In a world where information overload has become the norm, the SOLSTICE Digest aims to act as a current awareness service, bringing into one place news, reports and resources that relate to technology enhanced learning. Some of you may have already been on the circulation list for the email version, which will continue for those who prefer a more low-tech approach. To subscribe, simply email solstice@edgehill.ac.uk and ask to join.

To start this SOLSTICE blog, I thought it was appropriate to include an item on emerging technologies that might be of interest to us here at Edge Hill.

A New Media Consortium publication in collaboration with Educause: The annual Horizon Report describes the continuing work of the NMC’s Horizon Project, a research-oriented effort that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have considerable impact on teaching, learning, and creative expression within higher education. The report also places each of the emerging technologies within a time frame of time to adoption.

Horizon Project’s emerging technologies for teaching & learning in 2009 are:

• Mobiles (one year or less)
• Cloud Computing (one year or less)
• Geo-everything (two to three years)
• The Personal Web (two to three years)
• Semantic-aware Applications (four to five years)
• Smart Objects (four to five years)

It is interesting to compare their reports year on year to see the movement of technologies from emergent to mainstream. Let me know what you think.