The NMC 2012 Horizon Report
The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition aims to provide an overview of the top trends of today and predict what will be coming on the ‘horizon”. The report was completed with the help of the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative and the EDUCAUSE Program. The use of the report is granted under a Creative Commons License which makes it a great resource that educators can share with each other. This report consists of a team of contributors that view top articles and research to provide information on the top trends in educational technology. These contributors are a mix of technology experts and educators, which helps to ensure that the advice and predictions that they provide are ones that would actually work in the workplace. They identify key trends in technology and then rank them in terms of what will be most significant over a five year period. Each trend is described and the implications for education are provided.
As an educator that is looking for ways to stay current and make wise decisions in selecting resources it can be very valuable tool. With the overwhelming amount of resources available it is hard to know which ones are fads and which ones have depth that will be worth the investment (time, costs, and training). A report such as this with a researched look at what is most effective is also great for districts and administration decision makers. When educators can use a report like this to support their requests for technology funding and technology support the decision making process should be easier. Another factor about the report that I appreciated was that it was written in a way that was easy and quick to read. This is always a helpful feature. The hyperlinks to more information were also a nice feature. This allows the reader to find out more information on the various topics of interest to them, rather than filling the report with too much information.
Now that I know that there are reports such as this out there I will be seeking them out regularly. In the past I have relied on other teachers and technology mentors to help search the ed. tech market. I spent a great deal of my own time looking for resources and researching them. This type of report will make this much easier. One down side to this though is that many school districts are behind in technology movements and making changes are a slow process. I would have to look at some of the suggestions with awareness that while they may be great tools, they may not be coming to a school near me for a while.
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M. (2012). The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
tomwhyte1 2:23 pm on September 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I find the comment you made in your final paragraph, regarding the speed at which some of these technologies are adopted by districts to be very powerful. For myself, districts are both an educational, political, and legal entity, all of which sometimes bogs down the system creating a delay in the large scale implementation of these services. Conversely, teachers within those districts could implement change more quickly, but might run the risk of creating controversy with either fellow teachers or the district itself, if they adopt unsanctioned technology.
Furthermore, the speed of implementation in some cases is so great, that by the time the technology is adopted, it is usually out of date, which creates further implementation issues for other technology initiatives.
Thoughts?
jameschen 4:22 pm on September 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Great point. It seems that while the advancements in hardware and software may be increasing according to Moore’s law, our educational infrastructure is having a hard time meeting demands. It seems to all come down to funding… Or perhaps it might be the fact that Moore’s law has been turned into More law by the corporate giants through a design for the dumps approach to satisfy consumer demands. Take a look at this video to find out how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_7i6T_H78
James
jhodi 3:34 pm on September 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I thought that this report gave a great overview of several technologies and broad technological ideas for implementation in education. it also gave excellent examples of the educational use and purposes of such technologies and provided great specific examples of technologies that are in current use or are being developed. I very much agree with you that this was an easy read that provided a lot of information and in the future can be used by educators such as myself to get quick access to ideas in time for the technology to be relevant.
Eva Ziemsen 3:57 pm on September 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I greatly appreciated your review of the NMC Report. I also reviewed it, and felt it was eye-opening. Like you, I started to follow links and started to download apps. Are there any things that you are already using or know that others are using? I’m trying to find a good way to keep track of all the links that I pursue in readings and even categories for new apps. Perhaps there is an app for doing that? I sympathize with your last comments, since many public high schools will likely not adopt many of these things. The same goes for higher ed. However, I do believe that there are elements of this report that can be implemented in small-scale ways, (especially apps).
kstackhouse 8:17 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Eva,
I have used Delicious as one way to track links that I like. I have even created a Google doc for my own use where I copy & paste links and ideas. There are other ways to find similar links as well. You can use Twitter and follow other educators that you know have similar interests or concerns. This may help you as you build your list of resources to check out. The problem is that there is always something new, that is why I think this report and others like it are so important.
sophiabb 8:43 am on September 15, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Very good review. I agree that many of us tend to rely on other teachers and ed. tech. specialist for information on the ed. tech. market. This is only natural; other teachers and ed. tech. professionals in our circles are great resources. However, as you have pointed out, reports like this make the search for information easier. It also provides us with additional credible ammunition. As a decision maker, a valid concern in this technologically dynamic environment is purchasing technology now that will become obsolete within the next second. While this report does not solve this concern and this maybe nothing will, it is provides decision makers with a tool that they can consult. Great that it is under a Creative Commons License.
kstackhouse 8:14 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Sophiabb, I think that the investment and length of time the technology will be in use is a major concern for the purchasers in education. The course ETEC 520 is a great course (if you haven’t already taken it) to help one deal with how these decisions are made.
Lisa Nevoral 6:01 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
After reading your post, I took a closer look at the NMC Report and had to agree that this was an easy-to-read report that could come in very handy for future technological requests. I also thought it was useful how they had created a “Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative Inquiry”section that helped relate the projected technologies to these ideas. I found when reading through some of the research reports or market projections many of the technologies were interesting but I couldn’t always think of a way I could use them in my teaching.
You stated in your last paragraph that many school districts were behind in technology movements. Sometimes, even within a school district you will see a big discrepancy. My middle school is 4 years old and we have a lot of new technology within the building. We have also asked for certain things and have gotten them. A colleague of mine recently moved to a high school within the district and she couldn’t believe how many devices they didn’t have. I guess there are different priorities and use of funds at various schools.
kstackhouse 8:09 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Lisa,
We have the same issue in our district where some schools have and some do not. We also have the problem where we have some schools that have allowed certain products (Apple computers as an example) and other schools being told that they won’t be supported by the same centralized IT department. Very frustrating.
I agree that the “Relevance for Teaching, …” section was a nice feature.