EDUCAUSE’s “7 Things …” Series

 

In making my selection of which report to critique in the Emerging Market Projection Library, I felt a little like Goldilocks as I found some of the reports too short and others too long. The report that I found to be ‘just right’ was the “7 Things You Should Know About …” series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI).

 

The abstract of each article in the series promises readers a concise, jargon-free overview of emerging learning technologies in which the authors describe “what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning.” (Educause) I believe the series delivers on this promise. While the reports are a brief 2 pages in length, they focus on one topic at a time and give a much more comprehensive overview of each technology than the one to two paragraphs offered by Gartner, Learning Coach or ZDnet.

 

The format of each article in the series is the same. The articles begin with a scenario in which the educational use of the technology is illustrated by either a student or a teacher. While the scenarios do provide a concrete example of how the technology can be used in an educational context, the scenarios are more idealized than authentic. They represent a ‘best case scenario’ where the protagonist has access to all the necessary tools and knowledge to make best use of the emerging technology highlighted.

 

The scenario is followed by 7 questions/subheadings:

 

1.       What is it?

 

2.       How does it work?

 

3.       Who’s doing it?

 

4.       Why is it significant?

 

5.       What are the downsides?

 

6.       Where is it going?

 

7.       What are the implications for teaching and learning?

 

The selection of ‘7 things’ does provide the basics for anyone looking for an overview, a place from which to start further investigation, or to determine whether or not the technology is worth investigating further. The text is jargon-free as promised and the reviews generally highlight two or more companies that offer the new technology as concrete examples for readers. In the first four subsections, the technology and its significance is explained followed by a more critical focus in the last three subsections as the content discusses potential problems, viability and relevance to teaching and learning. In many of the reviews, the text of key sentences within each subsection is bolded allowing readers to get the gist with a quick scan.

 

Overall, EDUCAUSE’s “7 Things” series is a valuable resource for educators, technology specialists and venturers alike. The absence of tech speak makes the series accessible to a wider audience and offers a great starting point to start researching a product and its potential for the educational market.  The consistency of the formatting enables direct comparisons of emerging technologies and the inclusion of companies already offering the technology provides readers with the opportunity to research the market’s current offerings and competition.

I expect that I will look to this series again and would recommend it to others. Its potential as a quick comprehensive starting point for future research appeals to me, but I also appreciate its accessible language and can see myself returning to this series for personal interest.

References:

(n.d.). Retrieved from 7 Things You Should Know About … website: http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things

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