Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

With recent advances in technology, apps and platforms that provide predictive analytics are being used in many Australian K-12 classrooms. Teachers are using free apps such language learning app Duolingo and social learning platform Edmodo, to garner insights on student learning and obtain student or teacher recommendations. Dependent on the algorithmic analysis of big data, the use of such apps also brings with it implications related to algorithmic bias and platform capitalism. Implications include the potential for discrimination, inequity and prejudice in the insights and reocmmendations. There is a notable inadequacy in the existing literature relating to such topics. This presentation aims to unpack the socio-technical assemblage formed between teachers and free commercial apps in relation to some of the implications that have been widely discussed in broader transdisciplinary literature. This exploration also utilises findings from a recent pilot study of teacher perceptions of apps and platforms in primary and secondary schools settings. The theory and evidence provided in this session is echoed by numerous calls for greater discussion and debate about algorithmic bias, including the Australian Human Rights Commission who as of July 2018 began a major project on the relationship between human rights and technology. Given the increasing studies linking ethics with predictive analytics, this presentation also aims to empower teachers to consider how they use free apps in the classroom. Therefore, teachers armed with knowledge and understanding of potential implications, can contribute to the greater debate surrounding the growing use of predictive analytics in Australian classrooms.