“Mobile” has sufficiently cemented itself among the buzzwords of 2012. Here’s a look at top trends and predictions for mobile learning in 2012 from industry analysts.
- Increased proliferation of tablet and smartphones in the market, forcing schools to relent and allow devices into schools. (In 2011 40% of teens had a smartphone.)
- Improved broadband access to account for increased mobile tech use.
- A surge in “bring your own device” (and the need to accommodate for it) in schools as students use their own mobile tech for school and home learning.
- Expanded use of ebooks and online instructional materials as the main learning resource rather than as supplementary pieces.
- Rise of digital content curation services to help users make sense of all available resources.
- Growth in creation of and use of open source materials that allow for greater collaboration and cross-device use.
- Further integration of social networking integrated into learning to increase student collaboration and connections with teachers.
- Move to cloud computing and online classroom management systems that gather student achievement data and allow for more personalized instruction.
- Adoption of the flipped classroom, where the traditional lecture is accessed at home through videos or podcasts, and the students spend their class time working with teachers and peers on projects, discussions, and collaborative learning.
- Explosion of “truly educational gaming.”
Developing new content and capabilities to deliver on these trends in a meaningful way is a challenge for the ed. resource industry in 2012. The Innovation Awards, part of the AEP Awards program, recognize products that are pioneering changes in the education landscape. Categories include Mobile/Wireless Learning Tools, Digital Games/Game Creation Tools, and Student Response/Assessment/Data Management.
Find out more about the Innovation Awards and enter online.
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More information
“12 Education Tech Trends to Watch in 2012”
MindShift
KQED
“Top 10 eLearning Trends in K-12 Education”
TeachHUB.com
“The Five Biggest Ed-Tech Themes in 2011”
Digital Education, an Education Week blog
“EdWorld’s Top 6 Tech Trends of 2011”
EducationWorld
“Top 10 Stories in Education in 2011”
LearnBoost
“10 Major Mobile Learning Trends to Watch For”
OnlineCollege.org
“5 E-Learning Forecasts for 2012”
E-Learning 24/7 Blog
“Enterprise mLearning Predictions for 2012”
mLearning Trends
“Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2012”
the eLearning coach
“Experts share their ed-tech predictions for the new year”
eSchool News
Educational Publishing 
Are there any app developers we could call on in the Boston area to create the apps we would like to produce? Any recommendations on which ones are the most qualified, yet affordable?
Penny,
In today’s environment, why does the physical location of the app developer matter to you? Is it possible that in the virtual age within which we live physical location loses its importance?
Thanks for sharing…is this Global or US centric?
While the sources are mostly US-based, the trends are applicable around the world. Innovation and growth in mobile learning and ed tech is occurring on a global scale.
I agree with these 10 trends. In regards to eBooks (number 4), I found a nice graphic with some of the limitations of eBooks here. Helps to show what you can do.
http://prophero.com/index.php/moving-print-ebook/