Abstract
The focus is on how technology impacts the learner and educator identities, especially focusing on safety, privacy, and the cybersecurity of the technology-centric learning environments. Questions arise which will need to be resolved by designers of these systems. This chapter was completed at the end of the annual CES, Consumer Electronics Show, held January 2019 at Las Vegas. The justification for this approach was to assert the influences products displayed at this consumer show will have on future identities of the self among learners and educators. Concepts such as self-analysis technology are proposed and discussed, and challenges affecting learners and educators related to identity, authentication, authorization, and accountability are highlighted. It is concluded that solutions to these challenges are not a single entity but instead a combination of diverse continually evolving techniques.
TopIntroduction
The ever-evolving computer technology has dramatically changed how the World, Society, and Individuals in general interact. An annual barometer is the CES, Consumer Electronics Show, held from January 8th to January 11th, 2019, in Las Vegas, (CES, 2019). At a ‘high-level,’ some of the main topics from the show were related to 5G and Internet of Things, Accessibility, Blockchain and Crypto technology, Artificial, and Machine Intelligence, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Gaming, Content, and Wearables.
At the detailed level, we look at a few of these products and how they might affect the identities and roles of Learners and Educators as well as the associated learning environments, once implemented. Figure 1 is a word cloud of the trending learning, technology and cybersecurity concepts during the year 2019 and beyond.
Figure 1. Trending concepts in 2019 and beyond
TopChapter Flow
The chapter flow is arranged in the following manner:
- 1.
An overview of CES 2019 trending products and services.
- 2.
A summary of the Future Identities of the Self and how they could relate to the current trends, especially cybersecurity.
- 3.
A flashback review of computer security concerns from the 1960s and 1970s, which later evolved to the cybersecurity concept we now know.
- 4.
Current and future cybersecurity forecasts based on industry trends.
- 5.
A review of the policies and regulations that have been established for online education by the US Department of Education. The focus is on the privacy and security aspects, (FERPA, PII, PPRA), of Learner’s information which need to be adhered to by current and future Online/Virtual Learning Environment service providers.
- 6.
A Summary of the current state of Learner, Educator and Impact of Cybersecurity on Online/Virtual Learning Environments. The proposal of Self-Analysis Technology (SAT) concept as a component of the solutions to identified challenges. Advantages of the PIES architecture.
- 7.
Summary of three cases studies which are snapshots of industry work in dealing with cybersecurity challenges in Online/Virtual Learning Environments: Attack Tree simulations and possible solutions; Online/Virtual Learning Environments as part of a nation’s cybersecurity strategy; Understanding Learner privacy in MOOCs.
- 8.
A look at the Five Questions that have arisen as to how best implement cybersecurity in Online/Virtual Learning Environments. Some of the research reviewed could offer solutions.
- 9.
Putting it altogether which recommends possible solutions which can be synthesized from the study ideas and concepts that have been highlighted in this chapter.
Key Terms in this Chapter
5G: Fifth generation telecommunication technology deployments for fixed and mobile networks.
Accountability: This process outlines the methods to collect data from the user used for processes related to billing and auditing of the services they consumed.
Educator: The individual carrying out the functions associated with a teacher or lecturer.
Authentication: This process involves the validation of the user’s identity before granting network access. The unique characteristics attributed to the user such as their biometric data like iris scans or fingerprints or secret key parsed by the IAAA server and compared to user associated information in the database.
Authorization: States the rights and services available to an end user after being granted network access.
Machine Learning: An automated analysis technique performed by advanced computing devices using pattern recognition methods.
Environments: The online and virtual spaces were teaching and learning occur.
IoT: Internet of things, a system of interconnected computing devices, machines, people, animals transferring data in some cases directly between themselves.