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The Interview – Partial Transcript
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On March 12, 2013 I had the chance to get interviewed by Doug PETERSON. Here is (partial) what Doug said:
Gust MEES and I have followed each other for some time now. I’m not sure how we “met” but I’ll let him recall it shortly. He’s an intriguing individual – lives in Luxembourg (Europe) http://www.scoop.it/t/luxembourg-europe, a country with ONLY 502,000 inhabitants and is a regular on Twitter. You can find him very active there as @knolinfos.
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Below Doug’s BIO:
My formal education includes a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto. Ontario Ministry of Education and Training qualifications are in Data Processing, Computer Science, Accounting, and Mathematics. My personal website is at: http://www.dougpeterson.ca Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dougpete I‘m bookmarking things at: http://www.delicious.com/dougpete.
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Doug PETERSON is ALSO featured At EdTech: we strive to create the most valuable resources for higher education technology professionals. One of the ways we do that is by highlighting the smartest and most innovative education tech bloggers on the web.
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Check the link below:
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You can find the complete interview here:
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I will ONLY publish in this blog the part which seems to me the most important for my readers, the WHY of the MUST of Cyber-Security Teaching in Education, so let’s go:
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Doug: So much of your focus appears to be on Education and Security. You have a huge curation of materials. Why the interest in these topics?
Gust: You are right, I have a lot of interests (I am curious for Learning more). Well, I should divide it also in the two topics, let’s start with IT-Security, the beginning. I am online since 1998 and I read also a lot, books and magazines. I got my first knowledge of IT-Security in 1999 by reading PC-Magazines and I applied it also on my PC and of course, as I am not selfish and having the will to share it with others, I published it also on my website(s).
A certain moment come, my websites had a big success. In private life people told me that I am crazy to talk about security, virus and more of those strange beasts problems at that time. So now my website has more than 2 million visits, see pic below, please.
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BTW: here is the URL ===> Internet Monitor
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I started so to learn more about and also to share my knowledge with others and even that my Security courses got accepted by the Ministry of Education in Luxembourg (Europe), my country. Check here, please (in French):
Once started, one must continue when there is a demand for it 
Looks like people love my way of explaining and teaching. I became also a member (Advisory Board) of:
And that’s why I started also to make the curation about IT-Security, Cyber-Security.
Sharing my acquired knowledge with others is priority and a pleasure also!
A pleasure!? Am I kidding? NO, it’s something who makes me happy, check here:
When I do something for other people, I feel good, “says Peterson“. When you do something voluntarily for others, not only for its own interests, it is rewarded. In some mysterious way, serve as an “altruistic” (the opposite of selfishness) gives his own life more important. It seems that nature have put it in our genes, or that people are happy when they have the spirit of sharing, community spirit.
So, dear readers, make yourself feeling good and share
Concerning now Education, that’s a bit a different story. I was a manager with Electronics background and worked for different companies when later I got unemployed with 45 years old (2000). I was looking for a new job and I saw that the Government was looking for ICT instructors, proposing to give people pedagogical courses to be able to do this job. I applied and I passed the tests, later I was studying for 4 months pedagogy, tailored for ICT. Very hard to study pedagogy at that age, but I got IT. One is never too old to learn new stuff, when the will is there.
I became months later an ICT course instructor on an eight (8) hour base work and on 5 days per week work, very hard… I gave courses to adults, seniors (even 70+…), primary classrooms and primary school teachers… I was getting nearly obsessed by learning, I found my destination, I found my vocation, I love it to teach…
My knowledge (professional development) was updated by following different other courses and by reading a lot of books, where here below my selection:
Doug: Do you find educators more or less concerned about security than the average online citizen?
Gust: YES, I do, sorry! Educators are less motivated to learn about the basics of Cyber-Security, IT-Security and have ALSO less knowledge about it, my point of view resulting by practice. Meaning that Educators I know (friends) and also by analyzing the stream of tweets on Twitter shows me that!
Doug: Why do you think this is that way?
Gust: That’s a real million dollar, euro question Well, as most of Educators are using NOT a PC but most a Mac and some a computer with Linux OS, they feel too secure! But thinking that these OS (Operating Systems) are secure, that’s NOT the reality, sorry. NOBODY is perfect, NO OS is perfect, reality shows us that when one is analyzing the attacks and vulnerabilities worldwide!
