"Technology cannot create an unbridgeable gap for us"

Interview with Anna Sansalvadó, director of EdTech. This year, this conference that connects teaching and technology reaches its tenth edition, and in this interview, we review both the trends and the challenges in this field. While AI absorbs us, the PISA report disqualifies us. What's wrong?

--- What is EdTech?

--- EdTech is a conference organized by a cluster formed by 80 companies related to educational technology, and we have already held ten editions in Barcelona. The objective is to provide knowledge, reflection, learning, and new trends on education and technology. In short, it would be a "where are we and where are we going?" in this sector, given that the educational society has been living with digital devices in the classroom for 20 years.

--- Does "where are we going" mean artificial intelligence?

--- It means two things: data management and artificial intelligence. We cannot forget the need to manage the contents, data, and subject matter of teaching.

--- There are very skeptical and critical people, with that concept of digital education.

--- I can only speak on behalf of the cluster: we believe that digitalization is here, that we cannot live on the sidelines, but we also commit to always putting education at the center. To be sure of what we incorporate, technologically, into education. And also how. After all, it is a forum where we seek to learn, all agents. Learning is not fast, but it is not necessary to forget what has been learned, and not to fall asleep.

"We believe that digitalization is here, that we cannot live on the sidelines, but we also commit to always putting education at the center"

--- Companies, educational centers, teachers, and, of course, students. It has been two days of presentations and talks that have also served to unite the educational community. That is, companies meet with research and innovation agents, or with administrations and institutions… The Minister of Education and the Minister of Education have come to speak. We have sought out the leaders who truly matter most in this area.

--- But it is often said, looking at the PISA report results, that digitalization has distracted us too much.

--- This is a delicate issue. The fact is that we cannot turn our backs on the digital world, and therefore what is appropriate is to face it head-on with its risks and opportunities. To be very critical, in short, and to make students responsible too. And families!

--- And how do you elaborate your conclusions on such a delicate topic?

--- We do learning analytics, we share ideas about data ethics, uses… It is necessary to reach an optimal goal of well-being and digital equity. The great risk is that a large gap will occur in this sense, that the most vulnerable environments end up too far from the opportunities that technologies offer and that all social environments move away from their risks.

--- But let's see: aren't we forgetting too much about the physical world in learning?

--- Hybrid learning brings benefits, for example, we can access content that would be inaccessible without current technology. However, in-person presence is still totally key both in business and in education. For example, this congress cannot be accessed by streaming.

--- Oh no?

--- No, of course. We want it to be a space for sharing, for networking, for people to interact within these UPF spaces. And we also do this in the day-to-day of our cluster: we promote virtual and also in-person dynamics.

--- What are the current trends in educational technology?

--- We must bear in mind that technology changes rapidly, and practices and research also change. I mean that new topics have completely changed. Now we are talking a lot about immersive realities, about the use of data, about its processing, about how to make more efficient use of it, about making it help us in decision-making… For example, data can help us with absenteeism, or to know what is really happening inside the classroom.

--- And regarding AI?

--- We approach AI not only from the point of its generative aspect (the now classic ChatGPT) but also as a self-assessment system, that is, for content control. For example, Daniel Innerarity came and wondered what would happen when the machine becomes too intelligent. What if it really ends up surpassing us in content?

"Data can help us with absenteeism or to know what is really happening inside the classroom"

--- We are consolidating the model; during the pandemic, we stopped quite a bit. The congress was relaunched in 2022; we were among the first that could be held again. Last year, 800 people came; this year, we reached around 900 people.

--- And why Barcelona?

--- Barcelona because the cluster is organized around the city, and because it is where the content and speaker curation takes place. We seek a balance between being half fair (one part consists of an exhibition of products from various companies) and half content, including workshops in the afternoons. And we try not to mix both things. Also, for example, we have organized a session designed only for students. And Barcelona is an attraction for international speakers such as Barbara Wasson (director and professor at the Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology (SLATE), from Norway), or the head of the Council of Europe in Education, Villano Quiriazi (where they recently proposed the new European regulation on AI), as well as directors of various educational centers… And students, above all.

--- Therefore, can technology help overcome PISA results?

--- It depends on which one, and how, and for what. That's why we bring researchers, that's why we talk about good practices, and this is where we intervene as a congress. EdTech is a tool, just as technology is a tool. It's not about putting a student in front of a tablet to do some exercises, right? It's about doing what, and this is a question that is always open. Our answers are often questions, and just for that, they are already useful.