Knowledge society

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Being a Teacher
in the Knowledge Society
Prof. Bernard CORNU
(INRP, CNED-EIFAD, France)

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Information: Facts, comments, opinions,
expressed through words, images, sounds...
It can be stored, circulated...
Knowledge: The output of the reconstruction
of information by a person, according to
his/her history and context.
It depends on the person.
Information can be transmitted,
Knowledge must be acquired, constructed.
1. Knowledge Society 2. Networked Society 3. Collective Intelligence 4. The school in the Knowledge Society 5. Being a Teacher in the Knowledge Society

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Information society: A society in which
information is a good that one can exchange,
buy, sell, store, transport, process. The society
of the digital divide.
Knowledge society: A human society, in which
knowledge should bring justice, solidarity,
democracy, peace... A society in which
knowledge could be a force for changing society.
A society which should provide universal and
equitable access to information (UNESCO).

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Integrating ICT in order to build the Knowledge
Society:
Learning to know
ICT and Knowledge, accessing Knowledge
Learning to do
New capacities, do through ICT
Learning to live together
New communication, the « e-citizen »
Learning to be
… in the knowledge society; personal development

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• ICT change knowledge itself:
Each discipline, its concepts, processes,
methods, resources available…
• The Knowledge Society needs new kinds
of Knowledge, that cannot reduce to
traditional disciplines

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• disciplines
• transverse knowledge
• complex knowledge
An example: Edgar Morin
(Seven complex lessons in education for the future)

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1. Detecting error and illusion: Teach the weaknesses of knowledge:
what is human knowledge?
2. Principles of pertinent knowledge: Consider the objects of
knowledge in their context, in their complexity, in their whole.
3. Teaching the human condition: the unity and the complexity of
human nature.
4. Earth identity: Teach the history of the planetary era, teach the
solidarity between all the parts of the world.
5. Confronting uncertainties: Teach the uncertainties in physics, in
biology, in history…
6. Understanding each other: Teach mutual understanding between
human beings. And teach what misunderstanding is.
7. Ethics for the human genre: Teach the ethics of humanity
preparing citizens of the world.
1. Detecting error and illusion: Teach the weaknesses of knowledge:
what is human knowledge?
2. Principles of pertinent knowledge: Consider the objects of
knowledge in their context, in their complexity, in their whole.
3. Teaching the human condition: the unity and the complexity of
human nature.
4. Earth identity: Teach the history of the planetary era, teach the
solidarity between all the parts of the world.
5. Confronting uncertainties: Teach the uncertainties in physics, in
biology, in history…
6. Understanding each other: Teach mutual understanding between
human beings. And teach what misunderstanding is.
7. Ethics for the human genre: Teach the ethics of humanity
preparing citizens of the world.
(Edgar Morin)

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From chain to pyramid and to
network..

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Network:
- Nodes (information, people, knowledge, …)
and edges (links…)
- Complexity
- The « world wide web »
- Several paths from one node
to another
- Interactive, evolutive
- Sub-networks,
network of networks...
- Circulate in a network
- Changes in hierarchies

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Communication:
one to one
one to all (media)
all to all
From hierarchical
communication to
networked communication
New kinds of hierarchies…

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Education in a networked
society
• Education needs networks
of knowledge
• The links (the edges):
contribute to the elaboration
and acquisition of Knowledge

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Education in a networked society
Take into account:
• new knowledge
• access to knowledge
• communication in a network
• new teaching, new learning
• new tools, new resources, new pedagogies
• new space and time
• new teaching profession

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Individual / collective intelligence and capacities
…the networked society needs and reinforces a
collective intelligence.

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Internet is mainly a tool, the more recent we found
for perfecting our intelligence through cooperation
and exchange… The true revolution of Internet is not
at all a revolution of machines, but of communication
between human beings… Internet enhances our
capacity for collective learning and intelligence…
Each community realises that it is one of the
dimensions of the production of human sense…
Internet forces us to experiment new ways of being
together… The ethics of collective intelligence,
consisting in interlacing different points of view…
(Pierre LEVY, 2000)
Internet is mainly a tool, the more recent we found
for perfecting our intelligence through cooperation
and exchange… The true revolution of Internet is not
at all a revolution of machines, but of communication
between human beings… Internet enhances our
capacity for collective learning and intelligence…
Each community realises that it is one of the
dimensions of the production of human sense…
Internet forces us to experiment new ways of being
together… The ethics of collective intelligence,
consisting in interlacing different points of view…
(Pierre LEVY, 2000)

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Collaborative work
Virtual communities
• communication
• collaboration
• collective learning
• collective competencies
• collective memory
• collective intelligence
… intelligent systems management

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An aim for education: build a collective intelligence;
a role for Teachers.
• The (open) classroom is the first place where
collective intelligence can be built and used.
• Develop collective intelligence of pupils
• Develop the capacity for collaborative work
• Use collaborative work

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e-Learning
from "CAL"
to distance-learning
then e-Learning
• not only technology, but a new conception of
teaching, training, learning
• Managing differently time and space
• Internet and virtuality
• individualisation and collaboration
• Interactivity: interactive content
interactive tutoring

