Innovation, informational literacy and lifelong learning: creating a new culture

This article reflects on the impact of informational innovations and their interdependence with lifelong learning. Today, the object of knowledge and learning is increasingly based on digital information, which means we need to make serious efforts to construct a new culture of lifelong learning. On the one hand, technological and informational possibilities are generating new opportunities for learning by offering access to a world of open, flexible knowledge. On the other hand, it is of utmost importance for individuals to learn how to approach such open knowledge. It is clear that this context reveals significant challenges for education; apart from new skills, an innovative lifelong learning culture demands new roles in the learning process. This new reality points to substantial changes for educational actors, situating informational competences as key competences for lifelong learning.Reflections on the roles of teacher and learner lead us to a re-interpretation of the traditional teaching triangle. In this paper we attempt to address a new pedagogic understanding that relies on the internet's possibilities for generating and sharing knowledge. New relationships between teacher and learner are conceptualized, based on the idea of a self-sufficient student and a supporting teacher, who guides students in successfully accessing and using online information. We are convinced that innovating in lifelong learning goes hand-in-hand with the successful exploitation of new informational possibilities. For that purpose, changes to the roles of educators and the construction of a culture of lifelong learning will be essential.