Horizon Report Research Articles

On the Horizon: Implications for Nursing Education

Each year, the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative work together to generate the Horizon Report, a projection of technology trends, challenges, and emerging technologies. A distinguished panel of experts, from 17 countries and 6 continents, was involved in the generation of the 2015 report. Once the panel identified topics for each section, a modified Delphi process was used, with an extensive literature review. (To examine the iterations that occurred throughout the process, see the wiki at http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org.) Each section of the final report focuses on how trends, challenges, and emerging technologies will inform and impact practice, leadership, and policy. TRENDS The 2015 report (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2015) provides six key trends that are projected to accelerate the adoption of technologies within higher education. In three time periods, they are: * Short-term (1-2 years): increased use of blended learning and the redesign of learning spaces. * Mid-term (3-4 years): growing focus on measurement of learning and proliferation of open educational resources. * Long-term: advancing cultures of change and innovation and greater cross-institutional collaboration. Short-Term The increased use of blended learning is driven by the shift in student and educator perceptions of the value of online learning. The National Center for Education Statistics Distance Education (US Department of Education, 2014) noted that, according to 2012 data, 1 in 10 students were enrolled exclusively in online courses. In contrast, 2013 data revealed that 1 in 8 students took all their courses online (Poulin & Straut, 2015). Allen and Seaman (2015) reported that 7.1 million students in the United States are engaged in online learning. A growing body of research supports the efficacy and effectiveness of online learning and the benefits of blending learning. The redesign of learning spaces to accommodate the growing use of technologies is not a new concept. In 2006, I wrote an article on "think spots" that highlighted the need to break out of the mold of traditional classrooms (Skiba, 2006). Now, with the emergence of mobile and smart technologies as well as an emphasis on active and collaborative learning strategies, there is renewed interest in creating new learning spaces for the transformation of higher education. Two resources that may be helpful to find best practices in active learning design are FLEXspace (https://flexspaceannouncements.wordpress. com) and Learning Space Collaboratory (www.pkallsc.org). Mid-Term Data science, learning analytics, and big data are all driving forces behind the measurement of learning. As in business and health care, the harvesting of data to predict, market, and manage are standard operating procedures. The goals, according the report (Johnson et al., 2015, p. 12), are "to build better pedagogies, empower students to take an active part in their learning, target at-risk student populations, and assess factors affecting completion and student success." The report states that for learners, educators, and researchers, "learning analytics [are] already starting to provide crucial insights into student progress and interaction with online texts, courseware, and learning environments used to deliver instruction." We now see examples of how students use dashboards to improve their learning. Administrators also use them, to direct strategic planning, and educators use them, to manage advisees and analyze the impact of their teaching on learning. It was noted that the measurement of learning has the greatest impact on policy. Long-Term The idea that innovations in education can scale better when shared across institutions is the basis for the long-term trend of cross-institutional collaboration. Universities are aligning with others to share resources for teaching, research, and technology infrastructure. …

How to identify e-learning trends in academic teaching

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to introduce methodology and findings of a trend study in the field of e-learning. The overall interest of the study was the analysis of scientific e-learning discourses. What comes next in the field of academic e-learning? Which e-learning trends dominate the discourse at universities? Answering such questions is the basis for the adaptation of service strategies and IT-infrastructures within institutions of higher education.Design/methodology/approach– Which e-learning formats dominate the current scientific discourse? To answer this question, a trend study based on a content analysis was performed. The abstracts of 427 scientific articles of leading German-speaking e-learning conferences Gesellschaft für Medien in der Wissenschaft and E-Learning-Fachtagungen der Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. (GMW and DeLFI) – published from 2007 to 2013 – were examined. A category scheme was derived from the Horizon Report. The category scheme then was gradually expanded and adapted to the data material during the investigation.Findings– This paper found that the detailed analysis of the frequency distribution over the seven years reflects the intensity of scientific discussion towards e-learning trends within the investigation period, and conclusions about the didactical or technical potentials of innovations can be drawn because both conferences are different in terms of their objective. The authors also classified the life stages of selected innovations based on the Gartner hype cycles, and the striking findings of the study will be formulated in the form of assumptions, which reflect the development potential of learning management, mobile learning, virtual worlds, e-portfolio, social media and Massive Open Online Courses in German Higher Education.Research limitations/implications– Only abstracts of the selected contributions were investigated. Errors in the category allocation due to unclear terminology cannot be excluded. Organisers of the investigated conferences often define the (main) topics. This influenced the spectrum of represented topics overall, as well as the focus of individual contributions. The above-presented study was conducted at German-speaking conferences and, therefore, reflects the situation in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. No conclusions about actors or institutional relationships can be made, in contrast to the original assumptions of discourse analysis. The categorial classification of contributions does not allow any conclusions about the quality of the discourse.Originality/value– The study shows how proceedings of scientific conferences can be used for trend studies. It became clear that discourse analytical studies can be used complementary to other methods of future studies. The advantage of this methodology lies mainly in the easy access to the text material, as conference proceedings are mostly available online. In addition, the analysis of large amounts of data (or texts) can be greatly facilitated by use of digital technologies (e.g. by automatic analysis of keyword). This paper makes an important contribution to the diffusion of digital media in higher education.

