Learning in the Information Age
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Abstract
There is widespread belief that society is moving from the industrial
age to the information age. This paper discusses what is meant by the
term information age and how society will differ from the industrial era
of the previous two centuries. In particular it considers the impact upon
learning, both in terms of differences in the type of learning that will
be required to survive and thrive in this new era, and of the new and
improved methods it brings which might enhance the learning process.
What is the Information Age
The 1990s heralded an era of dramatic and rapid improvement in information
and communication technology accompanied by price falls which made the
technology accessible to an ever-increasing audience. The proliferation
of the Internet and World Wide Web gave this massive audience unprecedented
access to vast quantities of information, as well as enabling communication
and the formation of alliances unhindered by physical distance or national/political
borders.
Numerous commentators have remarked that this new period will have an
impact upon society as great as that seen by the industrial revolution
of two centuries previously which saw the emphasis shift from agriculture
to manufacturing. This new era has been variously termed the information
age, new economy, information society, knowledge economy etc. The reality
of the concept (at least) is witnessed by Google [http://www.google.com]
searches returning 770,000, 880,000, 643,000 and 173,000 hits on these
four phrases respectively. This paper uses the term information age to
reflect the author's belief that the enormity of technological change
will have more than just an economic impact.
Small [2002] believes methodologies which were successful in the industrial
age are no longer applicable due to the inherent unpredictability of rapidly
changing technology. "It is not just that there are new rules or
that some of the rules have changed. The new rules which apply in the
digital world of communications and e-commerce are sometimes the exact
opposite of the proven and accepted dogmas which apply in the conventional
world".
Characteristics of the Information Age
Change in the industrial age tended to be planned and predictable. This
is no longer the case. Intel founder G. E. Moore observed in 1965 that
computing power was growing exponentially, doubling around every eighteen
months (specifically Moore's observation concerned the number of transistors
per square inch, but it has been shown to be valid for processor power
and data density). Moore's observation continues to hold and has become
known as Moore's law.
The industrial age has been dominated by large corporations. Their size
meant they could benefit from economies of scale and provided high entry
barriers to would be competitors. Big corporations are generally organized
as militaristic style hierarchies with a chief executive officer delegating
control through numerous layers of management to operational personnel
at "the bottom". Operational staff were usually employed on
rigid contracts with fixed job descriptions and much of their role could
be described as algorithmic (eg a worker might be trained to pull lever
B whenever light C comes on).
IBM was a classic example of he large industrial age corporation. Its
fall from grace as the world's leading computer manufacturer has been
attributed to its inability to respond fast enough to the changing market.
Whittle [1997] writes "nimbler competitors offered change, ready
or not, to the market before IBM could because of its rigidly hierarchical
structure that devalued individual initiative."
The rapidity and unpredictability of change inherent in the information
age will demand increased responsiveness and flexibility from the businesses
and organizations of tomorrow. Top-down hierarchies will be replaced by
more egalitarian ad-hoc teams and partnerships in which all members are
valued and rewarded for their individual ability to contribute to the
whole. The job description will be consigned to the wastepaper basket
as roles change continually to take advantage of ever-evolving opportunities.
One of the perversities of the industrial age was that it would spend
several years and thousands of pounds training individuals to do particular
jobs. As soon as they had mastered their chosen field they would be encouraged
to aspire to promotion to management, at which point they would cease
to carry out the role they had been so expensively prepared for.
The exalted status of management found in traditional hierarchies is
likely to diminish as self-managed teams increasingly become the standard
organizational model. Companies that have experimented with self-managed
teams have found impressive results.
Williams [1995] reports that "3M has seen [self-directed work teams]
make improvements in products, services and processes while increasing
customer responsiveness and flexibility. At the same time, these teams
have lowered operating costs, increased productivity and decreased cycle
times." Armstrong [2001] reports that self-managed teams at Bell
"gained a whooping 26% sales increase and a 6% customer service quality
increase" over more traditionally managed teams. Allen and Economy
[2000] report successes of self-managed teams in organizations as diverse
as the San Diego Zoo, Boeing and the Star Tribune newspaper.
In an article for Wired magazine, Kelly [1999] predicted the number of
enterprises in the U.S. would double by 2020 and that the number of workers
per enterprise would halve to just three. It further predicted that many
workers would be engaged in more than one enterprise, a phenomenon it
terms "polyemployment". This suggests society is moving from
the division between managers and managed to a situation where everyone
manages, or owns, their own career.
The information age has the potential to empower individuals, economically
and otherwise. In addition to raising the status of the humble employee,
we now have access to greater information than ever before allowing us
to make more informed decisions as consumers and citizens. We have greater
choice in how we spend our hard-earned money, and have a greater range
of businesses and service providers from around the globe competing for
our custom.
It is often said that knowledge is power. Traditionally knowledge has
been jealously guarded by those in authority, either in government or
boardrooms. In the information age knowledge, and thus power, will be
diffused.
Traditionally the mass media has been few-to-many in nature. A relatively
small number of publishers and broadcasters have been able to transmit
their message for passive absorption by the masses. The Internet and World
Wide Web offer a many-to-many communication medium. Every individual with
'net access can speak to the world through the numerous discussion forums
such as USENET or the many proprietary bulletin boards, or by publishing
on the Web.
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