By Jeanette Evans | Associate Fellow
The short list for emerging technologies for 2012 from the prestigious group that brings The Horizon Report includes the following, as available from the http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org/ site. Looking at this list could be of use in our own work to see what thinkers in the world of education conclude are top emerging technologies and how we might use these technologies.
Here is the list with the time-to-adoption indicated:
One year or less
1. Cloud Computing
2. Mobile Apps
3. Social Reading
4. Tablet Computing
Two to Three Years
5. Adaptive Learning Environments
6. Augmented Reality
7. Game-Based Learning
8. Learning Analytics
Four to Five Years
9. Digital Identity
10. Gesture-Based Computing
11. Haptic Interfaces
12. Internet of Things
What is The Horizon Report?
The New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiatve (ELI) collaborate to provide the The Horizon Report and complete the underlying research, providing such research and reports since 2005.
HP provides grants to make the report possible. Full reports are available online with access permission granted under a Creative Commons Attribution license to use the report freely if a proper citation is made.
Electronic books and mobiles topped the list of emerging technologies in 2011.
One year or less
Some thoughts related to our work with these soon-to-be (or already) adopted technologies include:
- Cloud computing—Many of us are already using this technology. Continuing to use this ability to access services and files from any location and on any device could grow, especially in the consumer space if that is where you work. Nearly everyone who uses computers could rely on cloud computing to access information and applications. Some groups are also looking at transitioning current technology infrastructure onto the cloud as a way to decrease IT costs.
- Mobile apps—Our user communities could move more and more toward use of mobile apps. This is especially so in light of the impressive estimate from manufacturer Ericsson that by 2015, 80 percent of people accessing the Web will do so from a mobile device. As institutions get better at developing apps, we can expect this delivery method to grow. As a repository of information, we could see growth as well. Plus, tools such as cameras and microphones could make the apps even more useful.
- Social reading—This relatively new phenomenon is still ill-defined but refers, in general, to ebooks and social networking. Some publishers are trying to make one aspect of reading a sharable experience. Would it be useful for your users to share, for example, troubleshooting information and tips and tricks through social reading?
- Tablet computing—With the success of the iPad alone, selling in 2011 at a rate of over three million units a month, tablet computing could become more common with our users. Blending a laptop and smart phone and Web access, these devices offer more real estate than a smart phone and more portability than a PC. Can we imagine a day when we get tablet computers instead of legal pads?
Two to three years out
What we can consider for the near future:
- Adaptive Learning Environments—Those of us working in educational or learning environments can look at how to develop adaptive learning environments for our users, as this area can grow with current software applications. In this environment, the application caters to users with differing learning styles. The application can also respond to how each user is performing.
- Augmented Reality—Currently realizing the potential evident for years, augmented reality is seen in applications such as the one at Georgia Tech, where games under development show car repairs by seeing a car engine through a smart phone. This technology used 3D space and responses to user input.
- Game-Based Learning—As explained in the “Educational Web Sites for Children” article that recently appeared in Technical Communication, game-based learning is a growing field. Some games can develop team building and touch subjects in an engaging way.
- Learning Analytics—With a goal of tailoring education to individual students, we could borrow from this technology to better understand our user and develop information products for that individual user based on user preferences and needs.
Four to five years out
This list includes digital identity, gesture-based computing, haptic interfaces, and Internet of things, with the last two being items we can quickly look at for an idea of what they are:
- Haptic interfaces—These use sensory cues such as vibration and have use in, typically, medical, engineering, and other simulations and games. These interfaces can also make use of movement to convey nonverbal information to the user.
- Internet of Things—This refers loosely to connecting objects to the information. One example is an application developed by MIT that lets users control lights in a room through a smart phone. For documentation, an example could be to annotate an object with descriptions, instructions, and tutorials.
General observations about
emerging technologies
Here are some general observations about technology trends—modified from the report—and worthy of consideration in the areas where we work.
- Computers are in the process of a reinvention as they become smaller and lighter. It is possible that smartphones and other mobiles are adequate for some tasks, while other tasks require a large monitor and keyboard. Tablets fill a niche that is bigger than a phone and smaller than a laptop.
- Organizations are increasingly exploring technologies that allow for better collaboration. Social networks and cloud-based tools are changing the ways we communicate with each other. Open resources also enable the free exchange of ideas with more opportunities for collaboration.
- People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want to. People want easy and timely access to networks with learning that is timely and efficient as well.
- The technologies we use are increasingly cloud-based, and our notions of IT support are decentralized. Continuing adoption of cloud-based services is changing the way we work and conceptualize those functions. What matters is that information is readily accessible. Browser-based software that is device-independent is becoming more commonly used. The promise of cost savings also exists.
- The world of work is increasingly collaborative, driving changes in the way projects are structured. Employers are valuing collaboration more and more. To facilitate teamwork, projects can rely on tools like wikis, Google Docs, and Skype. Online collaboration tools are becoming more and more important.
- Economic pressures and new models of education are bringing unprecedented competition to the traditional models. Across the board, institutions are looking for ways to control costs while still providing a high quality of service. Institutions are increasingly developing new models, such as streaming courses over the network.
- Institutional barriers present formidable challenges to moving forward in a constructive way with emerging technologies. Too often it is an organization’s practices that limit broad uptake of new technologies. Resistance to change can be due to comfort with the status quo.
- Staying organized and current presents a challenge in a world where information and tools change at the rate they do today. It can be overwhelming to attempt to keep up with even a few of the many new tools now available. There is a great need for filters for finding and interpreting data that is important to us.
Jeanette Evans is an Associate Fellow who is active in the NEO STC chapter, where she is co-chair of the academic relations and newsletter committees. She holds an MS in technical communication management from Mercer University and tries to publish often in Intercom. She also writes book reviews forTechnical Communication.
