Cyber Chip Sign off

[qwazse 4342]

First class by Memorial Day is definitely achievable for any who crossover on MLK day. By Thanksgiving I could envision that some of those scouts would be looking at Star and yet be 5th graders (either by earning AoL quickly or by repeating a grade). 

[mrkstvns 486]

I know this thread is kind of crusty and musty, but I had a thought about how to approach the question of which Cyber Chip level is "right" for what kind of scout.  This is my opinion, not scripture, and it's based on having taught the Cyber Chip to scouts as a group activity several times over several years. 

In general, I think the decision becomes more clear when you look at the program overall. There is an obvious progression in what's being taught at each grade/age level and there are differences in the language used in the requirements that kind of clues you in to what ages should be using which level.  

The Grades 4-5 program (roughly ages 8-10), focuses on a couple of concepts that are useful for youngsters to understand:
* passwords
* trust ("trusted adults")
Note the language used in requirements for this module: "den", "pack".....and more importantly, the content is conceptually basic. 

The Grades 6-8 program (roughly ages 11-14), focuses on different concepts, and is flexible enough to accommodate some adaptation if the instructor/scouts/parents choose):
* trust (extends this to identifying imposters, "Friends or Fakes")
* appropriate use
Note language changes to "patrol", "unit leader", etc., these concepts are more suited to ANY new scout in a BSA unit, regardless of whether they are still in 5th grade or not

The Grades 9-12 program (roughly ages 15-18) introduces challenges more likely to be faced by teenagers with their own devices --- regardless of age. Topics include:
* reputation (via, "Real Life Stories" --- look at requirement 4)
* social media (take a look at requirement 3)
* expectation of privacy
Note again that different, more complex, risks are being discussed.

Regardless of whether you could meet the letter of the requirements by letting a scout who repeated 5th grade continue satisfying the Cyber Chip requirements by repeating the same material he did as a cub is not really relevant.  If you are a scouter who believes in "servant leadership", you'll do what's best for the scout, and that's not necessarily letting him skate on a technicality by just doing the same thing over again. Hopefully, you're the kind of scouter who will mix it up a bit, and challenge the scout to grow....hopefully you'll have had him do the Grade 6-8 material for Scout rank and maybe even do the Grade 9-12 program for Star rank.  Not because you couldn't skate on by using the same Cyber Chip materials the kid did as Cub, but because that would be boring old hat that's not useful to building a genuine awareness that cyber security is a complex subject and there are a lot of risks we should be aware of as we grow up and become more active on more platforms.

I say let the kid grow and don't keep him forever at the level of a 4th grader. That's no "service" to the scout.

 

BTW:  I did a previous post here that discusses some more ideas around Cyber Chip.  You may find it useful...

 

[yknot 1338]

Do you really think we even need this? I think this should be dropped. The real cyber issues kids face are far beyond what is in the BSA program and are often emergent. The BSA's program, from what I've seen, is largely static. Most school districts are doing this kind of programming and are a much better source of this kind of information or training in my opinion. Handle it the same way they do with drugs/alcohol in Second Class -- get a sign off showing  you've participated in a school or community digital safety program, talk, whatever. More and more schools are pushing technology down to the elementary grades so many of this issues are already being covered ad nauseam. Unless scouts has some kind of special take on the issue -- and we don't as far as I can see -- I'm not sure why BSA has put so much emphasis on it. Or, allow COs to make it optional based on their demographics. 

 

[RainShine 41]

34 minutes ago, yknot said:

I think this should be dropped.

I'd upvote this three times if I could.

[Eagle1993 2160]

We have had multiple discussions with our PLC about Cyberchip.  The scouts’ response vary between laughing and annoyance.  I have not heard a single scout tell me it is valuable and unique.  As mentioned, the information is typically outdated and at best redundant to what they see in school.  

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

4 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said:

We have had multiple discussions with our PLC about Cyberchip.  The scouts’ response vary between laughing and annoyance.  I have not heard a single scout tell me it is valuable and unique.  As mentioned, the information is typically outdated and at best redundant to what they see in school.  

Both my Life and Star Scout hated having to do cyberchip for Star. Youngest doesn't realize he needs to do it again for Star yet. All 3 hated it.

[RainShine 41]

14 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

All 3 hated it.

Look I just go ahead and tell the Scouts and families, re cyberchip, in our Troop what we want is barely sufficient. Not one extra calorie shall be spent on cyberchip. I would waayyy prefer they spend brain cycles on planning outings, map reading, swimming skills, cooking, folding flags, lashings, service projects, presentations to the troop ... shall I go on? Barely sufficient to get it done and hopefully someday it will go away.