Comparing the Academic Success of Community College Transfer Students versus Traditional Four Year Students

According to 2014 NMC Horizon Report, the fastest growing jobs in the United Sates in the next 10 years will require college degrees. Community College student enrollment has already increased more than 53% over the last 20 years to attempt to meet this demand (National Association of College and University Business Officers). Some reasons for the increasing trend of students starting their post-secondary education at community colleges may include cost reduction and general preparedness for post-secondary education. Our study analyzes the characteristics of transfers versus traditional students in terms of: GPA, graduation rates and multiple demographic characteristics. This research aims at comparing the academic performance of transfer students versus traditional 4 year students at a singular university, in the areas of graduation rates, timeframes and overall Grade Point Average.

Gamification in Libraries

Gamification is undoubtedly a major trend: it was the topic of sessions at both of the previous ALA Annual conferences, has an interest group under LITA, and was mentioned in the last three NMC Horizon reports for higher education. While there is interest in creating games that are both engaging and educational, doing so is challenging and requires great investment. In this column, Kyle Felker relates the experiences of the Grand Valley State University library. His writing not only discusses how libraries can effectively utilize games but also the theory behind them as well. —Editor

NOTE FOR EDITOR: Eager Adopters In Education: Strategic Plan Ideas For Integrating Instructional Technology

Strategic plans for teaching and learning are essential, however, they tend to focus on moving a mass of stakeholders along an agreeable path. The strategy is necessary and sensible, although many times, these plans miss a key audience important to the future of education, the eager adopters. Previously, this group was called “early adopters”, however, I believe that the time in which educators become involved is not as important as their eagerness. This philosophy follows Thoreau's notion that, "If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” It is those, who hear different drummers that may appear to be tangent to institutional missions, although they may actually be leading initiatives, which the institution may eventually adopt. Some of the eager ideas which will be shared in this paper include Social Emotional Competency, Digital Content Creation Ecosystems, MOOCs, play with purpose maker economy fabrication labs, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, big data learning analytics, wearable technology, the quantifiable self, the internet of things, and mobile learning. The paper describes these eager adopter ideas aligned to the 2014 NMC Horizon report; eager adopter philosophies; and eager adopter questions to help initiate and guide strategic planning discussions.

English

The New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Report 2014 made certain predictions about the emerging technologies and trends in higher education worldwide. The article reviews academic library’s position with reference to the predictions made by the Report. The articles briefly refers to selected trends in higher education, mentioned in the Report and reviews and discusses academic library’s present and future responses. The review and discussions are based on literature review. The articles find that academic libraries are responding to the emerging trends in higher education through innovative practices and services. It concludes that in spite of their efforts, there is still scope for the academic libraries to improve their role in the changing higher education scenario and to prove their value. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.14429/djlit.34.6.6878

The impact of global trends on ILDS

Purpose – The purpose of this article surveys two recent library trend reports to identify key developments likely to impact how librarians, and particularly interlending and document supply (ILDS)/interlibrary loan (ILL) professionals, will facilitate the discovery and delivery of information in the future. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the New Media Consortium’s “Horizon Report: Library Edition” (2014) and the recent discussion draft of the American Library Association Policy Revolution! Initiative’s “Trends Report: Snapshots of a Turbulent World” (2014), this review essay illuminates major trends that will shape the future of information and library resource sharing. Findings – Global trends in technology, demographics, the economy, the environment and more will also effect the ability of librarians to facilitate the discovery and delivery of information. In some cases, these will lead to decreased need for traditional ILL. However, in others cases there will be an increased need as well as enhanced ability for librarians to connect people and information. Originality/value – Trend reports are popular in many areas, including the library world, as is predicting the future of libraries and ILDS. This article makes a new contribution by applying specific recent reports specifically to library discovery and delivery.

