The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) has released The CoSN Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition Toolkit, which is designed as a companion piece to The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Produced by the New Media Consortium (NMC), the Report details emerging technologies likely to have a significant impact on teaching and learning around the globe. The Toolkit is geared toward education leaders who wish to learn more about and further the dialogue on the emerging technologies identified in the Report and their potential to re-imagine K-12 education. The Toolkit and Report are both made possible through a grant from HP’s Office on Global Social Innovation.
“To propel K-12 education forward through visionary leadership, boost student achievement and evolve the learning process, knowing what emerging technologies are on the horizon and the promise they hold to take education to an entirely new level is essential,” said CoSN CEO Keith Krueger. “The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition and CoSN Toolkit are by far two of the most valuable resources education leaders have at their fingertips to help harness the power of emerging educational technologies and enrich teaching and learning.”
“The Report is a short- and long-term roadmap for the future of educational technologies, and the CoSN Toolkit is an additional component that will help continue the dialogue,” said Larry Johnson, CEO of the NMC. “The technologies profiled have the potential to shift the way we think about teaching and learning, and will help educators and students alike maximize the education experience.”
The Report includes topics, examples and resources regarding the two most important emerging technologies for 2011; two technologies on the two- to three-year horizon; and two additional technologies on the four- to five-year horizon. Now in its second year, the companion Toolkit is designed as a roadmap for education leaders responsible for exploring and implementing new technologies. The Toolkit includes the following components:
* Presentation Template – PowerPoint presentation overview of the Report, with a suggested script for use in group discussions.
* Discussion Facilitator's Guide – Template and questions to stimulate group thinking about the Report and emerging technologies.
* Discussion Activities – Set of expanded activities to engage stakeholders in dialogue to identify local instructional and educational challenges and consider whether emerging technologies might have the potential to address them.
* Video Clips – Video overview of the Report, its approach and the challenges and trends identified in it, as well as six shorter videos featuring education leaders discussing each of the emerging technologies identified in the Report and featuring their thoughts on each technology’s promise for enhancing teaching, learning and creative expression. All videos were produced by JDL Horizons, LLC.
The Toolkit, Report and other supporting materials may be downloaded for free here.
