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

Pedagogical Consequences of the Transformation of Information and Knowledge
� In particular the great, and still growing, societal significance of informed knowledge
as an economic factor of production must be recognised.
� Dealing with knowledge in a real and a virtual world will have to be experienced
consciously with reflection and trained.
� To a much greater extent than with traditional forms of acquiring knowledge learners
must be imbued with responsibility for their own acquisition of knowledge and
with the necessity of acting independently when doing this.
Changes of Attitude
It is important here to modify traditional attitudes, internalised conceptions and
habitualised behaviour. The willingness to
� review the learner's own knowledge continuously and critically,
� develop own knowledge still further,
� share knowledge,
� take new paths,
� face up to the structurally changed situations in the world of knowledge
must be supported and strengthened. The routine interaction with the computer must not
be allowed to drift into dependence on it. Knowledge workers must always "master"
their computers as a cognitive tool, and not vice versa.
New Competences
The competences which are shown here are those which people in the knowledge society
must have in a general pedagogical sense, but they also have a direct relationship to the
electronic generation and acquisition of knowledge:
� In many areas of activity media competence is presupposed. However, it is
essential for working with knowledge.
� Competence in dealing productively with plurality is important in the post-modern
world and must be presupposed for generating new knowledge from heterogeneous
sources with different contents and in a variety of forms.
� The competence to deal productively with change relates in general to rapid
adjustment to changes in personal, occupational and social life. However, this
competence plays a pre-eminent role in dealing with knowledge, and not only
because of the "knowledge explosion" but also because of the rapid innovations of
information and communication technology. Above all, an adjustment to instantaneous
thought is demanded, habituation to learning on demand and just in time.
� Competence to active, conscious and responsible life planning is a general
educational target. However, at the same time it enables and facilitates the acquisition
of knowledge in the framework of lifelong learning.
� Life in the knowledge society necessitates the development and care of social
relations in the real and in the virtual space. For this reason, social competence
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