The Connected Age and Wearable Technology

The Connected Age is all about being connected to resources, peo- ple, devices, and even to oneself. Being connected to oneself is part of the quantifiable self movement described in the Horizon Report 2014: Higher Education Division (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2014), which gives this emerging technology a time-to-adop- tion timeframe of four to five years.The quantifiable self makes use of mobile apps, technol- ogies, and cloud computing. The technology landscape inter- sects the Connected Age, with connections to resources, people, and ideas (Skiba, 2014), and the Internet of Things (IOT), with its connections to physical objects (Skiba, 2013). Several sources project 2014 as the Year of Wearable Technologies (Lindsay, 2014; Savov, 2014; Spence, 2013). So, let's look at this phenomenon within a higher education landscape.WhAT ARE WEARAbLE TEChNOLOGIES?Physical activity monitors are the most common technolo- gies (e.g., FitBit, Jawbone, smart watches, and smart running shoes). can be networked or might store data that can be trans- ferred later to other devices. In many cases, the technology need not be activated; it simply functions as part of the item. Wearables can gather data - from the body of the wearer or from the environment - or provide information, or both (Educause, 2013).Wearable technologies have been around for many years, but they have been expensive and cumbersome, used mostly for research and development projects. I remember a 2009 TED video given by Pattie Maes, which showcased a tool called the Sixth Sense (www.ted. com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense), a technol- ogy that allows one to interface with digital information through hand gestures (www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/). MIT's Media Lab Fluid Interface Group (http://fluid.media.mit.edu/) also exam- ines wearable, gesture-driven, and smart new interfaces. Many of these inventions are now becoming products for the masses.Wearable technologies are considered the next step in the evo- lution of ubiquitous computing, a term coined by Weiser (1993) to describe how technology retreats into the background and becomes a part of the fabric of our lives. If you use a Fitbit or other device, you understand how this happens.Some wearables, such as FitBit and NuMetre heart monitor clothing (www.numetrex.com/), focus on specific functions. Others are multifunctional, such as Google Glass, eyewear that allows the user to interact with the Internet through voice commands. Google Glass contains a heads-up display for viewing information, taking pic- tures, recording videos, interacting with many Google products (e.g., Gmail, Google plus, Google hangouts), and interfacing with tools such as Facebook and Twitter. (It is important to note that issues of privacy, security, confidentiality, and informed consent are underlying limita- tions of this and other technologies.)USES IN hIGhER EDUCATIONAs many have noted, the Google Glass we have now is version 1.0. The power of this technology will be manifest in future versions that con- nect with more cloud applications and augmented reality.Google Glass has made its way into health care and higher edu- cation through Google's Explorer Program, which allows individuals or organizations to experiment with the product and provide valuable feedback. Let's look at some examples in higher education.Digital StorytellingEducause (2013) notes that wearable cameras . . . allow a learner to engage simultaneously as observer, reporter, and participant, enabling more detailed life-blogging and providing a subjective point of view for digital storytelling. Imagine sending your community health stu- dents off to do a community assessment with Google Glass. These stu- dents will be able to record data while also displaying data from the Internet, such as crime statistics and median income. …

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES TO EMPOWER HIGHER EDUCATION

