Author Description

The internationally recognized series of "Horizon Reports" is part of the New Media Consortium's Horizon Project, a comprehensive research venture established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact over the coming five years on a variety of sectors around the globe. This volume, the "2011 Horizon Report", examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative inquiry. It is the eighth in the annual series of reports focused on emerging technology in the higher education environment. The six technologies featured in the "2011 Horizon Report" are placed along three adoption horizons that indicate likely time frames for their entrance into mainstream use for teaching, learning, or creative inquiry. The near-term horizon assumes the likelihood of entry into the mainstream for institutions within the next twelve months; the mid-term horizon, within two to three years; and the far-term, within four to five years. On the near-term horizon--that is, within the next 12 months--are "electronic books" and "mobiles". The second adoption horizon considers technologies expected to gain widespread usage within two to three years, and this year's candidates are "augmented reality" and "game-based learning". Looking to the far-term horizon, four to five years from now for widespread adoption, are "gesture-based computing" and "learning analytics". Each of these technologies is described in detail in the main body of the report, where a discussion of what the technology is and why it is relevant to teaching, learning, and creative inquiry may also be found. Given the practical focus of the report, a listing of examples of the technology in use, especially in higher education, is a key component of each of the six main topics. Research indicates that all six of these technologies, taken together, will have a significant impact on learning-focused organizations within the next five year