Luci Pangrazio (She/Her) is an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University. She is currently studying datafication, data literacies and the gig economy. Her research interests include digital and data literacies, young people's digital worlds, the gig economy, platform studies and platform mediated labour, and creative and critical research methods. Luci Pangrazio’s current project investigates representations of digital data to build knowledge and understanding of issues such as data privacy and protection. She is also a Chief Investigator on two ARC projects: 'Data Smart Schools: Enhancing the Use of Digital Data in Secondary Schools' (led by Monash University, 2019-2021) and the 'Australian Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child' (led by QUT, 2021-2028). Her previous project (2018-2020) involved working with Universidad de ORT Uruguay on developing children's data literacies. Luci Pangrazio’s most recent book 'Learning to Live with Datafication: Educational Case Studies and Initiatives from Around the World' was co-authored with Julian Sefton-Green and published in March 2022 (Routledge). She is also co-authoring a book with Neil Selwyn called 'Critical Data Literacies' (MIT Press, 2023). Her previous book is 'Young People's Literacies in the Digital Age: Continuities, Conflicts and Contradictions' (Routledge, 2019).

“Assembling”* parents: How digital parenting is changing in the age of datafication

The focus of the keynote is how digital parenting is changing in the age of datafication.

Based on a two-year project with Australian families, Pangrazio discusses how parents navigate and understand datafication in the home, including how they mediate their children’s internet use. Drawing on the idea of the data assemblage, she highlights how datafication has not only changed the way children experience digital technologies but also how it is mediated by families. Findings suggest parents must now navigate a range of complex challenges and tensions, including providing digital opportunities while protecting their children from online harms; a lack of choice regarding the digital platforms mandated by education and care providers; and the unsettling realization that most digital experiences mean the erosion of their families’ privacy and the commodification of personal information. Given parents are just one part of any data assemblage, their priorities must compete with an array of countervailing forces. The keynote discusses how datafication is changing ‘digital parenting’ and conclude with some suggestions for future research and support for families.

* The author refers to the relationality between interfaces, algorithms, and data infrastructures, as well as how these technologies are used. These interconnected elements are considered an 'assemblage'. Therefore, 'assembling' parents indicates the post-digital problem of parenting.

Keyword

datafication, digital platforms, parenting, childhood, references

References

Pangrazio, L.; Selwyn, N. (2023). Critical Data Literacies Rethinking Data and Everyday Life. MIT PRESS.

Pangrazio, L., & Mavoa, J. (2023). Studying the datafication of Australian childhoods: learning from a survey of digital technologies in homes with young children. Media International Australia, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X231162386

Perrotta, C., & Pangrazio, L. (2023). The critical study of digital platforms and infrastructures: Current issues and new agendas for education technology research. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7952 

Maria Ranieri (she/her), PhD, is a Professor of Education, Media and Technology the University of Florence, Italy, specializing in the theory and methodology of media and technology in education. She has worked on and coordinated a number of European research projects on media, learning, technology and social inclusion, including e-Engagement against Violence (2012-14) and Media Education for Equity and Tolerance (2016- 2019). She is the author of the toolkit Media & Digital Literacy Education. A Teacher’s Guide which provides teachers with learning resources suitable for use in the classroom. She has published more than two hundred papers and chapters, and ten volumes. She has edited Populism, Media and Education: Challenging Discrimination in Contemporary Digital Societies (Routledge, 2016). She is the chair of the European Conference on “Social Justice, Media & Technology in Teacher Education”, ATEE Spring Conference, Florence (IT), 20th – 22nd May, 2020. Maria is the Vice-President of the Italian Association of Media Education and the co-editor of Media Education: Studies, Research and Good Practices & the Journal of Media Literacy Education. She is Associate Editor of The International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy (John Wiley & Sons, 2019).

The educators in a postdigital era: in conversation with Maria Ranieri 

The integration of technology and media education in the training and daily practices of educators and teachers presents unique challenges and opportunities in the postdigital context. At the university level, initial training for these professionals must evolve to encompass comprehensive technology and media education, addressing the distinct needs of both educators and teachers. In daily work, especially within the integrated 0-6 years system, the use of technology and media requires thoughtful reflection to enhance pedagogical practices. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of technologies in nurseries and primary schools, prompting a reassessment of media education's role and effectiveness. Furthermore, the current discourse on technology in schools extends to artificial intelligence (AI), raising questions about its potential for active, participatory teaching and its implications for the teaching-learning process. Exploring these aspects reveals the critical intersections between technology, education, and the evolving role of educators and teachers.

