Emerging Technologies and the NMC Horizon Report

Last week I facilitated  a workshop called  "Emerging Technologies: What's on the Horizon?" It's an interesting topic which always evolves into some great conversations about emerging technologies and implications for current and future students, learning and instruction. I also really enjoy it because it has a lot of demonstration and "hands on" time.

We designed this workshop based on the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative's yearly "2014 Horizon Report" which examines "the key trends, significant challenges, and important technological developments that are very likely to impact changes in higher education across the world over the next five years." If you are unfamiliar with this yearly publication, I highly recommend that take a few minutes to peruse it. (The 2015 Horizon Report report was just released a couple of weeks ago). Whether your an instructor, an administrator, or a member of your school's IT staff, the information in the Horizon report will be pertinent to teaching, learning, and planning for what's ahead in the name of what's best for our students in relation to emerging educational technologies.

Below is a summary of the three key areas that the report addresses:

1. Key Trends Accelerating Technology Adoption in Higher Education
2. Significant Challenges Impeding Technology Adoption in Higher Education
3. Important Developments in Educational Technology for Higher Education

In the workshop, I tend to focus more on #3 above, which are the actual tools/technologies that the report sees being widely adopted in the next 1-5 years.While all three areas are important, I like to get people engaged with the tools/technologies whenever possible. Below is a list of links to the presentations I used and some of the various tools that were discussed or demonstrated.

• Main Presentation/Introduction:
  http://prezi.com/smw_wfmftszo/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
•  Demonstration Presentation:
  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CcJbGZS8L0muKwMzYd9k1gK6vbZxZ3ZYazoRp0OV_7Q/edit?usp=sharing

Additional Links to some of the technologies that were demonstrated or used during hands-on time:

• iPad Mount to mount iPad on a tripod http://www.makayama.com/moviemount.html
• YouTube Capture App: https://www.youtube.com/capture
• Plickers Student Response App: https://www.plickers.com/ 
•  Leap Motion Controller: https://www.leapmotion.com/product
•  Augmented Reality Apps: Aurasma, Layar, LearnAR
• Thinglink interactive images

Again, I encourage you to read the free 2015 Horizon Report. It is a publication that is both interesting and valuable as we in higher education try to stay aware of "emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in education."

Click here to open a larger version of this graphic

Summary of the Key Areas of the 2015 NMC Horizon Report

Keep Calm and Barry On!
Barry