­
Data for its own sake is pointless — ICT & Computing in Education
  • Front Page
  • Search
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
Menu

ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
  • Front Page
  • Search
  • Newsletters
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
  • Info
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
Big Data, by Terry Freedman

Big Data, by Terry Freedman

Data for its own sake is pointless

June 5, 2019

I noticed a few years ago at the Bett show that companies were going for data recording in a big way. For example, an online textbook system measures how much of a book a student has read, how long they spent on it, and probably what they were wearing at the time.

What's the point?

Data is only useful if it provides information, and especially information that would be hard to get in another way. In this case, I think the following:

  • Is it possible to game the system? If I thought I was being measured on how long I spend reading something, I'd be tempted to start the system up and then go out for a few hours!

  • Is the data correlated with other data? If I spend three hours reading something, compared with your 10 minutes, does that mean I find the subject matter difficult, I'm a slower reader, you're not interested, that I don't find the author's writing style very engaging, or what?

  • Is the data correlated with other data? For example, do students who spend longer on a text obtain better test results?

  • Is the system integrated with the school's management information system? I saw several products at the Bett show (2019) where the answer was "No", so you would end up having two logins, two sets of data, and a lot of work integrating the two.

  • What does it tell you anyway? When I'm reading, I stop every so often to think about what I'm reading, and the kind of things I think the author might cover. I've said more about my approach to reading in an article about reading efficiently. 

    Reader LM made a similar point when we were discussing some headphones that can measure the wearer's brainwaves to check if they're paying attention. Maybe they are making all sorts of connections in their minds, but the headphones would probably conclude that they were "merely" daydreaming.

  • How do such systems meet GDPR (or other privacy laws) requirements? You're supposed to gather and retain only data that is used for specific purposes, and for which people have given their consent. I'm no legal expert, but the concept of headphones that measure and store pupils’ brainwaves for no obvious reason or without their informed consent sounds like a nightmare to me.

  • Here's a radical suggestion, in case you're thinking of buying a system that measures brainwaves, time spent on a task, and similar personal data. Rather than be concerned with input, look at output. In other words, if a student can answer a question or do well on a test, that is the only thing you need to know about them. If someone doesn't do well, set a diagnostic test or even (outlandish suggestion coming up), talk to them. Indeed, talking to them will also prove useful when you wish to check whether they obtained the right answer for the right reason. See? I’ve just saved you a load of money!


This article first appeared in the Digital Education newsletter.

In Infographics, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, News & views, Reflections Tags Bett, data, big data, pointless
← Is robotics a waste of time?Writing technology manuals for school: why, what and how →
Recent book reviews
Backlist: The Written World
Backlist: The Written World

Writing was invented ‘only’ a few thousand years ago. It’s a fascinating story.

Read More →
Backlist: What I'm reading: Bounce
Backlist: What I'm reading: Bounce

What does it take to become an expert? And what can the Computing teacher do about it?

Read More →
Backlist: The Fourth Education Revolution
Backlist: The Fourth Education Revolution

The title of this book invites curiosity: what were the other three ‘revolutions?

Read More →
A book review for your English department colleagues perhaps
A book review for your English department colleagues perhaps

Some of these stories are so richly told, it can almost seem as though you’re right there with him.

Read More →
Review: Pen Names
Review: Pen Names

OK, so this has nothing to do with education technology, but we all read (I hope!). A very interesting examination of the pen names some authors have adopted, and why.

Read More →
Review: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History
Review: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History

There's a really interesting section in this book about how ceramic storage of data and information is probably the most likely medium to stand the test of time.

Read More →
A book review for your biology colleagues perhaps
A book review for your biology colleagues perhaps

The subject under discussion here is how human physiology has developed in different ways, in response to different conditions around the world.

Read More →
Review: Social Media for Academics
Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

Read More →
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

Read More →
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

Read More →
Dig+Ed+Banner.jpg

Contact us

Privacy

Cookies

Terms and conditions

This website is powered by Squarespace

(c) Terry Freedman All Rights Reserved