2012 Horizon Report: Emerging Technologies to Watch for in 2012 and Beyond

The 2012 Horizon Report has just been released and it provides a glimpse into the future of classrooms and educational technology. I think that all educators and administrators should use the report as a resource when planning for a student's current and future needs. (The Horizon Report has been published since 2002 and is the result of collaborative effort fostered by NMC (New Media Consortium).)

The three main areas to the Horizon Report are:

1. Technology Trends and Timeline

2. Key Trends
3. Challenges

This year’s Horizon Report identifies mobile apps and tablet computing as technologies expected to enter mainstream use in the first horizon of one year or less. Game-based learning and learning analytics are seen in the second horizon of two to three years; gesture-based computing and the Internet of Things are seen emerging in the third horizon of four to five years. (Please read the report in it's entirety by clicking HERE)

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less

• Mobile Apps
• Tablet Computing

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years

• Game-Based Learning
• Learning Analytics

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years

• Gesture-Based Computing
• Internet of Things

Key Trends 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

Significant 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

I hope you will read the 2012 Horizon Report and let us know your thoughts!