Introduction and objectives: The New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Project defines educational technology in a broad sense as tools and resources that are used to improve teaching, learning, and creative inquiry. Each technology has been carefully researched and framed in the context of its potential impact on higher education. Within the Horizon Project there are currently seven categories of technologies, tools, and strategies for their use that the NMC monitors continuously. All they have the potential to foster real changes in education, particularly in the development of progressive pedagogies and learning strategies; the organization of teachers’ work; and the arrangement and delivery of content. Following the recommendations of NMC experts panel, we design an application named Augmented Reality Metabolic Pathways (ARMET) in order to improve motivation and to promote student interactivity to the development of skills needed to learn the metabolic pathways. Materials and methods: The ARMET app was developed using Unity, 3D molecules obtained from Protein Data Bank and ChemSpider-chemical structure database, the usage data are stored into a database (MySQL) and are analyzed using the statistical software R. Results and conclusions: ARMET mixes several technologies out of seven categories recommend in the NMC Horizon Report: Mobile app, Bring Your Own Device, Flipped Classroom, Learning Analytics and Augmented Reality. The principal criterion for the inclusion of those technologies into the app was its potential relevance to teaching and learning biochemistry. ARMET is available for iOS and Android platforms, and includes PDF files with a set of cards, the game board and classroom worksheet’s. The students and teachers can register for free. Teachers can create classes and track student performance. ARMET collects data for personalizing learning experiences addressing the challenge to build better pedagogical tools to establish effective formative assessment for metabolism teaching.

Technologies on the Horizon: Teachers Respond to the Horizon Report

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ beliefs regarding the integration of technologies from the 2011 K-12 edition of the Horizon Report into their local, public school contexts. Teachers read the Horizon Report and then participated in an asynchronous, threaded discussion focusing on technologies they would like to see integrated into their classrooms and technologies they do not see possible in the near term. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the discussion. Findings include the teachers’ desire to see mobile technologies integrated into their classrooms, and their belief that there are significant barriers to game-based learning.

Commentary: Educational technology for the next five years: The NMC horizon report

An overview of the New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon report for 2012 was the subject of a previous commentary 1. The report for 2014 shows that while some things have changed, others remain the same. In 2012, an exciting prospect was the possibilities of the cloud for storage and dissemination. This has been achieved so it has been dropped from technology for the future. One factor remaining the same is low digital fluency of faculty. The 2014 NMC report is provided as a 52 page pdf file for free download 2. The contents page provides a quick summary of the analyses and predictions and allows rapid location of the topics covered here. You can also view a concise summary video at www.nmc.org/horizon-project. The web page featuring the video also provides a background to the many contributors and the methods used to integrate the data for the report. The consensus is that the top six trends in the future of educational technology are: 1) Growing Ubiquity of Social Media. More than 1.2 billion people use Facebook regularly and 2.7 billion people, almost 40% of the world population, regularly use social media. The top 25 social media platforms share 6.3 billion accounts among them. 2) Integration of Online, Hybrid, and Collaborative Learning. Students already spend much of their free time on the Internet, learning and exchanging new information. Institutions that embrace face-to-face, online, and hybrid learning models have the potential to leverage the online skills learners have already developed independent of academia. 3) Rise of Data-Driven Learning and Assessment. The increasing analysis of student responses, categorized as both data mining and learning analytics, will promote improvement of learning outcomes. 4) Shift from Students as Consumers to Students as Creators. The growth of user-generated videos, pin boards, maker communities, and crowd funded projects is supporting active, hands-on learning. Makerspaces (also known as hackerspaces) began around 2005 creating communities that experiment with a range of metalworking, wood, plastics, and electronics tools to create models and working artifacts. 5) Agile Approaches to Change. Experimental programs are being developed for teaching and improving organizational structure to nurture entrepreneurship among both students and faculty. 6) Evolution of Online Learning. While growing steadily, online learning is still years away from its maximum impact. Significant challenges seen as impeding the adoption of new technology are low digital fluency of faculty, relative lack of rewards for teaching, competition from new models of education, adopting teaching innovations on a wider scale, expanding access, and keeping education relevant. Developments in educational technology likely to progressively change higher education are the flipped classroom, learning analytics, three-dimensional printing, educational games, the quantified self and virtual assistants. The quantified self describes the ability of consumers to track their daily activities through wearable devices such as wristbands to collect data relevant to fitness, sleep cycles, and eating habits. Such selfknowledge can be a powerful adjunct to health related courses. If any of these trends, challenges, or developments promotes curiosity, then consult the report for expanded treatment of all subjects mentioned here.

The Connected Age and the 2014 Horizon Report.

