The emergence of digital technologies and data has in uenced every area of life, from business to education. Data are important not only for global economic growth, public services, and social change but also for education. To address the challenges of the digital shift, the ability to interpret data and make decisions based on those interpretations is becoming increasingly important for our younger generation. It will be imperative for future generations of students to be equipped with the necessary digital and data skills to face the challenges of a digital and data society. This paper will discuss the perspectives, future opportunities, and challenges of using educationally relevant open data and sensor data in schools to create new possibilities for digital and data innovation in secondary school education.
Data and digital technologies are now entrenched in our daily lives. It is therefore
vital for young learners to be equipped with digital and data skills, the ability to
understand data, and a command of digital technology operation [
Open data and sensor data can both play key roles in bringing digital
innovation to education by engaging students in data collection activities and allowing
them to understand the concept of data via analysis and interpretation in
relation to the real world [
Previous research studies [4, 10{14] conducted in close collaboration with
Danish public schools identi ed opportunities for open data as an educational
resource. For example, the use of data from students' municipalities can pique
their interest, foster discussions, and explain problems in students'
geographical or social environments, which helps them relate the data to their everyday
lives [
However, to take full advantage of these publicly available resources, further research is needed to better understand the value and opportunities of open data as an educational resource, including how to integrate real datasets into the learning process. This exploratory paper will explore the perspectives and future possibilities of using open data in education in a variety of contexts other than classroom activities based on our previously conducted research studies [4, 10{14]. We will discuss the perspective of open data and sensor data in a broader view in the following research question (RQ):
RQ: (a) What are the future opportunities for open data and sensor data in an educational context, and (b) what are the potential challenges to realizing these opportunities?
The following is the structure of the exploratory article. The research methods for identifying challenges and opportunities are presented in Section 2. Section 3 presents the results and in Section 4, the conclusions are presented. Finally, the limitations and future research are discussed in Section 5. 2
In this exploratory research work, we reviewed our previous work [4, 10{14] to
comprehend and analyze the future challenges and opportunities associated with
the use of open data and sensor data as educational resources. Previously, we
discussed open data and sensor data usage in separate studies [
In the following section, the research results are brie y discussed. 3
In this section, the main ndings are discussed under the following categories: 1. Future opportunities for open data and sensor data use in an educational context 2. Challenges in using open and sensor data in education 3. Initiative to reap the bene ts of open data and sensor data in education 3.1
Many institutions have already recognized the importance of involving schools
and higher education institutions in open data research [
However, to reap the full bene ts of open data, governments or educational
administrators must also be involved in incorporating educational open data
directly into educational plans. For example, secondary education plans could
involve an introduction to basic data principles, such as structures, formats, and
analysis. These kinds of measures are critical if we want to encourage students
towards more active learning using open data. Norway4 and the United Kingdom
[
Sensors, on the other hand, can be useful in understanding the concept of
open data. For example, students can collect pollution data near a railway
station using sensors and compare them to available open data. This allows the
3 https://data.gov.ie/showcase/discover-kells
4 https://site.uit.no/opendatainteaching/
students to understand how data are generated and what factors may in uence
the data collection process if there are di erences between the sensor data and
the open data. These types of activities expose students to real-time data
collection activities outside the classroom [
Students can also compare their school data with those of other schools rather than with those of their immediate surroundings or cities. For example, they can re ect on why their school's noise or pollution levels are higher than those of other schools. Students may develop a wide range of skills through these activities, ranging from the use of complex technologies and the ability to analyze and argue to the development of vital skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, and discussion. Figure 1 shows how sensor data relate to educationally relevant open datasets and existing national open datasets.
Figure 1 represents how educationally relevant open datasets, for example, can be identi ed and selected for use in education as part of school subjects. Simultaneously, using sensors, some educationally relevant datasets can be collected locally (in school surroundings) and made available to other schools via a common educational open data platform. They can gain a better understanding of the concepts of open and private data. For example, sharing collected data with others or avoid exposing data to others in certain activities.
