April 2026 Newsletter

Join us for this month's episode of CyberBytes on April 9, 2026 at 3:30 PM, as we welcome Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim, Teaching Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information and a leader in the GenCyber program.

This session will explore how hands-on, experiential learning opportunities such as summer camps, classroom activities, and outreach programs can engage both students and educators in cybersecurity.

Participants will gain insights into designing meaningful cyber experiences, supporting educator capacity, and connecting K–12 learning to higher education and workforce pathways. We’ll also highlight how programs like GenCyber can expand access, provide professional learning opportunities for educators, and inspire the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

For more information, to RSVP for this event, and to view past recordings or upcoming Cyber Bytes topics, visit the Cyber Bytes Webinar Series Flyer.

The CSinPA team is currently hosting a series of webinars covering all the different ways AI is impacting education. You can find the schedule of upcoming topics, along with recordings of past webinars, in this section of our Community of Practice.

Upcoming Topics

4/7 11:00 am - 12:00 pm – AI as Your Teaching Assistant

4/21 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - AI in the K-3 Classroom

Visit the AI in Education Webinar Series flyer for more information.

Registration is available for the new courses and our existing course in our Micro-credential Program.

New Courses:

• Implementing Accessible Educational Materials

• CS Learning and Executive Functioning: Practical Strategies

The following courses are still available:

• AI in the Classroom: Introduction (2-hour)

• AI in the Classroom: Integrating AI to Support Student Learning (4- hour)

• Cybersecurity in the K-8 classroom: Introduction (2-hour)

• Cybersecurity Frameworks and Standards: Aligning Your Curriculum with Industry Best Practices (4 hour)

• Using Music to Engage Students in CS Learning (4-hour)

• Empowering all students in CS Learning through a Behavioral approach (4-hour)

• Data Science in K–8 Classrooms: Connecting Concepts Through Computer Science

Additionally, Introduction to CS Education (3 hours) is available on the SAS website. This is our previous foundational CSinPA: Why, What, and How, which can be accessed through the PD Center on the Standards Aligned System (SAS) website (enrollment instructions).

Fast Forward Cyber is a two-part, statewide experience for Pennsylvania high school computer science teachers and their students and both events are FREE.

Part 1: Virtual Capture the Flag (CTF) Challenge

April 17 (8:00 AM) – April 19 (11:59 PM)

Compete against schools across PA in a virtual cybersecurity challenge hosted on Hack The Box. Teams of 4–6 students solve real-world cyber problems, capture flags, and compete for prizes. (Up to two teams per school.)

Part 2: Cyber Ignite In Person event.

April 20 | 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Montgomery County Community College (Blue Bell)

An in-person CTF experience plus opportunities to connect with industry partners and explore cybersecurity career pathways.

Hands-on. Competitive. Career-connected.

Bring your students and fast forward their future in cybersecurity.

Explore Our New “Emerging CS Fields” Collection in the CSinPA Toolkit

We’re excited to share a new collection in the CSinPA Toolkit: Emerging CS Fields!

This collection highlights key, rapidly growing areas of computer science and provides curated resources to support teaching and learning in:

• Drones

• Cybersecurity

• Data Science & Data Literacy

Whether you're looking to expand your curriculum, explore new instructional ideas, or connect CS learning to real-world applications, this collection is a great place to start.

We invite you to explore the Emerging CS Fields collection and consider how these topics can enhance learning experiences for your students.

The peer tutoring program for teachers preparing for the PA 7-12 CS certification exam is back for 2025-26!

We continue to offer the program to participants in any current or previous PaTTAN 7-12 CS professional learning program (7-12 PAsmart 1.0/2.0, CSinPA 7-12 CS Praxis Prep pathway).

For more information on the CSinPA 7-12 Praxis Prep pathway for the 2025-26 school year please visit the flyer.

Last month we launched our new space for educators who are teaching, exploring, or simply curious about drones in K–12 learning: PA FlyLab!

Whether you’re already part of one of our drone initiatives or you’re just getting started, you’re welcome here.

Join PA FlyLab to connect with others, share resources, stay in the loop and celebrate personal wins!