Ready or not, here IT comes

Ready or not, here IT comes

According to the “2009 Horizon Report: K12 Edition,” the future may actually be closer than it appears. The report is the second in a new series that analyzes emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning and creative expression within the environment of pre-college education. Here's what their timeline predicts:

TIME TO ADOPTION: ONE YEAR OR LESS

Collaborative environments
Online spaces designed to support groups of students working together.

Online Communication Tools
Tools that put students in touch with distant family members, practicing experts and their peers, wherever they may be located.

TIME TO ADOPTION: TWO TO THREE YEARS

Cell phones
The increasing capabilities of these devices make them more useful with each new generation.

Cloud computing
Cloud computing uses the surplus resources to lower the cost and increase the availability of disk storage and processing power.

TIME TO ADOPTION: FOUR TO FIVE YEARS

Smart Objects
There are many technologies that support smart objects, from simple printed stickers to complex computing and sensor networks.

The Personal Web
Readers and publishers of online content are assembling collections of tools, widgets and services that handle developing and organizing dynamic online content.