CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Cybersecurity experts are collaborating to better teach Virginia students about tools of the trade. 

They were at the sixth annual Virginia Cybersecurity Education Conference.

It had workshops, presentations and panels from a diverse group of speakers in academia, industry and government sectors of cybersecurity.

Conference Director David Raymond said educators need to stay on top of the continuously changing field. 

"In today's digital world, there's a lot of damage people can do if they're allowed to sort of operate any way they want on the Internet,” he said. “And, we really have to protect our networks and our digital lives from those sorts of attacks." 

The conference is held in a different college town each year. It was held Wednesday and Thursday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Charlottesville.