating to education; requesting the Minnesota School Boards Association to
develop a model policy for cell phones in schools; proposing coding for new law
in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 121A.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
[121A.73] SCHOOL CELL PHONE POLICY.
Subdivision 1.
Model policy.
The Minnesota School Boards Association is requested
to develop a model policy on students’ possession and use of cell phones in school by
December 15, 2024. In developing the policy, the Minnesota School Boards Association
must solicit input from administrators, parents, teachers and other school staff, students,
law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders.
Subd. 2.
District policy.
The board of a school district or charter school must adopt a
policy on students’ possession and use of cell phones in school by March 15, 2025. A board
may adopt the Minnesota School Boards Association policy. The policy must be included
in the student handbook on school policies, and posted on the district or charter school
website.
EFFECTIVE DATE.
This section is effective the day following final enactment.
Last year, Minnesota had an average of 7,384 open computing jobs each month; the average salary was $105,311.
Without some educational changes those openings will likely not shrink.
Jeff Tollefson, president of the Minnesota Technology Association, said Minnesota ranks last in the country in the percentage of high schools offering computer science coursework. Just 28% of schools offer even one foundational computer science course, leaving Minnesota students at a disadvantage and the state falling further behind.
He was one of several supporters who submitted testimony in favor of HF3492, which would appropriate $8 million in fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Education to expand existing computer science education programs and fund grants for teacher training and recruitment.
Sponsored by Rep. Liz Lee (DFL-St. Paul), the bill was laid over by the House Education Finance Committee Thursday for possible inclusion in a finance bill.
On March 7, the MN House Education Finance will learn about HF3492 Grants for educational computer science programs.
Short description: Computer science education advancement program modified, grants established to expand computer science education programs, reports required, and money appropriated.
A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying the computer science education advancement
program; establishing grants to expand computer science education programs;
requiring reports; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2023
Supplement, section 120B.241, subdivisions 1, 4, by adding a subdivision;
proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 120B.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 120B.241, subdivision 1, is
amended to read:
Subdivision 1.
Definitions.
(a) “Computer science” means the study of computers and
algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their
implementation, and their impact on society.
(b) “Computer science courses and content” means courses at:
(1) elementary and middle schools that teach computer science as standalone
implementations or embedded in other subjects; and
(2) high schools that teach computer science as standalone courses and focus on teaching
students how to create new technologies.
(c) “High-quality computer science educator training” means activities that:
(1) clarify the conceptual foundations of computer science;
(2) teach research-based practices, including hands-on and inquiry-based learning;
(3) are primarily intended for existing teachers with or without prior exposure to computer
science with options for advanced training for teachers; and
(4) align to existing integrated computer science standards in Minnesota or nationally
recognized standards, including the Computer Science Teachers’ Association’s kindergarten
through grade 12 computer science education standards.
(d) “High-quality computer science professional learning providers” means institutions
of higher education, nonprofits, other state-funded entities, or private entities that have
successfully designed, implemented, and scaled high-quality computer science professional
learning for teachers as defined in paragraph (c).
(e) “STEAM” means science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
(f) “Subgroups underrepresented in computer science” means racial and ethnic minorities,
girls, youth from families living at or below the poverty line as defined in the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, United States Code, title 20, section 8101, students
with disabilities, or English language learners.
(g) “Teacher” means a teacher holding a license issued by the Professional Educator
Licensing and Standards Board, including a licensed media specialist.
Short description: STEM training and career preparation program grant funding provided, and money appropriated.
Bill as introduced:
A bill for an act
relating to workforce development; appropriating money for a grant for a STEM
training and career preparation program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1. STEM TRAINING; APPROPRIATION.
$500,000 in fiscal year 2025 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of employment and economic development for a grant to the Greater Minneapolis Council
of Churches for a STEM training and career preparation program targeted at the needs of
BIPOC youth. The program shall serve youth who are at least 11 years of age and less than
24 years old and shall provide career training, job skills development, mentorship, and
employment opportunities. This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30,
2027.
Technology is advancing, and so is occupational therapy.
Students in Dr. Tamara Vos-Draper’s OT 7541 course, Assistive Technology and Orthotics in OT Practice, visited the Virtual Reality Studio and Makerspace in the Health Sciences Library this spring to examine how emerging technologies like virtual reality and 3D printing will shape the future of occupational therapy.
Virtual Reality programming lead Charlie Heinz and media outreach librarian Scott Spicer led students in exploring a variety of virtual reality experiences and their potential uses in clinical practice. Job Simulator, for example, is a quirky game about robots emulating humanity; it could also be an engaging way for patients to reestablish gross and fine motor movement. YouTube 360 allows users to immerse themselves in faraway environments, which could be a powerful tool for patients who are unable to travel. Other software, like Enscape, takes 3D architectural models and translates them into the virtual reality space, and simulated environments could be assessed for accessibility before being physically built.
Feist introduced:
H. F. No. 4456, A bill for an act relating to education; establishing the Digital Citizenship, Internet Safety, and
Media Literacy Advisory Council; requiring a report.
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Education Policy.
I can’t find much more at this point, but I’ll keep looking.
Thanks to Steve Kraus I had the opportunity to join the Office of Broadband Development on a visit with folks in Waseca to talk about broadband use and need. We stopped to visit the library, the superheroes of the pandemic era, especially in an area without ubiquitous broadband. We visited with the Warden of the federal women’s prison and several stops related to farming or ag business. They are great stories of people making smart use of technology.
