By Eve Debbage, Project Officer at Teacher Tapp

There is no shortage of education data on schools. It is gathered by a wide range of organisations and individuals to meet a variety of objectives. From government polls and online censuses, to mobile apps that deliver daily teacher surveys, technology has given us access to all the data we could want, both big and small.

Schools are increasingly taking advantage of technological advances to collect their own data. Information management software such as SIMS and MIS has been an established part of the classroom for many years. Once a tool used primarily for registration and storing student records, teachers now rely on these software packages to provide all the data they need for Ofsted inspections and to support their teaching and learning.

From government polls and online censuses to mobile apps that deliver daily teacher surveys, technology has given us access to all the data we could want, both big and small
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Many schools use innovative assessment tools and software applications to provide real-time data on students’ progress. But collecting data is a pointless exercise unless we do something useful with it.

there is a lot to be learned from reviewing data collected by surveys of the wider teaching profession
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How Can School Leaders Use Data from Teacher Surveys? 

When it comes to improving teaching and learning, there is a tendency to focus on student data, and data gathered internally. However, there is a lot to be learned from reviewing data collected by surveys of the wider teaching profession. As debates over the use of standardised testing rage on amidst record number of teachers leaving the profession, surveys of students and teachers are being used more frequently as a means of measuring the performance of a school.

Schools are increasingly taking advantage of technological advances to collect their own data
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Surveys provide immediate insights into teacher satisfaction levels — which can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of teaching and learning. So how can school leaders use data from teacher surveys to improve teaching and learning?

1. Make changes to retain high-quality staff. Staff retention in schools is a nation-wide problem. Teacher surveys provide valuable insight into their satisfaction levels. School leaders should review teachers’ perceptions on key issues and evaluate their school to determine if there might be issues. Often, addressing simple causes of dissatisfaction can significantly raise morale and performance.

2. Identify the teacher’s needs for specific resources and spend the budget wisely. Teachers are in the classroom every day so using their feedback on which resources work, which don’t and which they feel they are missing, is a logical way to determine where to spend the school budget and be rid of what isn’t working and replace it with something teachers feel will support effective teaching and learning.

3. Identify CPD needs. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is crucial to the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The teaching profession is continually evolving as government expectations change, so teachers need ongoing training to ensure their teaching meets the standards set. Data from teacher surveys provides school leaders with an insight into potential areas for CPD, but also barriers to teachers’ participation in their development. If 80% of teachers feel their school does not support CPD or they cannot find the time for it, perhaps changes need to be made.

4. Update school policies. Teacher surveys can reveal teachers’ perceptions on everything from staff dress codes to salaries. If there is a common theme of dissatisfaction amongst teachers, a simple amendment to school policy could increase staff satisfaction. Even if changing policy is not appropriate, use the data to invite feedback and start a discussion with staff.

5. Gain new ideas for developing best practice. Data from teacher surveys can often inspire positive change in schools — or at least start useful discussions in the staffroom. Identify trends in data and consider these findings in terms of your school. If 90% of teachers polled feel they don’t have time for lunch, perhaps school leaders should consider making changes to provide teachers with a suitable break, so they return to the classroom ready to deliver their best teaching.

Advances in education technology make it relatively easy for schools to amass big data on their student population
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School leaders, government and other organisations which lead the way in shaping our schools, can learn a great deal from listening to teachers. If teachers feel their voices are heard and positive changes implemented, they are more likely to feel happy in their work and less likely to leave the profession.

Data from teacher surveys can often inspire positive change in schools — or at least start useful discussions in the staffroom
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Many schools use innovative assessment tools and software applications to provide real-time data on students’ progress
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Is an Obsession With Student Data Damaging Teaching and Learning?

The pressure of Ofsted and league tables has led to an obsession with pupil progress data. Advances in education technology make it relatively easy for schools to amass big data on their student population and many schools rely on this data to drive improvements in teaching and learning. But is this endless quest to collect more and more student data actually impeding teachers’ ability to teach? If there is no clear purpose for data collection it becomes a pointless exercise which consumes precious time in a teacher’s day and zaps their energy for doing their jobs and doing them well. While some data shines a light on progress which enables targeted interventions and differentiated teaching, focussing too much on it can result in significant losses in other areas.

Budgets are limited for the majority of schools, so ensuring that the most effective technology is in place is vital for maintaining effective teaching
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In a classroom where data is everything, high achievers will be constantly rewarded by graphs trending in the right direction and numbers which signify their success. But pupils who are not meeting expected performance targets will be continually reminded of their underperformance, down to the exact percentage. This could be extremely damaging for the morale and motivation of these students.

