[cross posted from the e-Learning Research Network]

As you may have seen, the 2011 K-12 Horizon Report is out.

Developed by the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, this annual report draws on existing research, articles, papers and trends across the globe to make predictions about likely technological developments and their impact on a range of sectors, including education, over the coming years.

 Key trends:

• “The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators in sense-making, coaching, and credentialing.

• People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want.

• The world of work is increasingly collaborative, giving rise to reflection about the way student projects are structured.

• The technologies we use are increasingly cloud-based, and our notions of IT support are decentralized."

Key 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."

..and finally,

Technologies to watch:

You’ll find an interesting interpretation of the report from Scott McLeod: The 2011 K-12 Horizon Report: Too Optimistic?

How closely does your own context reflect these coming trends, challenges and technologies?

Do you agree with McLeod that this bears little relation to the average educator's daily experience?