Abstract
The authors explore the question of what educational theoretical demands are to be made on the information society. At the outset, they present the thesis that knowledge can be differentiated into available knowledge and orientation knowledge, the former meaning the availability of factual information, the latter the ability to structure knowledge. The mere increase of available knowledge does not automatically lead to the enrichment of orientation knowledge; rather, it must be acquired. A knowledge society must fulfil three prerequisites: Transforming information into knowledge, striving for a reflective handling of this knowledge and guaranteeing the individual the possibility of articulation in the public sphere. Following the theoretical discourse, the authors present the application to internet projects carried out at the University of Magdeburg. Here, the necessity for problem-oriented work became apparent: the complexity of the available knowledge on the net has to be reduced and structured with regard to the research question. In the age of information overload, comparisons and verification of sources are essential. Articulation in the public sphere was granted by students presenting the results of their work on the internet personally marked.
