Wolfgang Greller gave a keynote address arguing that contrary to assumptions, reading has not decreased but has actually increased. He cites several studies and statistics showing higher levels of reading among more educated individuals and as part of careers. Additionally, there are now more publications and ways to access information like blogs, social media, and mobile devices. However, information now comes in ubiquitous streams from multiple modalities, ambient technologies, and varied displays. This raises issues around retrievability, evaluation, organization, and contextualization of knowledge. Schools must also compete with informal learning opportunities but there is no agreement on schools' fundamental purposes. Overall, knowledge exists more as fragmented pieces connected globally rather than within individuals, requiring competences to synt

1. FR
Fragmented Information
Worlds
Dr Wolfgang Greller
Vice-Principal for Research and Quality Assurance
Keynote at the Opening of the Centre for Text and Information Competences
24 February 2014 – Vienna University of Education

2. Reading Paradox
(Wrong) assumption that reading decreases
Gallup (2005)
Pew (2014)

3. 50
55-64
40
More Reading Than Ever
30
20
10
0
Reasons:
• More people are educated to higher
levels
• Reading as part of career (LLL)
• Success models (Amazon, The Strand,
Huffington Post, Wikipedia, etc.)
• More publications than ever before
(“publish or perish”)
• Participatory internet (Blogs, FB, Twitter,
•
Online News, etc.)
Wider access (e.g. mobile, free Metro
papers, etc.)
2000 2005 2008 2011
60
50
40
Austria 25-64
Austria 25-63
Below Grade
Unter Sek2 9
30
Austria 25-64
Austria 25-64
Degree
Tertiär level
20
Canada 25-64
Canada 25-63
Below Grade
Unter Sek2 9
10
Canada 25-64
Canada 25-64
Degree
Tertiär level
0
2000
2005
2008
2011
OECD 2013

4. Information Society
Ubiquitous streams of information
Multi-modal symbolism (not only text)
Ambient technologies
Display and interaction diversity
Global connections
ISSUES:
Retrievability
Evaluation
Organisation
Contextualisation

5. Ambient Technologies
„Speaking“ Elektronics

6. Localised/Contextualised Information

7. Visualisation
Data
Information
Knowledge

8. Visualisation variety
Cognitive Load?
Helpful
–
or
confusing?

9. Continuous Streams of Information
Not only texts but conversations
Conversations happening as text (instead of verbally)

10. Discourse
Authored
text
Public
commentary

11. Connectivism
Knowledge exists in the network instead of
in ‘one’ person (“Wisdom of the Crowd”)
“The community is the curriculum”
(Dave Cormier)

12. Information and School
“If schools are coming into direct competition with the learning
opportunities available in the informal social space, it has to be
said that this is a pressure, which barely registers within the
political discourse. Indeed, the gaping hole in the middle of the
public debate on schooling is that we can’t even agree on what
schools are actually for. Do they provide a set of skilled
employees for the labor market? Or are they about developing
the ‘whole’ child – emotionally, intellectually, creatively? Do
they serve to ensure national economic competitiveness? Or are
they about civic cohesion through cultural education? These are
questions around which there has been no public consensus, as
absurd as this may seem, given that in the U.S. and most of
Europe we have had state-organized systems of compulsory
schooling for over 140 years.”
(David Price, 2013)

13. Fragmentation of Knowledge
- Tiny pieces of information (info-particles)
- Along (global) connections
- Eliminating noise

14. Do we have the competences to create the sum of many parts?