Education Impact got in touch with two of their fellows who were part of the Advisory Board for the creation of the 2011 Horizon Report: K12 Edition.

Gavin Dykes, an expert in the fields of Education and ICT for over 20 years said:

‘Taking part in production of the Horizon Reports as a member of the Advisory Board is a pleasure and a privilege. It is also a wonderful piece of personal development. That taking part encourages each member to reflect on the most important developments and trends in education and technology, to identify where these are taking place and to share these through the Horizon wiki. Of course real sharing is at the very least two way, and thecontributions of other board members inevitably spark new ideas and reflections.

Horizon Reports have been running for some ten years and so provide a tremendous back catalogue tracing the development of technology’s use and impact in education, and also forecasts for the years ahead. It’s worth noting how these are changing. While Cloud Computing and Mobiles appear as the top two technologies in the next year or sooner, closer inspection of examples and comparisons with previous years (and the higher education horizon reports) reveals something more about the evolving adaptation rather than simply the adoption of these technologies for education. So Horizon Reports are well worth reading in the context of time and change.

For those engaged in policy development, further contexts that warrant additional investigation and reflection include culture and geography. The Horizon Report 2010 – Edición Iberoamericana, was produced for Latin America, Spain and Portugal drawing its forecasts from developments in these countries. Such work and its interpretation for new regions and contexts looks set to develop further. That makes the Horizon Reports and their production of growing interest and of ever greater influence.’

Oystein Johannessen, is the Chief Strategy Officer at Cerpus and this were his comments:

‘The 2011 Horizon Report K-12 Edition was published in May. It highlights six emerging technologies, trends and key challenges that are expected to influence the use of technologies for teaching, learning and creative exploration. In my view, the report highlights the need to analyze new technologies in lieu of their pedagogical potential. If we want to achieve technology-based innovations in education, we must strive for a better understanding of the technological complexity that surrounds, influences and improves education. The Horizon Report represents an invaluable contribution to this understanding. Serving on the Advisory Board is both a pleasure and a privilege. You truly feel part of a global, professional community, a community that takes its own medicine by conducting all of its work online.’

Additional Resources

• See and Download the 2011 Horizon Report: K12 Edition
• New Media Consortium Reports and Documents