Without systematic planning, integrating open data as an educational resource will not yield the desired results. Systematic planning may include teacher training, access to additional resources, such as sensors in schools, and a shift from the traditional teaching methods toward more collaborative and problembased learning methods at the school level. A common platform that could relate relevant educational open datasets to school subjects and allows students to share data collected during various educational activities using sensors or other technologies within or outside school could also be bene cial. These tasks will not only bene t teachers and students but will also enhance learning environments and citizen science. 3.2
In this section, we will discuss the future challenges (that still need to be
addressed) that may in uence the use of open data and sensor data in educational
activities. Generally, open data research is concerned with the data type, quality,
structure, and design of real-time applications to access and publish datasets.
However, there has been less emphasis on developing tools or applications that
can make these datasets more accessible and usable for students [
With access to educational relevant datasets of di erent cities, students can
further learn how the demands and services of cities can vary depending on their
population and geographical location. In an educational setting, applications
that allow students to access, use, and share their own data (collected during
various educational activities) are also required. Previous studies have also shown
that it is critical for students to have access to up-to-date datasets when working
with real-world datasets [
Another challenge that could a ect the successful use of open data and sensor data is teachers' motivation, instructional design, and training. One possible solution to motivate teachers could be sharing success stories through national educational open data platforms. Awareness can also be spread by setting up small competitions based on data. These would not only involve students but also motivate teachers to learn more about data-related activities. The associated learning skills are not achieved simply by using open data in school teaching; they are also dependent on how open data is used pedagogically, and this requires revision in schools' curriculum strategies. When working with data and technology, ethical, privacy, ownership, and legal considerations need to be reviewed, such as copyright, authorship, and content. It is also important to teach students about the ethical use of data when they publish on common platforms (i.e., use correct information). 3.3
Initiative to reap the bene ts of open data and sensor data in education The following measures must be implemented in the future to reap the maximum educational bene ts from open data and sensor data use in the educational domain. 1. Providing schools with access to relevant up-to-date educational data 2. Providing schools with access to curricula-compatible sensors and technology in an educational context 3. Developing a national educational open data platform that provides access to existing relevant educational datasets and allows the educational community to share their experiences and publish data collected through educational activities 4. Training and awareness programs for teachers 5. Involvement of government or educational administration in open data initiatives 5 https://www.opendata.dk/
With the introduction of technology in schools and a push for more accessible government data, there are many opportunities for better data collection and analysis in education. One way to assist students in developing digital and data skills is the use of open data in the classroom as an instructional resource. The literacy of these skills has become vital in the early stages (e.g., secondary school) of education to build a strong, informed, and talented workforce that is ready to face future challenges and opportunities.
The availability of open data has many associated opportunities from not only a technical or governmental perspective, such as improving public services and bringing transparency to government policies but also from the educational perspective, such as using open data as an open resource to help students learn essential future skills and provide a learning environment that allows students to relate their subjects with their immediate surroundings. Open data and sensor data also provide students with information that, in some cases, requires signi cant time and e ort to accomplish a task or draw a conclusion. 5
The results presented in this research study are limited to schools (teachers and students as participants) in Denmark. However, it provides the educational community an overview of the possibilities, opportunities, and challenges in using open data and sensor data in educational activities. To fully exploit the bene ts of open data and sensor data, research is needed to discover ways to successfully integrate open data and sensor data in curricula and develop a common platform that allows the teaching community to share their success stories and upload the results of data collection educational activities for others. The organization of seminars or courses is also required to increase the awareness of and motivation toward the use of open data among teachers. Lastly, there is a need for government or administrative involvement in successfully integrating open data into the school system.
The value of open data and sensor data in the learning process has not been su ciently investigated to date; therefore, more investigations are needed to reap the full bene ts of open data and sensor data in future research. To successfully integrate open data and sensor data learning into schools and gain the full advantage of open data opportunities, the initiatives and challenges discussed above need to be addressed.