New Ways for Learning and Knowledge Transfer Using Social Semantic Technologies

The history of technology enhanced learning has started about 15 years ago. But it kicked off far earlier if we consider early learning machines such as the one developed by F.B. Skinner as technology. All technology developments have been accompanied by conceptual developments. In the beginnings, the notion of technology enhanced learning was to provide standardized learning material using monolithic systems, referred to as learning management systems. But this was just a one way provision with an author on the one side and a consumer, the learner, on the other. Sometimes technology enhanced learning consisted of simple websites containing content in-tended for learning. Today we find service-based collaborative modular systems. But not only technologies have changed. Also the concept of learning has gone through various changes. Originally, learning was very much dominated by its formal character, while in the meantime informal learning has evolved as a more promising way to learn. It was the paradigm shift from behaviourism to cognitivism and to constructivism which has triggered this change, which was further accelerated through the new technology developments (Tochtermann & Granitzer, 2008). The importance of technology enhanced learning is also well documented by European Research Programmes (Framework Programmes 6 and 7). One of the reasons why corresponding research has been heavily supported by the European Commission lies in the fact that the change of working condition and the high-speed evolution of information and communication technologies, peoples' knowledge and skills need continuous up-dating1. For the current 7th Framework Programme, challenge 4 Digital Libraries and Content explicitly mentions in its working documents that the challenge, therefore, is to harness the synergies made possible by linking content, knowledge and learning2. Both statements support our notion that learning is more than consuming defined content in order to reach a pre-defined learning goal. Instead, it is more about continuously acquiring, generating, applying and even sharing knowledge and not so much about conscious and intended consumption of content.