New Media Consortium Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2014) identifies trends and challenges in adoption of technologies in higher educa- tion. Trends are described as key trends to accelerate higher education technology adoption and are classified as fast (one to two years), mid- range (three to five years), and long-term (five years or more). Challenges are presented as those impeding adoption of technologies according to our level of understanding and whether or not solutions can be found.The conteXt of connected aGeBefore we move to results of 2014 Report, let's place these results in context of Connected Age (Skiba, 2014), being connected to everyone and everything (Smith, 2013). As Oblinger (2013, p. 4) states, Interconnections are linked and tagged, tweeted and texted, followed and friended.Two concepts that help define Connected Age are connected learning and connected learning environment. My trusted resource, 7 Things You Should Know (http://www.educause.edu/library/ resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-connected-learning), describes connected learning as highly connected ecosystem of tech- nologies that support sharing, collaboration, and global links to special- ists and students in every area of endeavor that focuses integration, enabling all participants in higher education to assemble components in unique ways to construct pathways needed to accomplish educa- tional goals.There are several ways to describe how connected learning works. For example, students can connect to resources, people, and ideas to accomplish their learning goals. example is provided by 7 Things You Should Know: An instructor might support a connected learner by providing a variety of content choices and identifying items that can help build a customized path through subject matter.Connected learning will reshape both traditional and professional education by putting learners at center with learners, rather than institution, defining their own learning pathways. In essence, con- nected learning will dramatically change teaching-learning process. And, as faculty, we will need to revisit our roles and how we prepare our courses using various connected technologies. Educause blog- ger Joanne Dehoney (2013) notes, Teaching is about connecting. All instruction, from a tutorial conducted in an Oxford don's sitting room to a MOOC offered to 100,000 students revolves around core con- nection of expert to novice.Masie (2012) also makes a distinction between e-learning (often connotes delivery of information in a sequential, linear fashion) and the connected learning environment (integrative, personalized, interconnected, and authentic). Smith (2013) states that in con- nected learning environment, The connections magnify reach and value of not just information but also our relationships, creating oppor- tunities for learning, working, and collaborating on an unprecedented scale. Smith identifies three hallmark characteristics of a connected learning environment:* Seamless integration with planning and advising services helps students connect each course with long-term goals and a plan for success.* Personalized learning helps students connect with optimal opportunities to progress.* Engaged and authentic learning experiences help connect learn- ers to scholars and researchers, to workplace and industry, to local communities, and to global challenges.FoRces InfLuencInG adoptIonLet's examine results of 2014 Horizon Report within context of Connected Age. Six key trends will serve as driving forces influ- encing adoption of technologies in higher education.Fast, 1 to 2 Years* increase in use of social media by all age groups is widely reported. As noted in report (Johnson et al. …

The Connected Age and the 2014 Horizon Report

The Connected Age and the 2014 Horizon Report

Games and Gamification: A Proposal for a Creative Learning Process in Education

This article proposes to discuss the theme of docent formation in the perspective of creativity and emergent technologies pointed by the Horizon Report 2103, specifically games and gamification. Based on a literature review about the themes, through a systematic research and reading of authors which refer to these, it presents reflections, inquires and provocations with the objective to contribute with the change of the actual paradigm in the purposes of the Licensure courses in the Superior Teaching Institutions, with a cutout to the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology from Brazil. These considerations are made from the principle that we live in a digital age and that the education did not follow the step and, because of this, it still needs a more creative view to the docent actuation in this aspect. It concludes that the use of games and specifically the gamification as an example of emerging technology can be a possible step to remit the schools, the space of knowledge construction, to creativity with a view to innovate the forms of teaching and learning.

Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting the E-Book Adoption—Research Agenda

Advances in information technology encourage the development of e-books. The 2010 Horizon Report predicts that e-book will be one of the six technologies most likely to affect higher education in coming years. Despite the huge investment in developing the e-book market, customer take-up over the past decades is still far below expectations. The success of e-book adoption depends on the implementation of an educational model that addresses learner needs as well as content relevance. To understand customer behavior intention in adopting e-books and to address the lack of holistic approach in adoption research, this project is proposed to investigate the intention of college students in using e-books. This cross-sectional research utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and four additional variables, namely, personal innovativeness of information technology, social influences, perceived costs, and environmental consciousness. The study is expected to contribute to the literature by providing an empirically validated extended TAM regarding e-books. Moreover, the results will provide important and useful information for academicians and publishers.