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Doug: Do you find that Macintosh or Linux users have this over confidence that their platform is immune to problems?
Gust: YES, I do! You are right with the word “Over Confidence” as it is exactly that! I don’t make a war of different OS, but one must be aware today that Nobody Is Perfect, attacks and vulnerabilities are showing us that, see here please:
- http://www.scoop.it/t/securite-pc-et-internet?tag=Linux-Vulnerabilities
- http://www.scoop.it/t/apple-mac-ios4-ipad-iphone-and-in-security
Concerning the Mac, check the Report from, SYMANTEC here:
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Don’t forget also about mobile phones, Android is also based on Linux as OS! Check here:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching?tag=Android
- http://www.scoop.it/t/securite-pc-et-internet?tag=Android
Doug: What can be done to turn this around?
Gust: Seriously and convinced, I think that there is a MUST to teach the basics of Cyber-Security by Education in any schools around in the world, and this up from early age! The kids will understand it very quickly, they are more intelligent as most adults think as their computers and smartphones are the (nearly) most important to them! I have worked together with teens (11 years old and +) and showed them How To protect their computers and how to stay informed about new threats, that was a piece of cake for them, I even didn’t think that it could be that easy, I was surprised! Convincing adults is (???) more (very) hard!
So, how could that be in practice? That was the question I asked myself (oh yes, I thought a lot…) and here are my propositions and advice:
Apart from teaching the basics of Cyber-Security in schools by traditional learning, one should try ALSO to involve and engage youth in that process of learning, learning by doing and learning to have responsibility! IT’s ALL about responsibility anyway when working and using ICT (BYOD included)! This could be realized with a piece of theater (it took me a year of development) where they could be involved as actors (players) and also by giving them the feeling of being an IT-Hero by becoming Security-Scouts. Sounds strange? Check the links below to learn more:
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https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/learning-basics-of-cyber-security-by-easy-to-follow-steps/
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https://gustmeesfr.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/securite-pc-et-internettheatre-interactif-et-pedagogique/ (in French). Use translation tool if needed please.
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Update on April 24, 2013: THIS is a personal ADD NOT PUBLISHED on the interview, BUT A MUST to show YOU!!!
Check here for more info: ===> SC-MAGAZINE
Check also
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Check here for more info: ===> http://www.scoop.it/t/securite-pc-et-internet/?tag=US-Cybercrime+a+national+security+threat
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Doug: You call yourself an ICT Course Instructor. What courses have you instructed or are currently instructing?
Gust: Lots of my courses are present (in French) on the server of the Ministry of Education in Luxembourg (Europe):
They are for domestic security, the basic knowledge which anybody should have in the 21st Century… Created with the less possible technical expressions…
Actually I am preparing blogs where I want to share my 10 years lived practice on How To I used the knowledge where most are only starting now to learn it and/or using it. Coming soon and hoping that it will help others and giving them some new ideas (perhaps) also… It’s all about sharing experience and knowledge…
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Please check out also:
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and stay informed ALSO about the newest threats, dangers and risks by following my curation here:
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 L’auteur Gust MEES est Formateur andragogique / pédagogique TIC, membre du “Comité Conseil” de “Luxembourg Safer Internet” (LuSI), appelé maintenant BEESECURE, partenaire officiel (consultant) du Ministère de l’éducation au Luxembourg du projet ”MySecureIT“, partenaire officiel du Ministère du Commerce au Luxembourg du projet ”CASES” (Cyberworld Awareness and Security Enhancement Structure).
The author Gust MEES is ICT Course Instructor, ”Member of the Advisory Board” from “Luxembourg Safer Internet” (LuSI), BEESECURE, Official Partner (Consultant) from the Ministry of Education in Luxembourg, project “MySecureIT“, Official Partner from the Ministry of Commerce in Luxembourg, project “CASES” (Cyberworld Awareness and Security Enhancement Structure). . |
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Stay tuned for next free courses and tutorials
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EDU: Digital CitiZENship, CyberSecurity, eSkills, Modern EDU by Gust MEES 
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