Elena Vartanova: Continuous education as a way of living in the digital era
26.01.2021
Elena Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University, in her interview for Public Television of Russia spoke about the lifelong learning being an indispensable condition for life in the modern information society.
Professor Vartanova pointed out that knowledge and information have become essential resources, and thus it is appropriate to speak about certain layers of knowledge which should be at the disposal of each and every one. These are not only confined to natural sciences and modern technologies, though one certainly cannot imagine life without basic knowledge in these spheres. Due to the nature of information society, humanities are of no less importance and, perhaps, of even greater complexity, and mastering those allows navigating through the flow of information which constantly floods the modern digital environment. To be transformed into knowledge information should be first processed by the consciousness but in order to be useful and applicable it should come with the realization of what is the practical value of the information acquired, how to draw the key points out of the informational chaos, where to look for sources, how to distinguish between fake news and accurate information. Elena Vartanova clinches the point, saying that such ability is an important feature of an educated person in the 21st century and goes on to speak about the system of education.
The speaker expresses her concern over the recent tendency towards online education, saying that it could lead to desocialization of students which in its turn could have negative impact on their learning capacity and ability to benefit from the knowledge. Another tendency, namely the concept of KSA – knowledge, skills and abilities, is presented by Professor Vartanova in a more positive light. This abbreviation stands for the idea that knowledge is actualized through skills and abilities, so the introduction of this concept into the modern system of education signifies the transition to a more practical approach. By way of example she mentions fact-checking: in order to counter fake news one should have some knowledge about earlier precedents, possess verification skills and have an ability to single out unreliable information.
Elena Vartanova concludes her speech reiterating the idea that education should be a lifelong key priority for each and every person due to the fact that in the modern information society knowledge is crucial not only for a successful career path but also for mere survival. Thus she outlined the necessity of devising new educational formats to meet the demands of the knowledge society.
Elena Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University, in her interview for Public Television of Russia spoke about the lifelong learning being an indispensable condition for life in the modern information society.Professor Vartanova pointed out that knowledge and information have become essential resources, and thus it is appropriate to speak about certain layers of knowledge which should be at the disposal of each and every one. These are not only confined to natural sciences and modern technologies, though one certainly cannot imagine life without basic knowledge in these spheres. Due to the nature of information society, humanities are of no less importance and, perhaps, of even greater complexity, and mastering those allows navigating through the flow of information which constantly floods the modern digital environment. To be transformed into knowledge information should be first processed by the consciousness but in order to be useful and applicable it should come with the realization of what is the practical value of the information acquired, how to draw the key points out of the informational chaos, where to look for sources, how to distinguish between fake news and accurate information. Elena Vartanova clinches the point, saying that such ability is an important feature of an educated person in the 21st century and goes on to speak about the system of education.
The speaker expresses her concern over the recent tendency towards online education, saying that it could lead to desocialization of students which in its turn could have negative impact on their learning capacity and ability to benefit from the knowledge. Another tendency, namely the concept of KSA – knowledge, skills and abilities, is presented by Professor Vartanova in a more positive light. This abbreviation stands for the idea that knowledge is actualized through skills and abilities, so the introduction of this concept into the modern system of education signifies the transition to a more practical approach. By way of example she mentions fact-checking: in order to counter fake news one should have some knowledge about earlier precedents, possess verification skills and have an ability to single out unreliable information.
Elena Vartanova concludes her speech reiterating the idea that education should be a lifelong key priority for each and every person due to the fact that in the modern information society knowledge is crucial not only for a successful career path but also for mere survival. Thus she outlined the necessity of devising new educational formats to meet the demands of the knowledge society.