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As the demand for education, training and CPD opportunities continues to rise, emerging technologies present an attractive solution. The 2010 Horizon Report outlines the new technologies we can expect to impact learning, teaching and education delivery over the next 5 years on an international stage.

E-Learning is still far from the minds of some educators, but as the demand for education, training and CPD opportunities continues to rise, emerging technologies present an attractive solution. The following is a short summary of the 2010 Horizon Report, an annual report that outlines the new technologies we can expect to impact learning, teaching and education delivery over the next 5 years. 

The Next 12 Months

Mobile Computing

Think smart phones, net books, lap tops, iPads, kindles.  When it comes to mobile devices, the list of options is just getting longer.  When it comes to education and learning, it is “the portability of mobile devices and their ability to connect to the Internet almost anywhere makes them ideal”, the report tells us. 

Open Content

Not just a collection of free online courses—open content “promotes a set of skills that are critical in maintaining currency in any discipline—the ability to find, evaluate and put new information to use”, say the report authors.  It is not without its challenges however, particularly in the areas of licensing, intellectual property and copyright.  

The Next 2 to 3 Years

Electronic books

While originally designed to be read on a computer, there are now a variety of e-book readers on the market.  Lack of availability of academic texts and technology limitations has impacted on the uptake of e-books for teaching and learning, according to the report however increasing availability of texts and improvements to the reader technology are changing this.  

Augmented reality

Augmented reality is the concept of blending virtual data and real-world action and “is poised to enter the mainstream…and the social, gaming, and location-based applications that are emerging point to a strong potential for educational applications in the next few years,” says the report.  At present the technology is costly, but as technology improves and costs reduce, there is huge potential for augmented reality in an education and learning context.

The Next 4 to 5 Years

Gesture based computing

The report authors state that “the Nintendo Wii in 2006 and the Apple iPhone in 2007 signaled the beginning of widespread consumer interest in—and acceptance of—interfaces based on natural human gestures.”  As technology develops, the possible applications for teaching and learning simulations grow. 

Visual data analysis

Visual data analysis describes tools and techniques that allow us to find and interpret patterns, structure, trends, exceptions and more, in data, according to the report.  It makes use of the “pattern matching skills that seem to be hard-wired into the human brain” and “facilitates the work of teams working in concert to tease out meaning from complex sets of information”.  Its application for teaching and learning is still somewhat undefined though.

For the full report, please go to the report ‘2010 Horizon Report’

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