Student data can be a valuable resource in understanding progress, adapting teaching practice and improving student outcomes, but using it in isolation can be dangerous. Software can record and analyse quantifiable data but this can often be misleading or give an incomplete picture if it is not viewed in context. And there are certain types of qualitative data that technology is just not designed to gather. No algorithm will record how a nervous child who has always been too frightened to put their hand up in class does so for the first time. Yet this would be an important milestone in a child’s learning and a clear indicator for the teacher that they’re on the right track.

Gathering huge amounts of data simply because we have the technological capacity to do so is pointless and could reduce the resources available to achieve improvements
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Student data is often touted as the ultimate resource for demonstrating accountability. Not just to HMRC but to parents and carers. Parents are bombarded with statistics about how their child is performing in school, how they compare to the national average and how much they need to progress by the end of the year. Some schools even send text updates and photographs so that families can share in a child’s school day. Including parents in their child’s education is a valuable and important role of schools, but it can go too far. Access to endless pupil data can result in parents becoming excessively demanding of the school and the child. Parents should be involved in but not leading their child’s education. Equally, where a child perceives excessive pressure to perform, they may become anxious and depressed.

Schools should continually review the data collection software and hardware they use
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The technology available within schools and to external organisations has allowed access to a wealth of education data. Schools should continually review the software and hardware they use to collect this data. Budgets are limited for the majority of schools, so ensuring that the most effective technology is in place is vital for maintaining effective teaching and learning.

Both school leaders and teachers must carefully consider what data they need to collect and why. Gathering huge amounts of data simply because we have the technological capacity to do so is pointless and could reduce the resources available to achieve improvements. Education data — if used effectively — can significantly enhance teaching and learning, resulting in a more positive experience for pupils and their teachers.

The post Education Data Optimizing Learning appeared first on Tech Trends.

Big Data becomes the future of sport and entertainment as IoT takes us closer to the action.

Firstly, congratulations to Welshman Geraint Thomas! 2018 winner of the worlds most famous cycle race, the Tour de France. Only the third British rider to win and the first Welshman, Da Iawn!

This year’s Tour de France has been a bit of a revelation to me. I love watching boring sport on TV, a long weekend of Cycling, Snooker or Golf are pretty much my idea of heaven. Yawn, I hear you say but I love the tedium and the laconic, quietly humorous but aged commentators and I love the fact it takes patience, knowledge and insight to enjoy the intricacies and strategies behind long-form competition.

However, I am of a certain age and the 21st century sees a different kind of audience that demands more information at a faster rate and on new platforms beyond broadcast TV. Innovators in their field, Dimension Data invited Tech Trends to the 13th stage of the Tour this year to see how they are changing the way the Tour is covered and how their groundbreaking data gathering and digital storytelling is engaging a new audience for this 115-year-old race.

The 21st century sees a different kind of audience that demands more information at a faster rate and on new platforms beyond broadcast TV
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There’s a limit to how many TV cameras can follow 176 riders as they fly through the French countryside at an average speed around 25mph. TV is not great at picking out your favorite rider or team for more than a few fleeting seconds per stage while the commentary jumps around, desperately trying to highlight moments of interest in the constantly shifting patterns and tactics of the many race teams. It wasn’t until after the day’s racing that some of the facts and figures came out and could be studied and discussed and any real insight into the sport enjoyed. Well no more. The owners of the Tour, A.S.O. saw the need to revitalise and modernise the race and after partnering with Dimension Data in 2015 have not looked back.

The owners of the Tour, A.S.O. saw the need to revitalise and modernise the race and after partnering with Dimension Data in 2015
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Thanks to a small GPS transmitter under the saddle of every Tour competitor, getting involved in the race in real time, following individual riders and understanding the larger race as a whole, as it unfolds is now a reality – and boy has it made a difference! Pulling the Tour de France into the 21st century has been down to the incredible work of a dedicated team at Dimension Data who designed and manage the data gathering infrastructure and use machine learning and predictive analysis to share the intricacies and unique stories of the Tour with fans around the world.

CTO of Dimension Data Australia, Debra Bordignon explained the evolution of the partnership. Now in the forth year of the partnership, Dimension Data plays a major role in the technology behind the Tour de France experience. To put this into context, the first year of the relationship saw Dimension Data handle data analytics for the race. By the second year, it also took control of the sensors on each bike. This allowed each bike to seamlessly transmit data via the cloud to the race nerve centre – Dimension Data’s big data truck. From there it went live to an ecosystem of broadcasters and sports commentators as well as to a dedicated team of data experts responsible for producing data visualisations for the Tour’s social media channels. Last year Dimension Data brought some new technologies into the mix in the form of predictive analytics and machine learning which we used to predict likely stage results, adding deeper insight and colour to the race commentary with the ultimate goal of increasing the engagement of cycling fans.

