The deluge of data (and emails!)
Many teachers are heading back to school or college to begin a new term and prepare for yet another summer of exams.Among the many jobs that will be vying for their time and attention in the first few days is the deluge of emails, which will have built up over the Easter holidays. There’s nothing like an inbox filled with hundreds of emails – all of them marked urgent or very important – to bring you back to earth with a bump. I am sure some people succumb to the temptation to just delete the lot, without ever reading them!
From email to official government announcements, it seems everywhere we turn there is an abundance of data, but as I plough through my own inbox, I do wonder whether this helps or hinders our working lives?
A recent article on the Total Politics raised a number of important questions about data and democracy. We now have more information about the world we live in than ever before. For example, as the article states, a report last year by the UCL Constitution Unit found nearly 200,000 Freedom Of Information (FOI) requests were made to council in England and Wales in 2010, compared to 60,000 in the previous year.
The UCL report concluded that the vast majority of these requests were about issues of private, not public interest. And despite ministerial calls for an army of armchair auditors to rise up and hold the public sector to account, the general public remain as disinterested as ever in the machinations of government. But it’s not all bad! More than ever before, software developers are able to take some of the new data feeds from central and local government and tailor the information into the latest mobile phone apps, which can keep us up to date with everything from traffic accidents to weather forecasts.
The good software developers and analysts know there is a demand for this information, but it must be presented in a way people can understand and in a manner, which is relevant to them. That is why so many of us are addicted to our mobile phones.
At Learning Plus UK, we understand that teachers and headteachers want to see performance in a straight-forward and easy-to-read format, without having to wade through pages of meaningless facts and figures. Our Datadashboards have been used by schools and education authorities around the country to help drive up standards and we are keen to help teachers make the most of them.
We will be holding a webinar on how to make the most of your Datadashboard on Thursday 14th June from 4-4.30pm. The online event is free to members and if you would like to take part, email office@learningplusuk.org and you will be sent details on how to log in.
We will also be holding a half-day professional learning development on using data more effectively on Tuesday 3rd July for members in our London network and on Wednesday 27th June for members in our Thames Valley network.
To reserve a place at either event, email office@learningplusuk.org.
Good luck with clearing those inboxes, everyone!
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