Horizon Report
Horizon Report
The Horizon report is of particular value to educators and learning technologies specialists and venturers because it provides a review of key trends in conceptual thinking in connection to needs of the marketplace and workforce as well as lifestyles and expectations of individuals, which gives readers the political, economic and social context for understanding the projections. This means that in addition to finding specific information about technologies to develop in education, the Horizon report informs readers of the reasons why these technologies are relevant, so that in developing technologies we may continue to focus not only on how we will use the technology, but also the reasons why we want to use the technology in these ways. Readers of the Horizon report will be more able to develop technology for transforming learning to meet the needs of our ever-changing society.
In addition to key trends, the report reviews significant challenges that readers should keep in mind as they develop technology for education. This is a key phase, and crucially comes after identifying the pathways that are moving forward, which enables readers to prepare for the issues they are likely to face as they develop technology use.
Finally, the Horizon Report breaks down emerging technologies by time to adoption: 1, 3, and 5 years. This enables readers to develop immediate and longer term planning in the context of emerging technologies. For each section the report provides examples of use, possible resources, and the context and value of the technology for transforming learning.
The horizon report is developed collaboratively in an open community, encouraging exploration and experimentation. Collaborators appear to be largely from English speaking, educated backgrounds and the focus is largely on utilizing advanced infrastructure, and as such educators wanting to develop technology for markets outside of these backgrounds would benefit from additional research. This report is a must read for all professionals involved in education, and goes far beyond the technologies used to analyze the transformation that is occurring in education which necessitates the development of these technologies if we are to maximize our potential to understand and responsibly navigate our place in the universe.
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chrisaitken 6:31 am on May 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Because the Horizon Report is published yearly, what I find most interesting, are the trends that disappear from the report. For example, virtual worlds and augmented reality were reported in previous years then suddenly completely dropped. I think as you say it is a “must read for professionals involved in education,” but shouldn’t act as a blueprint for education technology strategy – because things change. It does however focus discussions on what is possible but it is up to organizations to determine which parts will be relevant to them.
Kenton Hemsing 6:41 pm on May 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I find it interesting also how quickly something that was the “next greatest thing for education” is forgotten and soon out of favour in schools, sometimes even before it gets there. I think there was something about ‘blind luck’ on the introduction for week 2, perhaps this could be an example.
Chris mentioned determining relevant dimensions of new technologies and trends, but is that decision up to the educators, developers, administration of district? What level dictates the actual blueprint for education and what level determines what is relevant for the masses it serves? Is this report then useful for those not making these decisions or only for those that are?
Chelsea M Woods 9:03 pm on May 20, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for your comments. Although virtual worlds and augmented reality are off the ‘list’, they are connected to Game Based Learning and Gesture Based Computing. I agree, Chris, that no one should act on these predictions without putting it in the context of their working/learning environment, and because of the rich layers of our environments there will never be an off-the-shelf blueprint that will not require intelligent thought and adaptation.
In my experience of decision making, the phase of exploration and trial has a strong impact on decisions that are made, and so any teacher reading about and experimenting with technology to enhance education will be able to influence future technology developments in schools, so I would say this report is useful for anyone who wants to improve learning, whether their leadership role is in their title or in their actions.
lisamallen 9:15 pm on May 20, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Chelsea,
I really enjoyed reading your analysis. I especially appreciate you identifying the cultural aspect to these reports. The Horizon report my be accurate for North America, but what about Asia and Africa?
Interesting,
Lisa