When prophecy fails

Inaccurate predictions about educational technology are discussed, and the tendency for them to go unchallenged. Their global generalizability is questionable when the expertise underlying them is restricted to local contexts or is unknown. The limitations of futuristic studies need to be stressed to prevent their conclusions from being applied out of context. Problems arise when studies inaccurately claiming to represent developing-world needs and conditions are used for educational planning in those nations. The article analyzes the predictions made by the annual Horizon Reports and the One Laptop Per Child project. It suggests that these projects are currently responding to criticism in a manner similar to that described in the classic study When Prophecy Fails.

New Spaces New Realities: Expanding Learning Any Time, Any Place

What are emerging trends in technology that will impact not only our world language learning environments but also continue to disrupt learning in the future?One of the best resources to explore the answers to these questions comes from the NMC Consortium Horizon Reports written in collaboration with the New Media Consortium and Educause Learning Initiative. The NMC (New Media Consortium) is an international community of experts in educational technology. From people who work with new technology in schools and on university campuses to the visionaries and researchers who explore the future trends in education, these reports give a preview of the emerging landscape of technologies that will impact certainly teaching, learning, research, and information management. Each year there are two editions: the elementary and secondary report and the higher education edition. The 2013 higher education edition has just been released and the elementary and secondary edition will be out in June 2013.In order to gather and share information, research, and data as well as share and exchange ideas that will help create the reports, the NMC Horizon Project also maintains a wikispace. This wiki allows for free open global collaboration forums in an open source format that encourages many to participate. Since it is an open source all publications are under a Creative Commons Attribution License so permission is granted to replicate, copy, distribute, transmit, or adapt the content freely. The idea that all of this information is available to everyone empowers so many more educators and other leaders to take action, especially when institutions are designing strategies and budgets for future technology implementation.The 2013 higher education report is organized around six emerging technologies that are key trends predicted to have a major impact on learning over the next five years. Those six technologies highlighted this edition are: massively open online courses (MOOCs), tablet computing, games and gamification, learning analytics, 3D printing, and wearable technology.So how might these trending technologies have an impact on language teaching as well as add to the disruption that is happening in the different learning communities? Which ones are currently putting a new twist to learning as well as providing opportunities for students to continue to learn or use their new languages?First of all, massively open online courses, better known as MOOCs, have definitely impacted how, when, and where students learn. These free online courses often have many participants and use open resources. Typically they do not offer academic credit or charge tuition fees, but this is starting to change. There are still not many MOOC courses available in language learning yet, but this is an area that is sure to expand.Udacity and Coursera are the current leaders for offering these courses. For example, Coursera has courses currently in French, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, and of course English, from sixty-two universities on four continents. Recently the addition of courses in other languages gives students a chance to actually use their languages in new contexts. These courses are not language courses, but rather math, technology, or science classes. But what an opportunity for students to learn a subject they love in the language they are studying. …

