The industry of digital educational technologies in France

Abstract

The objective of the research internship abroad is to analyze the industry of digital educational platforms and technologies (Edtechs) in France in order to characterize how such tools are being integrated into schools and educational policies in that country, and their consequences for teaching work. We intend to focus on analyzing the period from 2019 to 2023, aiming to understand how French Edtechs were developing in the pre-Covid-19 pandemic context. The proposal aims to achieve part of the goals of an ongoing postdoctoral research project, initiated in 2021, entitled "The school's fabrication: Edtechs and teacher reconversion in Brazil and France." In this research, our overall objective is to investigate the role of educational technology companies (Edtechs) in Brazil and France, specifically in relation to their incorporation into the field of teaching. To do so, we address two areas of concern: firstly, the analysis of the social reasons and justifications behind the accelerated production, dissemination, and incorporation of digital technologies in education; and secondly, within the framework of this industry, the analysis of the participation of financial capital and large private education groups in the creation, promotion, consolidation, and centralization of the digital educational platform industry. During the internship abroad, we plan to carry out the following activities: (a) literature review in France; (b) document analysis; (c) gathering educational and financial data about the French Edtech industry; (d) technical visits to companies developing educational technologies in the Île-de-France region; and (e) a case study of a digital education platform incubator. The internship is a necessary prerequisite for conducting the technical visits, case study, and accessing non-internet-based documentary sources, while also contributing to a more precise and rigorous characterization of the French Edtech industry. (AU)