Melbourne, AU (AEDT), 2024
Virtual
Values
A monthly reading group at Deakin University on value(s) and education technologies.
While concepts of value and values are always contested in a broad philosophical sense, there is a particular crisis in debates about value in contemporary education systems at the same time as digital platforms seem to be creating new economies, new markets and new financial value alongside and possibly interrelated to a decline of older forms of social value.We want to use the lens of virtual value-that is to say value as it is created in the virtual and platformed world to investigate the new and changing constructions of value especially focused on the field of education but in a context of shifting values as societies move into a new sphere of digital governance.Valuation refers to how something becomes valued, and how, upon being recognised as valuable within social practices, it influences and reshapes these practices (Decuypere et. al 2024). Scholars have grappled with the inherent ambiguity of value, as notably articulated by Graeber’s (2001) book, Toward an Anthropological Theory of Value, argues for a departure from the workplace and Marx’s labour theory of value, asserting two predominant ‘streams of thought’ in the discussion of value(s): the economic sense, which pertains to the desirability of an object measured by what others are willing to exchange for it, and the sociological perspective, which considers values as conceptions of what is good, proper, and desirable in human life. These values are expressed, contested, and disseminated through various digital media platforms today (Hallinan et al. 2022). Thus, the reading group examines both the sociological definition of 'values' and the economic definition of 'value.'In our context, we seek to understand how these conceptualisations of value and values exist in the EdTech ecosystem. A startup founder’s perspective of value may underscore their relationship to a much larger business ecosystem and their orientation towards the future (Decuypere et. al 2024). For the firms ‘producers’ such as software engineers and educators, their creative activity is the source of the platform’s value (Graeber 2001). Students, on the other hand, will view the value of a platform based on the value of learning on the platform (Vermiere et. al 2024).Browse our readings + contact us.
References:Decuypere, Mathias, Sigrid Hartong, Nina Brandau, Lucas Joecks, Anja Loft-Akhoondi, Carlos Ortegón, Toon Tierens, and Lanze Vanermen. 2024. “Maneuvering Constellations of Valuation: A Critical Investigation of the Edtech Startup Sector.” Critical Studies in Education, June, 1–20.Graeber, David. 2001. Toward An Anthropological Theory of Value. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.Hallinan, Blake, Rebecca Scharlach, and Limor Shifman. 2022. “Beyond Neutrality: Conceptualizing Platform Values” Communication Theory 32 (2): 201–22.Vermeire, Z., M.J. De Haan, J. Sefton-Green, and S.F. Akkerman. 2024. “The Desire to Learn: The Alienation and Reimagining of Pedagogy on YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.” Critical Studies in Education, June, 1–19.
This site is maintained by Melissa De la Cruz.
About us
We are a group of researchers mainly connected via the Deakin Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (Digital Child). We do endeavour to include colleagues across Australia and beyond.
Professor Julian Sefton-Green researches young people’s and families’ use of digital technology, focusing on socially marginalised communities and social inequality. He explores how data impacts family life and aims to promote equality and diversity through digital environments.Dr Luci Pangrazio is an expert in datafication, young people’s digital and data literacies, and digital cultures. Luci's research focusses on the datafication of young children’s technology use – what data are being collected, how it’s being used, and the implications.Dr. Andy Zhao is a sociologist who is interested in studying and researching digital media, transnational mobility, young people, and the intersections of them. Andy is a Research Fellow at the Digital Child and hopes to bring to the Centre his experience and expertise in researching culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in the digital age.Dr. Kate Mannell is a media studies researcher whose work analyses the design, governance, and use of digital platforms, with particular focus on understanding the role of technologies in everyday life and the practices people use to regulate or resist their use.Dr. Robbie Fordyce is a critical researcher of digital systems and spend his time studying the impacts that technologies can have on our social bonds. Robbie is a DECRA Fellow and his research investigates the impacts of AI for creative and intellectual workers.Dr. Chris Zomer is an Associate Research Fellow at the Digital Child. His research interests include gamified learning applications, student engagement and the datafication of education. At the Centre, Chris will be looking at how families with young children understand and manage digital data in the home.Melissa De la Cruz's research explores the work practices, skills, and values in creating and maintaining EdTech platforms, focusing specifically on the roles of teachers, product designers, and software developers. Her outlook is shaped by over a decade of experience in public sector innovation in the US and in her hometown of Cebu City, Philippines.
What we're reading.
Aug 16, 2024 - Graeber, David. 2001. Toward An Anthropological Theory of Value. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.Sept 13, 2024 Oct 18, 2024 - Appadurai, Arjun. 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective. New York City, NY: Cambridge University Press.Nov 22, 2024 - Decuypere, Mathias, Sigrid Hartong, Nina Brandau, Lucas Joecks, Anja Loft-Akhoondi, Carlos Ortegón, Toon Tierens, and Lanze Vanermen. 2024. “Maneuvering Constellations of Valuation: A Critical Investigation of the Edtech Startup Sector.” Critical Studies in Education, June, 1–20.
Interested in learning more or have suggestions for the reading group? Connect with us.