Mapping the Digital Education Landscape in Brazil: EdTech networks, actors, and power dynamics

• In Event: Technology, Education, and Capitalism in the 21st Century

Proposal

The rapid global digitalization has brought significant transformations to various sectors, including education. Governments, schools, and educators are increasingly embracing diverse digital educational products such as online platforms, apps, games, and learning environments. However, contrary to the narratives that portray educational technology (EdTech) as technical and apolitical, digital systems are shaped and operationalized by specific actors who possess distinct worldviews, sensibilities, and agendas aimed at reforming education in accordance with their own objectives. In this context, the educational arena now encompasses a range of actors beyond traditional education stakeholders. This includes EdTech startup companies, venture philanthropists, venture capitalists, and intermediaries, which are part of what is known as the Global Education Industry (GEI). The digitalization of education has further facilitated the development of these networks, ushering in new methods, discourses, forms of financing, and overall mechanisms for governing education. This paper analyses EdTech networks in Brazil, identifying central organizations with diverse backgrounds, such as major tech corporations, startups, investors, philanthropic entities, and civil society. The study aims to explore the various types of organizations, their interrelationships, and their participation in transnational networks of education governance and digitalization.
The investment in EdTech by venture capital in Latin America has experienced substantial growth, more than tripling between 2020 and 2021. Brazil, in particular, boasts the largest EdTech startup market in the region, hosting 886 startups, which accounts for 62% of the total in the region. Among these companies, 70.6% focus on basic education (Holon IQ, 2021). The advancement of EdTech in Brazil is intricately linked to complex networks, which include transnational funding from international organizations, venture capitalists, venture philanthropy, and other intermediary entities, such as startup accelerators. Nonetheless, the digitalization of education has also allowed for new opportunities for citizenship education, with some grassroots organizations seeking ways to leverage technology for democratic and participatory purposes.
To comprehensively map the EdTech landscape in Brazil, this research employs network ethnography and a policy-following strategy (Ball, Junemann and Santori, 2017). Thus, through social network mapping and digital ethnography, the study investigates the central organizations involved in the digitalization of education and related shifts in education governance within the country. In doing so, the paper delves into the operations of diverse organizations, and identifies the most influential and well-connected organizations while also examining their role in education governance networks. Moreover, the study sheds light on collaborative efforts among these entities to effect education reform through the utilization of technology as a tool. Simultaneously, the paper identifies organizations that advocate for democratic management and explore participatory and collaborative EdTech alternatives. This paper aims to offer insights into the complexities of education governance and the adoption of technology within the sector, highlighting the interconnectedness of various central market-based organizations, as well as dissenting popular alternatives, contributing to the broader understanding of the global impact of digitalization on education systems.

Author

• Marina Avelar, Federal University of Minas Gerais