The 2011 Horizon Report includes predictions on the technologies that will enter mainstream use in Higher Education over the coming years.  I’m a bit sceptical of these predictions as they always seem overly optimistic.  For 3-years in-a-row Mobiles have been listed as entering mainstream use in one year or less… (or more it seems).

This year’s report suggests the following will be entering mainstream use in:

One Year or Less

  • Electronic Books
  • Mobiles

Two to Three Years

  • Augmented Reality
  • Game-based Learning

Four to Five Years

  • Gesture-based Computing
  • Learning Analytics

The report also includes sections on Critical Challenges:

  • Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession
  • Appropriate metrics of evaluation lag behind the emergence of new scholarly forms of authoring, publishing, and researching
  • Economic pressures and new models of education are presenting unprecedented competition to traditional models of the university
  • Keeping pace with the rapid proliferation of information, software tools, and devices is challenging for students and teachers alike

Previous Reports (on this blog): 2010 2009 2008 2007

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wtlphotos/2139923706/