Where Are They Now 2008
From Horizon.au
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Where Are They Now? .... | 2008
Where are they now? Technologies highlighted in the 2008 Horizon.au Report
Listed below are the six technologies highlighted in the 2008 Horizon Report: Australai-New Zealand Edition 
, with a short description of each. Where are they now? Are the horizons associated with them still accurate? What may have changed? Should they still be on our radar screens? Let us know your thoughts...
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
Virtual Worlds
We have watched as hundreds of educational institutions have chosen to enter the virtual arena over the past few years. Early projects that drew heavily on real-world forms and practices gradually have given way to more experimental ventures that take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded by virtual worlds and other immersive digital environments. Now we are seeing increased use of these spaces for truly immersive forms of learning and for a level of collaboration that is erasing traditional boundaries and borders rapidly. The technology that supports virtual worlds is advancing at a rapid rate, paving the way for more realistic environments, connections between different platforms, and new ways to enter and use virtual spaces. As participation and development both continue to increase, these environments are becoming ever more interesting spaces with obvious potential for teaching, learning, and creative expression.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-anz-2008/section/virtual-worlds/
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Cloud Computing
The emergence of large “data farms” — specialized data centers that host thousands of servers — has created a surplus of computing resources that has come to be called the cloud. Aspects of computing that used to be considered expensive, like disk storage and computing cycles, are now becoming cheap and ubiquitous. Layered on top of the cloud infrastructure are development platforms that are enabling thin-client, web-based applications for everything from image editing to word processing to music and video manipulation. Specialized applications like Flickr live entirely in the cloud and are unidentifiable as individual machines; there is no single computer, or even specific group of computers, that can be pointed to as housing Flickr, Google, or YouTube. Advances in computer science to ensure redundancy and protection from natural disasters have led to data being shared across many different hosting facilities. As the infrastructure has improved, these cloud-based applications are introducing a new way to think about software and files — and the ways we work with them.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-anz-2008/section/cloud-computing/
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
Geolocation
It is becoming increasingly easy to capture and use geolocative data associated with photographs, videos, and other media. Often, these data are automatically captured by your device, transparently, enabling simple, readily available tools to create mashups of data and maps that are changing the way we understand, display, and analyse information. One’s own location can be gathered and transmitted using common devices like mobile phones and laptop computers, enabling Internet services to customize a visitor’s experience based on where he or she is in the real world. These two features of geolocation — placement of media and of people in the physical world — have implications for research, data visualization, and social networking.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-anz-2008/section/geolocation/
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Alternative Input Devices
The way we expect to interact with computers is changing as movement and gesture-based interfaces accompany popular games, mobile phones, and new computers and peripherals. Two advancements in particular — the accelerometer and the multi-touch screen — have already begun to show us more natural, intuitive ways to communicate with computers and work with electronic content. As more devices with these capabilities enter the marketplace, interface designers and software engineers are developing novel ways to use these interfaces that are ever more comfortable physically and more engaging and satisfying emotionally.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-anz-2008/section/alternative-input-devices/
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Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
Deep Tagging
Deep tagging is a way to access the content buried within rich media like video, podcasts, Flash applets, and even images. With deep tagging, a component of a larger piece of media can be identified and labeled — tagged — according to what it is about, who is featured, or other relevant information for more precise searching and finding. Deep tagging as a technology is still in development; while there are a few proprietary solutions that show promise, the realization of easy deep tagging for most online media content is several years away. At the same time, the essential challenges are being solved as this is written, and adoption of this technology will happen quickly once that happens. As development continues, the technology’s implications for just-in-time content delivery, remixing and reuse will undoubtedly prove to be of great value for education.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-anz-2008/section/deep-tagging/
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Next Generation Mobile
Considerably smaller and less expensive than a laptop, the mobile is clearly evolving into the next form of portable computer. New interfaces, the ability to connect to wifi and GPS in addition to a variety of cellular networks, and the availability of third-party applications have created an almost entirely new device with nearly infinite possibilities for education, networking, and personal productivity. The continuing pace of innovation around mobile devices and software promises that even greater capabilities are on the way, and ensures that mobile will continue to be a space to watch.
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-anz-2008/section/next-gen-mobile/
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