During the workshops, Mark explored computer coding, providing students with valuable insight into the inner workings of modern technology. This enabled the students to grasp the functioning of technology and learn how to ensure the security of their personal data and mobile devices.

Students discovered how passwords are digitally secured and learned tips on creating and assessing their own passwords' security. 

Various apps and devices increasingly use facial recognition technology as a security measure. Mark demonstrated how this works by showing how a computer maps a person's face and creates a digital code for identification.

He also explored issues concerning cyber security, from the Enigma machine used by the Germans in World War 2 to encrypt their messages to modern means of encryption used to secure personal information for everyday use on platforms such as online banking. He then highlighted the risks associated with connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks in public spaces, emphasising how personal data becomes vulnerable to theft through interception by hackers and criminals.

The workshop ended with students discussing the dangers of sharing personal information on social media platforms and app settings that use location tracking and whether they should allow this information to be available to others through their personal devices.

We are most grateful to Mark for coming to visit us from Bletchley Park and sharing his expertise on digital technologies with our students.