Keywords: education, educating, teaching, knowledge society.

Abstract

This present paper is a reflection essay on the role education should play in the knowledge society. This concept that refers to the social changes and transformations that are taking place in today society implies that we analyze whether we are educating individuals to adapt to these changes in such a way that we can make the necessary adjustments in the educational systems of all levels, in particular, higher education, thus, in the development of this writing it is investigated what is demanded from the education in this new society but mainly reflects on our role as teachers, which should be as a facilitator who guides the education in the process of teaching-learning and especially forms individuals for life in the professional, social and personal dimensions. Finally, this paper pounders the limitations that exist in the knowledge society which prevents the inclusion of all members of society.

INTRODUCTION

This essay is based on a reflection on how education should be conceived in the knowledge society. This reflection is based on the urgency of recognizing that today’s society is going through several changes and transformations that force education and educator systems around the world to ask ourselves: how are we educating? Are we training future competent professionals to face today’s society? These questions lead us to rethink the conception we had of education to give rise to new ways of understanding it within the knowledge society. To do this, we must first become aware that education is the main axis of the transformation of society.

Paur, Rosanigo, and Bramati (2006) reaffirm that there is currently a new society that is dynamic, intercommunicated, and global, which changes rapidly to the rhythm of scientific advances and the new global socioeconomic context. These changes profoundly affect all areas of economic, cultural and social activity in each country and are so intense that they can be considered to be leading us into a new era that we can call the knowledge society.

The definition of these authors emphasizes the changes that are produced by the great and rapid advances of today’s society.

On the other hand, Krüger (2006) refers that knowledge society “is a concept that apparently summarizes the social transformations that are taking place in modern society and serves to analyze these transformations” (p.1). This concept coincides with that proposed by Díaz (2011) who also defines the knowledge society as “a term that synthesizes the social transformations that are currently produced and that serves to analyze these changes” (p.390). Both concepts highlight the social transformation that occurs in a knowledge society.

Education in the Knowledge Society

Once the definitions of the knowledge society are exposed, we are now concerned with explaining what role education should play in it. From the perspective of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] (2005) cited by Forero (2009), access to education, information, and freedom of expression are the pillars of the society of knowledge. The concept of the knowledge society is important not only for the economic growth of a country but also for developing all sectors of society from the human point of view. Therefore, it is in this aspect that education must fundamentally focus, that is, we must educate to train individuals with a human quality that contributes to economic, political and social development from their professions.

In today’s society, knowledge has become a fundamental element of human life, since all economic, labor, educational, cultural and communicative activities require cognitive and mental skills (Forero, 2009). Therefore, educational systems at all levels must change the traditional paradigms that have been applied to lead to more relevant paradigms in society and such a changing and demanding world.

Paur, Rosanigo, and Bramati (2006) reinforce this approach by saying that it is necessary to pass from a traditional system that has the teacher as the main actor, as the owner of the knowledge that he transfers to the student, which is a passive actor, receiver of the information to a system that:

Gives rise to new methodologies and new teaching roles, more focused on the design and management of activities and learning environments, on practice research, selection of teacher-student content, resources, guidance, advice, and group dynamics, in the formative evaluation and the motivation of the students (p. 465).

In this sense, the teacher acquires a facilitator role that guides the student in the teaching-learning process, where he designs activities aimed at the construction of knowledge and its practical application. The student takes an active role, which should not memorize information but analyze and process it in a way that allows him to build knowledge and achieve meaningful learning.

In this new paradigm of education, innovation processes should be promoted since UNESCO (2005), cited by Forero (2009), establishes that the central element of knowledge societies is the “ability to identify, produce, treat, transform, disseminate and use information with a view to creating and applying the knowledge necessary for human development ”(p. 43).

In addition to the aforementioned, education in the knowledge society must be clear that the use of the Internet has generated access to an unlimited amount of information so that teachers must develop in the students’ search, selection, analysis and synthesis of this accumulation of information available. In other words, that learn to learn.

Moreno and Velásquez (2012), mention that we should not only focus on obtaining the information, but we must also know how to find it and use it for a common good, with a critical sense and a utilitarian purpose. What indicates, that the learner of learning to use information and knowledge to innovate or solve a problem or need in such a way that allows him to change the world around him, improve his quality of life, that of his family and that of their community. Only in this way can we refer to the existence of a knowledge society.

Limitations

Now it is important to analyze whether the changes that must occur in education in knowledge societies are within the reach of all educational systems and within the reach of all major actors such as learners and educators. In other words, if the knowledge society allows the inclusion of all its members or there are exclusions; As UNESCO (2005) cited by Forero (2009), points out, one of the great obstacles that exist to meet the Millennium Development Goals is the considerable investment in education and training required for the construction of a society of knowledge, there is also a limited inability to master technology and there is a phenomenon that is the custom in societies to keep knowledge, so that it is not freely shared so that we all reach maximum development. This happens because many times in human beings, individualism, selfishness and bad competitiveness are rooted, which causes us to have these attitudes.

Tedesco (2003), on the other hand, tells us about the knowledge society which is also called new capitalism in which it is intended to include in its process only those individuals who develop the basic capacities linked to educability and employability, with which excludes the rest of the population that does not have the characteristics that this new system requires by marginalizing or leaving the rest at the same level of poverty, ignorance, and violence.

Besides, Moreno and Velásquez (2012), consider that students who live in urban areas are privileged with new technologies and exclude those who live in rural and marginal areas that do not have access to technological infrastructure resources.

It should be noted that in Nicaragua, the government’s policies are that everyone has access to technology, however, we still have limitations, especially in the country’s rural areas, which constitutes an exclusion of this sector from the population to the society of the knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

The knowledge society is a term that refers to the social changes and transformations that are taking place in today’s society. This concept leads us to rethink whether we are educating individuals to adapt to these changes. That is if education is contributing to the demands demanded by the knowledge society.

One of the fundamental aspects that education and educator systems must take into account is that it is up to us to train individuals with high professional skills but at the same time with high human quality, only in this way will we ensure that the knowledge society generates development in all sectors of society and that contribute to the common good.

Finally, in all countries of the world equity must be promoted, all individuals must have the right to education, access to the internet; this ensures that there is a true inclusion of all in the knowledge society. Therefore, teachers have a social commitment to prepare students to develop the skills and abilities that will allow them to solve the challenges of the future.

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Works Cited

Díaz, V. (2011). Relación entre sociedad del conocimiento, metodología de la investigación científica y producción científica estudiantil en estudiantes de medicina, Chile. Colombia Médica, 42 (3), 388-399. Retrieved from http://bibliotecadigital.univalle.edu.co:8080/bitstream/10893/3113/1/relacion.pdf

Forero, I. (2009). La sociedad del conocimiento. Revista Científica General José María Córdova, 5 (7), 40-44. Retrieved from https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/4762/476248849007.pdf

Krüger, K. (2006). El concepto de sociedad del conocimiento. Geo Crítica, XI (683). Retrieved from http://www.ub.edu/geocrit/b3w-683.htm

Moreno, H. y Velásquez, R. (2012). La sociedad del conocimiento: inclusión o exclusión. Revista Educación, 36 (2), 1-24. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/pdf/440/44024857006.pdf

Paur, A., Rosanigo, Z. y Bramati, P. (2006). La educación en la sociedad del conocimiento. Facultad de Ingeniería, UNPSJB. Retrieved from http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/bitstream/handle/10915/19258/Documento_completo.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Tedesco, J. (2003). Investigación educativa: de la ciencia social a la filosofía social. Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa, 5 (2). Retrieved from https://redie.uabc.mx/redie/article/view/86