On the Horizon: The Year of the MOOCs

THE NEW MEDIA CONSORTIUM HORIZON REPORT 2013 IS NOW AVAILABLE. A STANDARD IN HIGHER EDUCATION SINCE 2002, THIS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR POTENTIAL IMPACT ON TEACHING, LEARNING, AND CREATIVE INQUIRY. Starting with trends and challenges to higher education, the report projects emerging tools on a timeline that corresponds to three adoption horizons.The six trends identified in the report this year (Johnson et al., 2013) are not surprising but will certainly cause some angst in traditional higher education circles. Here is a brief look at the six trends:* Openness as a Value A new vision is emerging that defines open as free, copyable, remixable, and without any barriers to access or interaction (p. 7).* Massively Open Online Courses MOOCs are center stage and seem to be trending as the word of the year.* Workforce Demands Acquired from Informal Learning The emphasis is on critical thinking and communication skills.* Data Analytics These are used to personalize learning and identify students in need of attention.* The Ever-Changing Role of Educators Mentoring emerges.* Educational Models These are shifting to include online learning, hybrids, and collaborative learning.The challenges noted in this report seem similar to those in the past: lack of faculty development or training in digital media literacy; new forms of scholarship that outpace traditional academic performance metrics; and resistance to change. The demand for the use of learning analytics, the continued growth of new educational models that compete with traditional higher education institutions, and the continuing resistance of faculty are challenges surfacing in higher education institutions.I can speak from personal experience as a member of a university- wide Emerging Technologies Committee that is struggling with how to keep pace with the demands of new technologies. And, as a member of a campus-wide committee charged with developing a vision for online learning, I know that faculty are uneasy about the need for online learning opportunities. Committee members even resist using technology to conduct our meetings, so we meet face to face. As one of my colleagues, Dr. David Hildebrand of the Philosophy Department, aptly stated: seems we should be doing more than shooting emails back and forth - since we are the envisioners of the future, we should at least not be operating with steam engines and handlooms!Before moving to the real substance of the Horizon Report 2013, let's look at the Table to see how emerging technologies were projected during the past five years. Looking back, we can observe definite patterns and some consistency. Gaming, learning analytics, and mobile applications are present across multiple years. Tablet computing has spiked in the last two years and ebooks are becoming commonplace. With the increased number of tablets and smartphones, geo-everything, semantic-aware, and augmented reality functions are now an integral part of what we expect of our tools. Interacting with our tools with a tap or swipe is a common form of gesture-based computing. But there is continued growth in the development of high-fidelity systems that will allow people to use subtle body gestures to engage in virtual activities. Visual data analysis has a definite connection with learning analytics and the ability to easily comprehend and display results from Big Data. Smart objects have evolved to the Internet of Things (IOT) and will eventually lead to wearable computing. As noted in a previous column (Skiba, 2013), IOT will not only impact higher education but will have a transformative effect on health care. So let's explore the 2013 technologies.Tablets in Higher Education It is hard to believe the penetration since the introduction of the iPad in 2010. Look at any classroom and see how many students are using tablets. Many medical schools require tablets and sometimes give them to their students. …

The Internet of Things (IoT)

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS COLUMN, THE HOLIDAY SEASON WILL LONG BE OVER. But as I write, I am still searching for perfect gifts for my tech-savvy family and friends. You can imagine my excitement when I found Liz Gannes' article (2012), LeWeb's 'Internet of Things' Makes for a Shopping List Full of Smart Gadgets. It's a terrific source for great gift ideas. Gannes describes stocking stuffers showcased at LeWeb conference in Paris in early December, theme of Things. Here are just a few of smart gadgets she describes. * For those young children or grandchildren, purchase a magical stuffed animal powered by your iPhone or iPod (www.ubooly.com). It will talk child, tell jokes, and provide branching stories and games. You can get a subscription for monthly updates. * Perhaps one of your relatives could use InteraXon Muse, a brainwave-monitoring headband that includes apps for healthy brain training. It uses Bluetooth technology to transmit Look for video about thought control computing that allows a person to control physical objects (http://interaxon.ca/blog/2010/12/ ariel-garten-speaks-at-leweb-2010/). * For colleagues who must attend faculty meetings, consider purchasing Double (www.doublerobotics.com). These wheels for iPads are targeted to those who want to teleconference in time and have mobility. * For those making New Year's resolutions to be healthier and control their weight, Withings wireless bathroom scale (www.withings.com), which communicates an app on your smartphone. The company also has a smart blood pressure monitor and a baby monitor. A product called FitBit (www.fitbit.com) will help you eat better (log your food through your mobile app, follow your caloric intake), get active (track your steps and distance), manage your weight (the Aria[TM] smart scale interacts apps), and sleep better (measure how long and how well you sleep). These potential stocking stuffers are fun, but why should educators and health care professionals care about Internet of Things (IoT)? After all, term lot has been around since 1999 (Ashton, 2009), and 2012 education edition of Horizon Report (Johnson, Adams, & Cummins, 2012) projects IoT to be on far horizon of four to five years. But higher education always seems to lag behind. Knowles (2012) predicts that 2013 will be year of Iot. Humphries (2012) notes that there are roughly two Internet-connected devices for every man, woman and child on planet. By 2025, analysts are forecasting that this ratio will rise past six. This means we can expect to grow to nearly 50 billion Internet-connected devices in next decade. According to Humphries, IoT will allow us to have a real time digital representation of our changing world. That fits one of megatrends, drive for details, and with that comes increased knowledge and levels of specialization, corresponding to society's obsession data and how to translate data into knowledge and wisdom. Most important for us, examples of IoT are percolating in health care arena. So what exactly it? Knowles (2012) simply describes IoT as the way in which objects around us will gather data and connect to controls or other machines via Internet. Ashton (2009) uses term to describe a system where Internet connected to physical world via ubiquitous sensors. According to Horizon Report (Johnson et al., 2012, p. 30), IoT is latest evolution of network-aware smart objects that connect physical world information. Several attributes are associated these smart objects; they are small, easy to attach and unobtrusive, contain a unique identifier and data or information, and can connect an external device on demand (e.g., your smartphone or tablet). Accordingly, these smart objects have capability to digitally manage, monitor, and track physical objects in addition to providing accessible information such as descriptions, instructions, and tutorials. …