Maria Ranieri has studied educational technology and educators' professional development to support technological uptake for the last two decades in Italy and internationally. We will invite her to engage with these topics, through the following questions:

1. The 0-11 year group refers to two professional figures still rather differentiated in our school system, even for a different initial training: the educator and the teacher. Speaking of initial education, how can we stand at the university level for the training of these figures in relation to technology and media education?

2. How can we imagine the use of technologies and the reflection on media education by educators and teachers in their daily work with children, especially taking into account the integrated system 0-6 years, which deserves our attention more and more?

3. Covid has introduced technologies in nurseries and primary schools that were previously used only marginally, introducing media education topics in the past somewhat underestimated by educators and teachers. What's left? Is what remains working, or should we review some choices and make others?

4. Does talking about technology at school today also mean referring to AI and the perspectives it opens in relation to active and participatory teaching? Also in the case of AI can we reason in terms of the process or product of teaching-learning as for "traditional" technologies? 

Keyword

educational technologies, remote emergency teaching, post-pandemic teaching, AI, educators’ professionalism

References

Carretero Gomez, S., Napierala, J., Bessios, A., Mägi, E., Pugacewicz, A., Ranieri, M., Triquet, K., Lombaerts, K., Robledo Bottcher, N., Montanari, M. and Gonzalez Vazquez, I., What did we learn from schooling practices during the COVID-19 lockdown, EUR 30559 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2021, ISBN 978-92-76-28418-5, doi:10.2760/135208, JRC123654.

Gouseti, A., Lakkala, M., Raffaghelli, J., Ranieri, M., Roffi, A., & Ilomäki, L. (2023). Exploring teachers’ perceptions of critical digital literacies and how these are manifested in their teaching practices. Educational Review, 0(0), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2022.2159933

Ranieri, M. (2011). Le insidie dell’ovvio: Tecnologie educative e critica della retorica tecnocentrica. ETS.

Ranieri, M. (2020). Tecnologie per educatori socio-pedagogici, Metodi e strumenti. Carocci.

Ranieri, M. (2022). Le competenze digitali degli insegnanti. In R. Biagioli & S. Oliviero (Eds.), Strumenti per la didattica e la ricerca (1st ed., Vol. 222, pp. 49–60). Firenze University Press. https://doi.org/10.36253/978-88-5518-587-5.6

Giovanna Mascheroni (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Sociology of Media and Communication in the Department of Communication and Performing Arts, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at Università Cattolica, Milano. She is part of the EU Kids Online Management team, and member of the Executive Board and WP6 Leader in the H2020 project ySKILLS (DT-TRANSFORMATIONS-07-2019 The impact of technological transformations on children and youth RIA) https://yskills.eu/. She also leads the national project Datafied childhoods: Data traces in family life and the production of future data citizens (DataChildFutures) (2020-2022) funded by the Cariplo Foundation under the grant Ricerca Sociale 2019 - Scienza, Tecnologia, Società. In 2015-2019 she co-chaired WG4 of the COST Action IS1410 “The digital literacy and multimodal practices of young children (DigiLitEY)”. From 2012 to 2014 she has coordinated the Net Children Go Mobile project (www.netchildrengomobile.eu), funded by the Safer Internet Programme. Since 2007 she has served as the national contact of the EU Kids Online project (www.eukidsonline.net). From 2013 to 2016 she was co-PI of the FIRB project "Building inclusive societies and a global Europe online: Political information and participation on social media in comparative perspective" (www.webpoleu.net) funded by the Italian Ministry of Education. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Department of Media and Communications of the LSE from 01/09/2013 to 30/06/2017. Her work focuses on the social shaping and the social consequences of the internet, mobile media and IoTs for children and young people, especially on datafication and its implications for digital citizenship.)

Families and children in a postdigital era: in conversation with Giovanna Mascheroni

Over the past decade, the presence of digital media in the lives of children and their families has grown exponentially, reshaping daily interactions and routines. When referring to childhood data, we mean the data created by and about kids as a result of their use of digital technologies. This transformation profoundly impacts the daily lives of children and their families, influencing everything from play and learning to socialization and parental involvement. At the macro level, these changes reflect broader societal shifts towards digital integration and the increasing importance of data-driven insights. Research has been actively responding to these changes, exploring the implications for child development, education, and family dynamics. Looking ahead, future scenarios envision a more nuanced relationship between childhood and digital technologies, emphasizing the need for balanced, ethical approaches that safeguard children's well-being while leveraging the benefits of technological advancements.

