ABOUT THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

NCSSM has held an annual conference for North Carolina students and their teachers since 1998. This event focuses on the ethical challenges and leadership issues that our students face in this ever-changing world.

The objectives of this experience include:

  1. Develop a conceptual understanding of the meaning and effective practice of leadership.

  2. Improve leadership skills including: asking significant questions; making ethical decisions; analyzing and evaluating information sources; writing; speaking to groups; using methods of visual communication.

  3. Develop high personal standards and an understanding of the tools available for making decisions that involve ethical judgments.

NYT Best Selling Author Cory Doctorow Talks Ethics, Privacy, and Cybersecurity on Oct. 26

Little Brother author Cory Doctorow will join registered high school students virtually over Zoom to discuss topics in ethics, privacy, and empowering students to take control of their own cybersecurity. Little Brother, is available for free online and a teacher's discussion guide is also available. While reading the novel prior to the event is not necessary, students may find the content of the novel and the two afterword essays by cryptographer and computer security specialist Bruce Schneier, and hacker Andrew "bunnie" Huang, are intriguing subject matters for the discussion.

Mr. Doctorow's talk is a preview event for the NCSSM Ethics and Leadership Conference.

Looking to extend your knowledge and prepare for the conference? Try these resources.

Check out this series of short videos, created by the Ryden AI program at NCSSM, to get an overview of how AI is impacting society today.

Read wildly varying perspectives on the future of AI. It is fun to compare and contrast the various authors, or to find one that most closely matches your own perspective and swap with a friend.

Little Brother[ is a novel by Cory Doctorow. The novel is about four teenagers in San Francisco who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and BART system, defend themselves against the Department of Homeland Security's attacks on the Bill of Rights.