Distance Education in Transition - Master of Distance Education ...

"Information" and "Knowledge" - On the Semantic Transformation of Two Central Terms
New flows of information are created which can all be linked with and to one another.
The information channels of traditional knowledge institutes are not used. The trend is
that the knowledge that is generated does not remain bound to the institution but is
socially distributed.
These changes to the way in which knowledge is produced are so fundamental that the
authors propose that the traditional production of knowledge (Mode 1) must be
differentiated in principle from the new production of knowledge (Mode 2). "Our view
is that while mode 2 may not be replacing Mode 1, Mode 2 is different from Mode 1 – in
nearly every respect." (1994, VII). In addition they come to the awareness that the other
and new form of knowledge production also leads to a new knowledge (1994, VII).
Nina Degele (2000, p. 11) calls this new knowledge "informiertes Wissen" – "informed
knowledge". It is based on interaction between an individual and a computer in which
internal knowledge and external information are placed in relation to one another and
integrated using an individually elaborated search, evaluation and selection strategy and
in this way enter with regard to time and logistically into a symbiotic relationship. The
production of knowledge with the help of a computer makes it necessary to bring
knowledge into a "processing-friendly form". Nina Degele calls this procedure "informing".
She deviates here from the usual use of this word and refers to its meaning as "bringing
into a form". "Informed knowledge" is therefore knowledge that is worked out, processed,
stored and subsequently activated in other contexts with the help of computers and
computer networks.
The following information is important as it marks the special nature of informed
knowledge:
1. Informed knowledge is based on information that is stored in global computer
networks. This cannot be compared quantitatively or qualitatively with the traditional
acquisition of information from books and articles in newspapers because the rapid
access to this information alters the way knowledge is dealt with.
2. Informed knowledge makes use of an incredible abundance of information
("information overflow"). These items of information are ubiquitous, which means
that in principle they can be accessed quickly and easily, in particular as the networked
computers can be regarded as universal search engines. Knowledge that can feed
from a practically inexhaustible volume of information is of its nature different from
traditional knowledge because the process of acquiring knowledge is different.
"Knowledge now means bringing theoretical assumptions, repeatable processes,
practical rules and agreed foreseeabilities from every corner of the world into all
possible relationships." (Faßler, 1994, p. 90).
3. Informed knowledge is in principle fractioned, in pieces6 , fabricated and often
modularised as well. This means that it is taken from different contexts and
correlations, "debedded" (Giddens, 1995, p. 33) and composed in a special way. In
contrast, with traditional knowledge an appropriate context is usually present from
6 We obtain an idea of the degree of fractionation and breakdown of knowledge by using Beatz Biblionetz:
larger areas of knowledge are not described narratively but broken down into subjects, individuals, books,
terms, questions, theories, lists and changes. Links lead to other areas. Go to: http://beat.doebe.li.
bibliothek/b00021.html
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