On the Horizon:What Is New for 2012 and Beyond?Part 1

THE ANNUAL NMC HORIZON REPORT: 2012 HIGHER EDUCATION EDITION IS PUBLISHED AS A COLLABORATION OF TWO ORGANIZATIONS, THE NEW MEDIA CONSORTIUM AND THE EDUCAUSE LEARNING INITIATIVE. As in previous years, the latest report highlights key trends, challenges, and emerging technologies across three adoption horizons: one year or less, two to three years, and four to five years. Tools are examined for their potential relevance to teaching, learning, and creative inquiry. (Visit www.nmc.org to learn more about the New Media Consortium 2012 advisory board and view a quick video for an overview of the findings.) The Six Key Trends The six key trends, examined from a global perspective, are considered drivers of educational technology adoptions for the period of 2012-2017 (Johnson, Adams, & Cummins, 2012, p. 4). I. The highest ranking trend has been consistent for many years: People expect to be able to work, learn, and study, whenever and wherever they want. This is the reason we developed distance education. We all understand the demands on our nursing students, especially our nontraditional students, who are balancing work, family, and school, and those informal learners who want just-in-time learning. 2. The technologies we use are increasingly cloud-based and/or notions of IT support are decentralized. Some of us have already embraced the cloud. As a Mac user, I love having the iCIoud[TM] to facilitate my work across all my devices (Mac desktop and laptop, iPod, iPhone, and iPad). I wrote about cloud computing in my July/August column (Skiba, 2011). 3. The world of work is increasingly collaborative, driving changes in the way student projects are structured. This trend fits nicely into health care as we move toward interprofessional practice and think about the importance of teamwork, as opposed to group work. The Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing report (2011) reminds us that collaborative skills are vitally important, not only for work with other health care professionals, but also as we form new patient/consumer-nurse partnerships. 4. The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators. Formal academic institutions must justify the value they add when knowledge is so easily web-accessible. Think about the open courseware movement and what it will mean. Universities have always been seen as the gold standard for educational credentialing, but emerging certification programs from other sources are eroding the value of that mission daily (Johnson et al., 2012, p. 4). Think about the availability of social media and the wisdom-of-the-crowd concept. Educators are no longer the only mentors and disseminators of knowledge. 5. Educational paradigms are shifting to include online learning, hybrid learning, and collaborative models. With the economic issues facing academia, it is the rare school that is not confronted with the need to provide multiple learning opportunities beyond the traditional face-to-face learning. The use of social networks by all levels of learners, regardless of age, also affects how we interact and communicate. 6. There is a new emphasis in the classroom on more challenge-based and active learning, Faculty are trying to leverage the use of etexts, mobile devices, and clickers to engage learners and have them participate actively in class. Death by PowerPoint is nearing its end in the classroom environment. Constraints Affecting the Academy Along with these trends, the report identifies significant challenges facing academic institutions. I. Economic pressures and new models of education are bringing unprecedented competition to the traditional models of higher education. As poignantly noted by the former president of the University of Michigan (as cited in Stanley & Trinkle, 2011), higher education institutions have been forced to evolve from 'state-supported' to 'state-assisted' to 'state-related' to what might only be characterized as 'state-located' 2. …