2010 HORIZON REPORT for K-12

The annual HORIZON Report for higher education is now available for K-12 eduction, thanks to a grant by HP. The 2010 HORIZON Report: The K-12 Edition is arranged in the same format, with executive summary, trends, challenges, short-term horizon (1-2 yrs), mid-term (3-5 yrs), and longer-term (5 yrs).

Here are the top five trends identified for the 2010-2015 time period:

1. Technology is increasingly a means for empowering students, a method for communication and socializing, and a ubiquitous, transparent part of their lives.
2. Technology continues to profoundly affect the way we work, collaborate, communicate, and succeed. Information technologies impact how people work, play, learn, socialize, and collaborate.
   
3. The perceived value of innovation and creativity is increasing. Innovation is valued at the highest levels of business and must be embraced in schools if students are to succeed beyond their formal education.
   
4. There is increasing interest in just-in-time, alternate, or non-formal avenues of education, such as online learning, mentoring, and independent study.
   
5. The way we think of learning environments is changing.
   

Critical Challenges to K-12 use of new technology:
To this list, I would add California's K-12 financial meltdown.

1. Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession.
2. Students are different, but educational practice and the materials that support it are changing only slowly.
3. Many policy makers and educators believe that deep reform is needed, but at the same time, there is little agreement as to what a new model of education might look like.
4. A key challenge is the fundamental structure of the K-12 education establishment.