

Why the education sector lags behind when it comes to tech? - arusha_imtiaz

Unlike other industries, education sector worldwide (esp k-12), generally lags behind in implementing smarter technology solutions. Every industry has properly functioning, and highly advanced ERP systems but still that doesn&#x27;t stop them from implementing next generation mobile solutions and employ the power of data analytics for informed decision making. This is probably because they realize that the massive penetration of mobile and social technologies have changed the way people live, work and communicate and hence they expect the same experience in every walk to life, be it their work life or grocery shopping. 
Why education sector fails to understand this? Why not only parents but school admin itself doesn&#x27;t have real time access to school activities? Why is analytics not employed to convert vast amount of disparate amount of data into actionable insights in schools? Why ain&#x27;t students and teachers able to communicate through their mobile devices. Why is &quot;anywhere anytime&quot; still an unknown concept for the education sector?
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dalke
Decades of attempts to convert this "vast amount of disparate amount of data
into actionable insights" have found that it's far more complicated than you
think. See for examples
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_data_mining](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_data_mining)
and
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_analytics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_analytics)
for some of the well-known names for these sorts of analytics.

For example, "Investing in expensive data analysis systems may not be as
important as investing in ways of measuring teacher effectiveness that can
identify the specific supports teachers need to improve their practice." \-
[http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may1...](http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may10/vol67/num08/Using_Value-
Added_Measures_to_Evaluate_Teachers.aspx) .

"Value Added Measures" are one of the many attempts at applying analytics to
education. The error rate and variability of that method is so high as to make
it unusable. See [http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/resources/value-added-
measu...](http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/resources/value-added-measures) .

I cannot reconcile your statement with the last 15 years of high-stakes
testing, which were justified by saying they could do the analytics that you
think haven't been considered.

Nor with the many attempts, dating to at least PLATO in the 1960s, to develop
computer assisted instruction systems, with data acquisition and analytic
components.

Edit: Also, "Google Apps for Education" \-
[https://classroom.google.com/](https://classroom.google.com/)

~~~
arusha_imtiaz
"Investing in expensive data analysis systems may not be as important as
investing in ways of measuring teacher effectiveness that can identify the
specific supports teachers need to improve their practice" I didn't really get
this statement. You would need a data analysis system for measuring teacher
effectiveness as well. They r in no way separate.

~~~
dalke
There are such things as inexpensive data analysis systems.

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bediger4000
In the USA, education is circumscribed by tradition. Everything, from length
of school year, to subjects taught, to curriculum, is bounded by tradition. If
tech isn't in schools, that's fine, because nobody in 1955 had tech in their
schools, and what's good enough for old folks is good enough for kids today.

Sorry to be so grumpy, but I'm pretty sure that's what the real reason is.

~~~
dalke
There are indeed all sorts of traditions.

Football teams and homecoming are traditions that seem to have little to do
with education.

But just like there are schools without football teams, there are also schools
with year-round teaching. Tradition can't be the only reason.

In the 1980s there was a big debate on if calculators should be allowed in
schools. Technology won. So clearly we have technology in schools now which
wasn't there in 1955.

