Technology has transformed knowledge. First, it has changed how concepts can be represented: From paper, to screens, to virtual reality, abstract concepts can now be seen, touched, manipulated, and experienced. Second, it has changed who can represent concepts: With Generative Artificial Intelligence, learners have more opportunities to tailor concrete examples and explanations to their own needs.
This transformation offers exciting opportunities for education, making difficult concepts more graspable and positioning learners as driving forces of their own learning. However, this transition is not without dangers: If designed or used poorly, technology can also rob learners of the knowledge construction processes that are crucial for deep and sustained learning.
In this lecture, I will describe the opportunities and challenges tied to the technological transformation of knowledge. I will then argue that the only effective response to this transformation is interdisciplinary dialogue, between learning scientists, technology builders, and interaction designers.