A small GPS transmitter under the saddle of every Tour competitor lets spectators get involved in the race in real time, following individual riders and understanding the race as it unfolds
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In a nutshell the rider’s under saddle sensor gathers GPS data, transmits it via the existing broadcast TV network to a nearby helicopter which then passes it onto the Data Truck that is the beating heart of the system and from where Dimension Data communicate with their global teams, work their data magic and share the details and stories of the race with the fans via on-screen TV graphics, online platforms and most importantly, social media.

Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

From the Big Data Truck, Dimension Data communicate with their global teams and share the details and stories of the race via on-screen TV graphics, online platforms and most importantly - social media
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Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

Third party data, including 3D terrain maps and weather information, is mixed in to add context and better inform the fans about what is happening and what might happen in the near future. Predictive analysis has really taken off in 2018 as fans want to see what is happening right now and how it might affect the overall race.

We take historical data, such as past performances of individual riders and previous race outcomes, and combine that with live analysis of race stages. This allowes us to make predictions of race scenarios, such as whether the peloton is likely to catch the breakaway or not, Explained Data Scientist Rob Webster.

Third party data, including 3D terrain maps and weather information, is mixed in to add context and better inform the fans about what is happening and what might happen in the near future
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In 2017 the system proved to be more accurate than even Dimension Data’s experts anticipated. Over the 21 stages of the race, it knotched up over 70% accuracy for predicting the Top 5 riders
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In 2017 the system proved to be more accurate than even Dimension Data’s experts anticipated. Over the 21 stages of the race, it knotched up over 70% accuracy for predicting the Top 5 riders. However, the objective was not to create a perfect model for race predictions for a live sporting event (with crashes, injuries and good old mother Nature to contend with) that would be impossible and detract from the exciting and dynamic nature of the race. Concluded Bordignon

The speed at which they are able to transmit, analyse the data, interpret it and share the stories the data tell is a matter of seconds which is vital to fan engagement. These days, a younger audience expects the information they want in their hands now and Dimension Data has helped the A.S.O. engage a new generation of fans aged between 18 and 35 which now makes up 73% of the Tour de France’s 6.5 million-strong social media audience. Data is opening up the sport to a new demographic that will hopefully follow and support the race well into the future. This shift from TV dependent audiences to younger, digital-savvy fans is clear in the figures.

Traditional Broadcast TV

• Viewers per stage: 12M+

Digital Channels

• Online Video Views: 71M
• Unique Website Visits: 12.6M
• Online Race Centre Visits: 9.1M
• Social Followers: 6.5M
• App Downloads: 1.4M

During this year’s Tour, we’ll be crunching over 150 million data points, meaning fans will have access to an incredible amount of information about their favourite riders, teams, and stages. If the breakaway group during Stage 5 of the Tour is set to outpace the peloton, we’ll know about it, and so will Tour de France supporters across digital and broadcast, as data visuals flow seamlessly between all channels and platforms. Explained Peter Gray, Senior Director of the Sports Practice & Technology at Dimension Data

During this year’s Tour, we’ll be crunching over 150 million data points, meaning fans will have access to an incredible amount of information about their favourite riders, teams, and stages
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The success of the A.S.O.’s partnership with Dimension Data and the new ground they have broken in sporting data gathering has seen the launch of Team Dimension Data which now includes the UK’s most exciting rider, Mark Cavendish and with the advanced data solutions at their disposal guiding their training and strategy I wouldn’t bet against them doing very well in the next few years.

Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

For sporting companies, sponsors and entertainment providers around the world, there is a lot to learn from the advances seen in the Tour over the last few years. Customers and fans want to consume content on their own terms, in their own time, and on their platform of choice. The days of drip-feeding your audience tantalising snippets of information in an attempt to keep them engaged for longer are long gone.

A lot of successful businesses know the importance of making their customers’ experience as easy and enjoyable as possible but companies will be left behind if they don’t understand and cleverly utilise their own datasets to better drive, predict and augment consumer engagement. Tech Trends can see the day when sport and entertainment are dominated by data and the video feed comes second to the advanced, visual delivery of information and story-rich real-time data.

Tech Trends can see the day where sport and entertainment are dominated by data and the video feed comes second to the advanced, visual delivery of information and story-rich real-time data
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For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Transforming Sports and Entertainment with Data appeared first on Tech Trends.