Learning Citizenship and the New Competences: Challenges for the Knowledge Society

International Seminar

Digital technology is very much a part of our everyday life. The manners in which we work, amuse ourselves and go about our daily activities are currently transformed. We live in an increasingly global world, where ideas, news, values and fashions travel fast. Even our democratic societies and their institutions are affected by the new technology, which opens up new arenas for political communication and new mechanisms for organising public opinion. Children and young people grow up in a world where media and media culture play an increasing role for their socialisation; a world which their parents often have little knowledge about.

An element of this development with a dramatically increasing flow of information is that knowledge will play an even more important role for society and in the lives of citizens. Work life is becoming increasingly abstract and complex, and the need for learning, training and education will increase. At the same time, however, the traditional ways of organising teaching and learning from preschool up to university level are challenged by computers and the Internet.

On Monday June 9, 2008, LearnIT, which is a research program for the study of the relationship between knowledge, learning and information technology funded by the Knowledge Foundation, organises an international seminar on these issues. The seminar will be devoted to reflecting on the consequences of the technological development for social change and education/learning. Distinguished European researchers and decision-makers from different fields will contribute. The seminar is open for all who are interested in these issues.

The seminar venue is the Wallenberg Conference Centre of the University of Gothenburg and participation (including lunch and buffé in the afternoon) are free of charge. Advance registration is mandatory and binding.

The final date for registration is May 30, 2008