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The school of the future…
The OECD scenarios
“Schooling for tomorrow: what Schools for the future?”,
CERI, OECD, 2001
"status-quo" extrapolated
1. Robust bureaucratic school systems
2. Extending the market model
“re-schooling”
3. Schools as core social centres
4. Schools as focused learning organisations
“de-schooling”
5. Learner networks and the network society
6. Teacher exodus - the meltdown scenario

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OECD scenarios
Variables and commands:
• Attitude and expectation towards schools
• Mission and objectives of schools
• Organization and structures
• Geopolitical dimension
• Teachers

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New competences for Teachers:
teaching in the knowledge society
teaching in the networked society
developing a collective intelligence
• Technology
• new pedagogical possibilities
• new management of time and space
• new knowledge
• new networked form of knowledge
• new expectations of Society

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Ethical competences
• ICT and "Education for all"
• Digital divide and divides in education
• globalization
• commercialisation of education
• property rights, cyber-crime, privacy...

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ICT confirm the essential
and core role of the teacher:
be the MEDIATOR
between knowledge and the student
…the face-to-face relationship
between the teacher and the pupil
remains essential
The human dimension of teaching
supported and enhanced by technology

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« Always more… » or core competences?
A collective Competence (a team profession;
ability for cooperative working, collective
intelligence)
An evolutive Competence (Lifelong Training;
Permanent competence to acquire new
competences).
Diversity of competences; ability for diversity.

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Common European Principles for
Teacher Competences and Qualifications
(2005)
Common Principles:
a well-qualified profession
a profession placed within the context of lifelong learning
a mobile profession
a profession based on partnerships

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(2005)
Making it work: the key competences:
Work with others
Work with knowledge, technology and information
Work with and in society

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(2005)
Making it work: the key competences:
Work with others
… individually and collectively, building a « collective intelligence »
Work with knowledge, technology and information
… networked knowledge, complex knowledge, in the Knowledge Society
Work with and in society
… social, political, ethical responsibility

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As educators, we want not only an Information Society,
but a Knowledge Society, enabling all children and all
people to access Knowledge and to benefit from being
educated. Education is a key issue in the Knowledge
Society, and Educators have a major mission.
Particularly, it is the responsibility of all educators and
decision-makers around the world to help developing
countries take part in the developments of ICT in
Education.
Six major areas will shape a beneficial use of ICT in
Education:
THE STELLENBOSCH DECLARATION
ICT IN EDUCATION: MAKE IT WORK
(IFIP, Stellenbosch, South Africa, July 2005)

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1. DIGITAL SOLIDARITY
In the field of Education, ICT should help develop “Digital
Solidarity”. This requires strong and joint actions of all
stakeholders to guarantee the right of participation in
the digital society for all students in the world. We
recommend a Digital Solidarity Action, that will define
as the most important aim for the next five years, that
every child in the world has access to a digital
information and communication infrastructure.

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2. LEARNERS AND LIFELONG LEARNING
In the Knowledge Society, every learner is a lifelong
learner. The content and the methods of initial education
must take into account preparation for lifelong learning.
ICT is a key tool for developing lifelong learning. The
development of lifelong learning needs an integration of
education into the real world - ICT should be used for
this purpose. Lifelong learning must be encouraged in all
countries, as a tool for reducing the Digital Divide.

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3. DECISION-MAKING STRATEGIES
In order to help decision-makers and to make decisions
meet the real needs, bridging research, practice,
experimentation, innovation with decision-making is
essential. Decision-makers should make better use of the
experience of Practitioners and the findings of
Researchers. In turn, Practitioners and Researchers
should make their findings and results more visible and
usable for the Decision-makers. Educators and
researchers should help in elaborating a vision and making
it explicit.

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4. NETWORKING
The Knowledge Society is networked. Networks in
Education offer many ways to access knowledge, offer
many possibilities for networking people and developing
collaborative work and enhancing the “collective
intelligence”. There is a need to develop networks and to
involve all countries, particularly developing countries, in
the education networks. Help in making real this sentence
of an African child: “I am a child of Africa and a citizen of
the world”.

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5. RESEARCH
The development of ICT-based education and training processes is a
growing reality. There is therefore a need to continue research work
on the development of these technologies and their applications. A
certain realignment of research priorities is necessary: Bridging the
gap between technology and pedagogy; development of solid
theoretical frameworks; development of an understanding of the use
and the effects of ICT in Education; finding an appropriate balance
between fundamental, applied, and development research as well as
between public research and research made by the private sector. The
output of research should be made widely available, as open source, for
improving practice, decision-making, and resources development.

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6. TEACHERS
Being a teacher in the Knowledge Society requires new specific
competencies: a teacher has to deal with new knowledge, new ways for
accessing knowledge; with a networked world and with new types of co-
operation and collaboration; with a society in which knowledge plays a
crucial role; with lifelong learning. Teachers are the key agents in the
education system. It is our common responsibility to help all countries
to train and recruit teachers, and to involve all teachers in
international networks. ICT changes teaching and learning, but
technology is not the main issue. “Technology matters, but good
teachers and good teaching, matter more”.

Knowledge society

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