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What’s Hot, What’s Not in 2016

Our expert panelists weigh in on education technology to give us their verdict on which approaches to tech-enabled learning will have a major impact, which ones are stagnating and which ones might be better forgotten entirely.

By Greg Thompson 01/12/16

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/12/whats-hot-whats-not-in-2016.aspx

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Lukewarm to Hot

• Social Media for Teaching and Learning: Lukewarm to Hot

• Digital Badges: Mostly Lukewarm

• Open Educational Resources (OERs): Mostly Hot

• E-Portfolios: Losing Steam

• Learning Management Systems (LMS): Lukewarm to Hot

• Flipped Learning: Mostly Hot (but Equitability a Question)

• Blended Learning: Unanimously Hot

• Student Data Privacy Concerns: Unanimously Hot

• Apps for Learning: A Mostly Lukewarm Mixed Bag

• Games for Learning: Hot

What are the hot devices?

Cameras like the Canon VIXIA, the Sony HDR-MV1 or the Zoom Q4 or Q8 range from $200 to $400. The secret of these small devices is a tradeoff between video flexibility and audio power. With digital-only zoom, these cameras still deliver full HD video (or better) but with limited distance capabilities. In return, the audio quality is unsurpassed by anything short of a professional boom or wireless microphone setup; most of these cameras feature high-end condenser microphone capsules that will make music or interview recordings shine.

The Chromebook is hot. Seventy-two percent of Chromebook sales were education-related purchases in 2014.

The smartphone is hot. Every day, the smartphone becomes less of a “phone” and more of a device for connecting with others via social media, researching information on the Internet, learning with apps and games and recording experiences with photos and videos.