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Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2012. Sharebar As the technologies of the 21st century evolve and mature, we become the beneficiaries of exciting approaches for designing learning experiences.

Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2012

The convergence of informal and social media learning, combined with the explosion of smartphone and tablet use, is having a huge impact on how we think about training and education. So while last year’s list of learning technology trends to watch in 2011 is still viable, there are new and important learning trends to follow and explore this year.

Here are the ones that stand out to me (in alphabetical order). What stands out to you? Backchannel Several years ago, audience members at presentations and workshops began communicating with each other using their smartphones and laptops. One dedicated practitioner of using the backchannel in this way is David Kelly, who collects the communications regarding an event in one place. Content Curation Digital curation is nearly a necessity for dealing with information overload. Flipped Learning. Why Is the Research on Learning Styles Still Being Dismissed by Some Learning Leaders and Practitioners? I have been battling the notion of "designing instruction for learning styles" in my own quixotic fashion for a couple of decades now.

Why Is the Research on Learning Styles Still Being Dismissed by Some Learning Leaders and Practitioners?

In my attempt to be a good steward of my clients' shareholders' equity I wished to help them avoid faddish instructional design practices that have been disproven by empirical research. I first learned back in the 1980s at NSPI (now ISPI) conferences that while self-reported learning style preferences do exist, that designing instruction to accommodate them has no basis. When I posted yet again on this topic on my blog a couple of months ago and then sent a Tweet out about it—Jane Bozarth, EIC of this magazine, invited me to publish an article.

I accepted and decided to reach out to the usual suspects, those in my professional crowd who know the research, for their inputs. As I am but a practitioner attempting to follow what I have learned over the years about the research, I am not steeped in that research and able to cite it, they can. From Richard E. Backchannel Learning in an Organizational Setting. About 15 years ago I was in a training class at my previous employer, and the person next to me was responding to emails on his Blackberry.

Backchannel Learning in an Organizational Setting

The trainer facilitating the session stopped her lecture mid-sentence and addressed my coworker. I distinctly remember the disdain in her voice as she said: "Please put your phone away, it's distracting you and the rest of the group from the learning. " My, how times have changed. Today it is commonplace to see people in a learning environment actively using their mobile phones. The assumption can no longer be made that using the phone is linked to some sort of disengagement on the part of the learner; quite often it's exactly the opposite.

Social media tools are rapidly changing the "rules" that have historically been applied to learning environments. Many teachers, trainers, and presenters have been resisting the use of mobile devices during their sessions. Conference Backchannels The Backchannel changes that equation. Internal Backchannels. EdTech Cheat Sheet Infographic.

Understanding New Trends in Educational Technology Trying to keep up with all of the new buzzwords in the booming Educational Technology sector can leave you feeling like a kindergartner in a calculus class.

EdTech Cheat Sheet Infographic

Don't tell your teach, but we put together a little cheat sheet to keep you informed on what's happening inside and outside of today's most innovative schools. Think we're missing any major terms or trends? Let us know on Twitter. @GoBoundless Gamification? Virtual Classroom? Digital Storytelling? 1:1 Technology Providing every student with a laptop or tablet to make learning more individualized, increase independence and extend academics beyond the classroom.

Also: much cooler than just giving out stickers. Adaptive Learning Software that adapts it's content and pacing to the current knowledge level of the user, so it's almost like having a personal tailor for your education. Asynchronous Learning Blended Learning A sure recipe for success: Course Management System (CMS) Differentiated Learning.