The Myth of the Knowledge Economy
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Overeducated in the knowledge age? |
It is commonly asserted that "knowledge," "information" or more abstractly, "the networked" or "the postindustrial," are eponymous for our society, age or economy. These assertions, of course, are seen to bring with them urgent implications for all levels and forms of education–from the preparation of children as "knowledge builders," through the reconfiguration of higher educational institutions, to support for new types of technology and new educational forms. Thus, we read: "The challenge [is to] get students on…a developmental trajectory leading from the natural inquisitiveness of the young child to the disciplined creativity of the mature knowledge producer." (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2003; 1370; emphasis in original); "The new economy has placed the acquisition of knowledge, and the role of higher education, at the center of national development" (Futures Project, 2001; p. 1); and, in our "knowledge-driven era… education is a lifelong endeavor, one that will only occasionally be mediated by the ‘traditional’ artifacts of historical learning experiences (Gandel, Katz, Metros, 2004; p. 44). Unsurprisingly, traditional educational artifacts –such as "places," "professors," "degrees," etc.—are generally seen as being superseded in this new economy, age or configuration by more advanced information or knowledge technologies: computer supported "knowledge building" environments (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2003), learning management systems (Gandel, Katz, & Metros, 2004), learning objects (Sloep, 2004; Polsani, 2003), the semantic Web (Friesen & Anderson, 2004), etcetera.
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Since Scardamalia’s and my work is cited several times as exemplifying the “myth of the knowledge economy,” I make bold to recommend a book edited by Barry Smith, Liberal Education in a Knowledge Society (Open Court, 2002). In it, two economists, Edwards and Ogilvie also challenge the “myth” with evidence and argument, concluding that there is a shift from manufacturing to service jobs but not a shift to knowledge work. The book also contains my reply (pp. 234-236). I make two points: first, that census-type data can’t demonstrate a shift to a knowledge economy the way they could demonstrate a shift from an agricultural to a manufacturing economy; second, that support for claims about a knowledge-based economy
Comment by Carl Bereiter — February 8, 2007 @ 4:27 pm