Emerging Technologies to Watch 2012

 The newly released 2012 Horizon Report gives us a glimpse into the classrooms of the near future. How can our schools benefit from this report? All school leaders who focus sharply on emerging technology trends can effectively plan for what students need and how schools can prepare.Any school or organizational leader will realize by looking at the Horizon Report’s technologies list how quickly these changes are impacting our world and indeed our own lives on a daily basis. Action is needed to ready our schools and organizations for the changes ahead.The Horizon Report has been published since 2002 and is the result of collaborative effort fostered by NMC (New Media Consortium). Released in January, it highlights emerging technology which impact teaching, research, learning and creative inquiry. A timeline is created which details when these technologies are set to have the most impact in those areas. A K-12 version is set to be released in the spring. In researching the report international educational leaders across many sectors come together. The structure of the report is a compelling one which gives us clear insight into means for implementation.  It is a must read for educators.     

Main Areas of the Horizon Report

1. Technology Trends and Timeline
2. Key Trends
3. Challenges

Key Trends Identified in the Horizon Report

• Role of Educators is undergoing change in light of an abundance of resources and relationships
• Blended learning via online programs, hybrid learning and collaborative models are taking hold
• Working and Learning are anytime, anywhere activities
• Cloud computing is becoming more common and IT decentralized
• Classroom learning is becoming more active and challenge based
• Student work is becoming more collaborative as work and learning organizations are moving to collaborative and collective models of work

Emerging Technologies List

• Mobile Apps - One Year or Less
• Tablet Computing - One Year or Less
• Game Based Learning - Two to Three Years
• Learning Analytics - Two to Three Years
• Gesture Based Computing – Four to Five Years
• Internet of Things – Four to Five Years

Critical Challenges

• New Metrics for evaluation are needed in a web centric classroom
• Digital Media literacy is an important skill in all professions
• Traditional models of education are giving way to new modes due to economic pressures and student need
• Resistance to change and new technology by educational institutions
• New publishing modes such as social networks are challenging traditional research and scholarly resources putting pressure on libraries and schools to support new modes of curating scholarship

Tips for Applying the Horizon Report

1. Distribute to Stakeholders; Parents, Teachers, Board Members and Students (html ,pdf)
2. Involve curriculum leaders to forge connections to academic aims
3. Form an Innovations Team
4. Discuss Trends and Challenges. Share the Communique developed for use with the Horizon Report
5. Explore Technologies to Watch. View Supporting data, articles and examples
6. Seek Supporting technologies for academic and organizational goals
7. Connect with success – Plan to visit or connect with schools applying these technologies
8. Plan to pilot new technologies. Plan for ongoing evaluation.
9. Review technology plans and budgets.  As technology evolves so must our plan.
10. Keep an eye on the horizon. Continue to evaluate new developments. Follow developments and news on the Horizon Report 2012 via Facebook, Twitter #NMchz, Wiki

 Since we live in an age of innovation, a practical education must prepare one for work that does not yet exist and cannot yet be clearly defined.Peter F. Drucker 

What I find most validates the importance of this study is their past reporting. Take a look back at reports from past years and you will see how on target these reports have been. School and organizational leaders are advised to take a close look at the results of this report and to take action on behalf of the population or the students they serve. Fostering a relevant, engaging learning environment in tune with today’s world is the job of visionary leaders. Keeping eyes tuned to the horizon’ will be an essential part of a transformation in tune with what is to come.

 Related Links

Emerging Technologies to Watch - 2011 on TechConnectsHorizon Retreat Wiki  Horizon Project Main Page Horizon Project NavigatorCOSN - Consortium for School Networking  This post is cross-posted at School CIO