Corporacions tecnològiques, plataformes educatives digitals i garantia dels drets de la infància amb enfocament de gènere

Currently, the majority of public schools in Catalonia use digital educational platforms from technology corporations such as Google or Microsoft. The expanding use of these platforms has intensified in the context of the accelerated digitization of education caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Given this reality, it is essential to analyze the consequences of this phenomenon, especially as a foundation to promoting the design of educational policies that guarantee aspects such as the protection of the privacy of users of digital platforms in schools, or the protection of children’s rights.

Objectives

Within this framework, the edDIT project “Technology corporations, digital educational platforms and the guarantee of children’s rights with a gender approach” aims to explore and analyze the policies, concerns and use practices of these digital platforms in schools that provide compulsory education in Catalonia. Based on this exploration and analysis, the project will investigate the potential effect of these transformations on the rights of children, and especially on those of girls and young women.

Methodology

The research is based on a mixed design that is developed in two phases.

The qualitative phase incorporates document analysis of regulations and public policy at the international, supra-state, state and regional level; interviews with experts (policymakers, stakeholders, academics and activists); interviews with the principals of public primary and secondary schools; and discussion groups with teachers and students.

The quantitative phase incorporates the distribution of a survey to families of primary and secondary school students in Catalonia.

Results

It is expected that the results of the project will deepen the knowledge about the possible consequences of the expansion of use of educational platforms owned by technological corporations on the rights of children. On the other hand, it is also expected to spread this knowledge to the entire educational community, public administrations with competences in the educational field, universities and social actors at a national and international level.

Final Report

Catalan version Spanish version

Executive Summary

Catalan version Spanish version English version

Articles

Jacovkis, J. ., Rivera-Vargas, P., & Helsper, E. J. . (2024). Platforming Public Education: Addressing Socio-Digital Inequalities and Strengthening the Role of Public Administration in Catalonia. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.17583/rimcis.12387

Rivera-Vargas, P., Calderón-Garrido, D., Jacovkis, J., & Parcerisa, L. (2024). BigTech digital platforms in public schools: Student and family concerns and confidence. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44322-023-00003-4

Rivera-Vargas, P., Parcerisa, L., & Fardella, C. (2023). Digital education platforms and schooling: New challenges and alternatives towards educational equity and children’s rights. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.8483

Jacovkis, J., Parcerisa, L., Calderón-Garrido, D., & Moreno-González, A. (2023). Platforms and digitalization of public education: Exploring its adoption in Catalonia. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7917

Herrera-Urizar, G., Rivera-Vargas, P., Massó-Guijarro, B., & Folguera-Àlvarez, S. (2023). Tensions arise in the discourse among educational institutions, public administration, and BigTech concerning the use of commercial digital platforms within the Catalan educational system. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7910

Calderón-Garrido, D., Parcerisa, L., Rivera-Vargas, P., y Moreno-Gonzàlez, A. (2023). Opiniones de las familias sobre corporaciones tecnológicas, plataformas digitales educativas y derechos de la infancia: validación psicométrica de un instrumento. Revista Aloma. 41(1), 141-148. https://doi.org/10.51698/aloma.2023.41.1.141-148

Moreno-González, A., Caderón-Garrido, D., Parcerisa, Ll., Rivera-Vargas, P., y Jacovkis, J. (2023). Survey data on Families’ perceptions of ed-tech corporations, educational digital platforms and children’s rights. Data in brief, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109017

Jacovkis,  J., Rivera-Vargas, P., Parcerisa, L., y Calderón, D.  (2022). Resistir, alinear o adherir. Los centros educativos y las familias ante las BigTech y sus plataformas educativas digitales. Edutec. Revista Electrónica de Tecnología Educativa, (82), 104-118. https://doi.org/10.21556/edutec.2022.82.2615

Parcerisa, L., Jacovkis, J., Rivera-Vargas, P., & Herrera-Urízar, G. (2023). Corporaciones tecnológicas, plataformas digitales y privacidad: comparando los discursos sobre la entrada de las BigTech en la educación pública. Revista Española De Educación Comparada, (42), 221–239. https://doi.org/10.5944/reec.42.2023.34417

Book chapters

Cobo, C., & Rivera-Vargas, P. (2023). What is ‘algorithmic education’ and why do education institutions need to consolidate new capacities?. En C. Cobo & A. Rivas (Eds.), The New Digital Education Policy Landscape. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003373018-14

Data sets

Calderón-Garrido, Diego; Moreno-González, Ainara; Parcerisa, Lluís; Rivera-Vargas, Pablo; Jacovkis, Judith (2022), “edDIT: Technological corporations, digital educational platforms and guarantee of children’s rights with a gender approach”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/d2bj5c2p4s.1

Conference papers

Rivera-Vargas, P.; Jacovkis, J.; Parcerisa, L.; Calderón-Garrido, D. (Noviembre, 2022). Uso de las plataformas Educativas Digitales en las Escuelas Públicas de Cataluña: explorando las creencias, los saberes y las incertidumbres de las familias. Palma de Mallorca; XXV Congreso Internacional  Edutec 2022.

Judith Jacovkis, Pablo Vargas, Lluís Parecerisa & Raquel Miño (2022). Technological corporations, digital platforms and children’s rights in Catalan educational centres. ESA Mid-Term, RN10.

Rivera Vargas, Pablo; Jacovkis, Judith; Parcerisa, Lluis; Miño-Puigcercós, Raquel (2022). Corporaciones tecnológicas, plataformas educativas digitales y garantía de los derechos de la infancia. Análisis en los centros educativos catalanes. XIV Congreso Espanol de Sociologia.

Participating institutions

Esbrina — Subjectivitats, visualitats i entorns educatius contemporanis (2017 SGR 1248)
Universitat de Barcelona

aFFaC-Associacions Federades de Famílies d’Alumnes de Catalunya

Research team UB

• Pablo Rivera Vargas (Coord.)
• Judith Jacovkis (Coord.)
• Raquel Miño-Puigcercós
• Cristina Alonso Cano
• Katia Pozos
• Lluis Parcerisa
• Geo Saura
• Gustavo Herrera
• Sónia Folguera
• Ezequiel Passerón
• Xavier Giró Gràcia
• Ainara Moreno
• Diego Calderón Garrido

 

With collaboration from ACCD