Tech Trends

The 2013 Horizon Report was an overall interesting read.  The focus on providing examples of how each technology is currently being used along with links for additional reading make the document a very practical tool for educators interested in staying ahead of trends in technology.  I will definitely be reading future reports.

For this assignment, I chose to focus on 3D printing.  My district is currently pursuing a STEM initiative which includes plans to build a fabrication laboratory, or FabLab, in each of our high schools.  I have no experience with the technology and very limited background knowledge, so this seemed like an excellent opportunity to begin developing a deeper understanding of how this technology could be integrated into science classrooms.

While the Horizon Report focuses on 3D printing, most of the articles I was able to find included discussion of other fabrication or rapid prototyping technology.  While 3D printers seem to be the flagship devices, they are most often purchased as part of a larger FabLab, so it is difficult to isolate the discussion of 3D printers from other, related technologies.

It was difficult to find articles which focused specifically on the use of fabrication technology in education, let alone science education.  I suspect this is because FabLabs are in their infancy, especially in the field of education.  There are a fairly limited number of schools which have purchased the technology at this point and, when I've spoken to educators using FabLabs, they are putting their energies into learning how to effectively use this technology with students largely through trial and error and do not yet feel they have the background to produce papers or presentations on the topic.  The limited number of school FabLabs also means educational researchers have limited options for subjects in their studies.  With time, this lack of research should gradually be remedied.  In the meantime, the lack of hard data on the use of this technology will probably contribute to the long timeline for widespread adoption within education predicted by the New Media Consortium.

Tech Trends