"To succeed in the Knowledge Age, people who have passed through today's formal education system - meaning most adults in Western economies - will need an order-of-magnitude leap in their capacity to acquire, assimilate, and share knowledge." This familiar concept starts an article by Donald Norris, Jon Mason and Paul Lafrere, Experiencing Knowledge, in the premier (Oct/Nov 2004) issue of innovate, journal of online education. The article is based on their new book, Transforming e-Knowledge: A Revolution in the Sharing of Knowledge. It focuses on the changes to learning that are being caused (and will be caused) by changes in technology. I think they are onto something even bigger with this idea of experiencing knowledge.
In the article, they talk about not only the importance of absorbing knowledge but of experiencing knowledge, which acknowledges the incredible importance of interacting with information and knowledge. This might happen in a "learning" environment (school, training) or simply as one goes through their day in business and in life. I know that the frame of reference that I bring to any situation colors what I see, what I hear, and what I bring away. It colors what I experience.
Beyond the technical-improvements-change-education angle, it seems that things like the concept of networking and inter-networking will continue to grow and evolve with some version of personal networking tools and ideas. For me, this will have just as much impact on how I experience knowledge as the specific technologies, if not more.
[found via elearnspace]