Giovanna Mascheroni’s influential work led us to reflect on the several forms of technology exposure and vulnerabilities in childhood. Her point of view will be explored through the following questions:

1. How has the presence of digital media in the lives of girls, children, and their families changed over the last 10 years?

2. What do you mean when you talk about childhood data?

3. What impact can this transformation have on the daily lives of girls, children, and their families?

4. And what can we see at the macro level?

5. How is research responding to these changes?

6. What are the future scenarios that you imagine in the relationship between childhood and digital technologies? 

Keyword

datafication, digital platforms, childhood, future

References

Mascheroni, G., Siibak, A. (2021). Datafied Childhoods. Peter Lang Verlag. https://www.peterlang.com/document/1140627

Mascheroni, G., & Zaffaroni, L. G. (2023). From “screen time” to screen times: Measuring the temporality of media use in the messy reality of family life. Communications. 0(0), 1-22.

         https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2022-0097

Mascheroni, G., Cino, D., Amadori, G., & Zaffaroni, L. G. (2023). (Non-) Sharing as a Form of Maternal Care? The Ambiguous Meanings of Sharenting for Mothers of 0-To-8-Year-Old Children. Italian Sociological Review, 13(1), 111-130. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v13i1.635

Mascheroni, G., & Zaffaroni, L. G. (2022). MeTag App and MeTag Analyze. M&K Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft, 70(3), 292–302. http://dx.doi.org/10.5771/1615-634X-2022-3-292

Mascheroni, G. (2020). Datafied childhoods: Contextualising datafication in everyday life. Current Sociology, 68(6), 798-813. https://doi.org/10.1177/001139211880753 

Pablo Rivera-Vargas (he/his) is a Lecturer in the Department of Teaching and Learning and Educational Organization of the University of Barcelona (Spain). Doctor in Education and Society from the Universidad de Barcelona. Member of the research group ESBRINA - Subjectivities, visualities and contemporary educational environments (2017SGR 1248) and senior researcher of the Institute for Research in Education of the University of Barcelona.) Aligning with his interest and studies in critical digital literacies and the critical study of educational technologies. Among other relevant international and national networks and projects led, Dr. Rivera-Vargas has recently coordinated the EDIT project analysing the problematic issue of platformisation in public schools during and after the pandemics. The group identified some of the tensions that the intensification in the adoption of digital educational platforms has brought to light in the school and family environment. Based on a mixed methodological design, which included six in-depth interviews with school principals and a survey of 2112 families, they analysed the positions of the school community and families on the use of digital educational platforms in public schools in Catalonia. He has also collaborated on relevant actions to disseminate a critical perspective on technologies and educational research through the Podcast/Video-Interviews Series “Educar con Sentido”, reaching the 4th season since 2020.

Digital Platforms and Datification in Education: Possibilities and Challenges for Child Protections

In this keynote, the results of a study on the perceptions of the educational community regarding the use of corporate digital platforms in the Catalan education system, with a particular emphasis on privacy and data protection, will be presented. The mixed-method research was conducted in primary and secondary schools in Catalonia and involved interviews and discussion groups with school leadership teams, teachers, and students, as well as questionnaires for families. The findings reveal a shared awareness of the importance of privacy and data protection, though each group addresses these concerns differently: educators and administrators focus on legal implications and data management, students on the safe use of platforms, and families on protecting their children's personal information. The study concludes that it is essential to delve deeper into this issue to create equitable digital ecosystems that particularly protect students. It underscores the need to develop educational policies that integrate digital literacy with strong ethical components and highlights the importance of involving all educational community members in policy creation and review to ensure their effectiveness and inclusivity. Collaboration among educational institutions, families, and digital platform developers is crucial for building a safe digital environment that respects the privacy rights of all users.

Keyword

digital platforms, families, data protection, mixed-methods research

References

Cobo, C., & Rivas, A. (2023) The New Digital Education Policy Landscape. Routledge. 

        https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003373018-14

Cobo, C., & Rivera-Vargas, P. (2023). What is 'algorithmic education' and why do education institutions need to consolidate new capacities? In C. Cobo & A. Rivas (Eds.), The New Digital Education Policy Landscape (210-225). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003373018-14  

Jacovkis, J., Rivera-Vargas, P., & Helsper, E. (2024). Platforming public education: Addressing socio-digital inequalities and strengthening the role of public administration in Catalonia. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 13(1), 1-19 Page Range. https://doi.org/10.17583/rimcis.12387

Rivera-Vargas, P. y Jacovkis, J. (2024). Plataformas digitales y corporaciones tecnológicas en la escuela. Una mirada desde los derechos de la infancia. Octaedro.

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