This book attends to the transformation of processes and practices in education, relating to its increasing digitisation and datafication. The introduction of new means to measure, capture, describe and represent social life in numbers has not only transformed the ways in which teaching and learning are organised, but also the ways in which future generations (will) construct reality with and through data. Contributions consider data practices that span across different countries, educational fields and governance levels, ranging from early childhood education, to schools, universities, educational technology providers, to educational policy making and governance. The book demonstrates how digital data not only support decision making, but also fundamentally change the organisation of learning and teaching, and how these transformation processes can have partly ambivalent consequences, such as new possibilities for participation, but also the monitoring and emergence/manifestation of inequalities. Focusing on how data can drive decision making in education and learning, this book will be of interest to those studying both educational technology and educational policy making. The chapters in this book were originally published in Learning, Media and Technology. Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

The Datafication of Primary and Early Years Education explores and critically analyses the growing dominance of data in schools and early childhood education settings. Recognising the shift in practice and priorities towards the production and analysis of attainment data that are compared locally, nationally and internationally, this important book explores the role and impact of digital data in the ‘data-obsessed’ school. Through insightful case studies the book critiques policy priorities which facilitate and demand the use of attainment data, within a neoliberal education system which is already heavily focused on assessment and accountability. Using an approach influenced by policy sociology and post-foundational frameworks, the book considers how data are productive of data-driven teacher and child subjectivities. The text explores how data have become an important part of making teachers’ work visible within systems which are both disciplinary and controlling, while often reducing the complexity of children’s learning to single numbers. Key ideas covered include: The impact of data on the individual teacher and their pedagogical practice, particularly in play-based early years classrooms The problems of collecting data through assessment of young children How schools respond to increased pressure to produce the ‘right’ data – or how they ‘play with numbers’ How data affect children and teachers’ identities International governance and data comparison, including international comparison of young children’s attainment Private sector involvement in data processing and analysis The Datafication of Primary and Early Years Education offers a unique insight into the links between data, policy and practice and is a crucial read for all interested in the ways in which data are affecting teachers, practitioners and children.

Big data has the power to transform education and educational research. Governments, researchers and commercial companies are only beginning to understand the potential that big data offers in informing policy ideas, contributing to the development of new educational tools and innovative ways of conducting research. This cutting-edge overview explores the current state-of-play, looking at big data and the related topic of computer code to examine the implications for education and schooling for today and the near future. Key topics include: · The role of learning analytics and educational data science in schools · A critical appreciation of code, algorithms and infrastructures · The rise of ‘cognitive classrooms’, and the practical application of computational algorithms to learning environments · Important digital research methods issues for researchers This is essential reading for anyone studying or working in today′s education environment!

Providing a comprehensive introduction to the topic of accountability and datafication in the governance of education, the World Yearbook of Education 2021 considers global policy dynamics and policy enactment processes. Chapters pay particular attention to the role of international organizations and the private sector in the promotion of performance-based accountability (PBA) in different educational settings and at multiple policy scales. Organized into three sections, chapters cover: the global/local construction of accountability and datafication; global discourse and national translations of performance-based accountability policies; and enactments and effects of accountability and datafication, including controversies and critical issues. With carefully chosen international contributions from around the globe, the World Yearbook of Education 2021 is ideal reading for anyone interested in the future of accountability and datafication in the governance of education.

Higher education is undergoing radical changes with the arrival of emerging technology that can facilitate better teaching and learning experiences. However, with a lack of technical awareness, technophobia, and security and trust issues, there are several barriers to the uptake of emerging technologies. As a result, many of these new technologies have been overlooked or underutilized. In the information systems and higher education domains, there exists a need to explore underutilized technologies in higher education that can foster communication and learning. Fostering Communication and Learning With Underutilized Technologies in Higher Education is a critical reference source that provides contemporary theories in the area of technology-driven communication and learning in higher education. The book offers new knowledge about educational technologies and explores such themes as artificial intelligence, digital learning platforms, gamification tools, and interactive exhibits. The target audience includes researchers, academicians, practitioners, and students who are working or have a keen interest in information systems, learning technologies, and technology-led teaching and learning. Moreover, the book provides an understanding and support to higher education practitioners, faculty, educational board members, technology vendors and firms, and the Ministry of Education.

Teaching students about data is becoming increasingly important to the wider purposes of schooling and education. Bringing together international case studies of innovative responses to datafication, this book sets an agenda for how teachers, students and policy makers can best understand what kind of educational intervention works and why.

A critique of what lies behind the use of data in contemporary education policy While the science fiction tales of artificial intelligence eclipsing humanity are still very much fantasies, in Algorithms of Education the authors tell real stories of how algorithms and machines are transforming education governance, providing a fascinating discussion and critique of data and its role in education policy. Algorithms of Education explores how, for policy makers, today’s ever-growing amount of data creates the illusion of greater control over the educational futures of students and the work of school leaders and teachers. In fact, the increased datafication of education, the authors argue, offers less and less control, as algorithms and artificial intelligence further abstract the educational experience and distance policy makers from teaching and learning. Focusing on the changing conditions for education policy and governance, Algorithms of Education proposes that schools and governments are increasingly turning to “synthetic governance”—a governance where what is human and machine becomes less clear—as a strategy for optimizing education. Exploring case studies of data infrastructures, facial recognition, and the growing use of data science in education, Algorithms of Education draws on a wide variety of fields—from critical theory and media studies to science and technology studies and education policy studies—mapping the political and methodological directions for engaging with datafication and artificial intelligence in education governance. According to the authors, we must go beyond the debates that separate humans and machines in order to develop new strategies for, and a new politics of, education.