Colleagues/ Each year, the Horizon Report describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education within three adoption horizons over the next one to five years. "Campus leaders and practitioners alike use the report as a springboard for discussion around emerging technology," noted Larry Johnson, chief executive officer of the NMC. "Over the six years that the report has been published, the impact on technology planning and discussions on campuses has been substantial. Now with six years of data to consider, we continue to look back at the overarching trends over time. What we see is that there are several long-term, conceptual themes that have affected, and continue to affect, the practice of teaching and learning in profound ways." More than 75,000 copies of the 2008 Horizon Report were distributed in print and electronically last year. According to EDUCAUSE President Diana Oblinger, "Learning, discovery, and creative expression are fundamental to higher education. Technology can help in each of those areas. But our community wants to know which emerging technologies are best for what uses. And, what examples demonstrate their potential? The Horizon Report addresses those critical questions." In defining the six selected areas for 2009 - mobile devices, cloud computing, geo-everything, the personal web, semantic-aware applications, and smart objects - the project tapped into an ongoing discussion among knowledgeable individuals in business, industry, and education, as well as published resources, current research and practice, and the expertise of the NMC and ELI communities. The Horizon Project's Advisory Board probes current trends and challenges in higher education, explores possible topics for the report, and ultimately selects the technologies to be profiled. Table of Contents Executive Summary ■ Technologies to Watch ■ Key Trends ■ Critical Challenges ■ The Horizon Project Time-to-Adoption: One Year or Less Mobiles Cloud Computing Time-to-Adoption: Two to Three Years Geo-Everything The Personal Web Time-to-Adoption: Four to Five Years Semantic-Aware Applications Smart Objects Each technology profile includes: ■ Overview ■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression ■ Examples ■ For Further Reading Links to the Full Text As Well As An Associated Videocast And Previous Editions Are Available At [ http://tinyurl.com/cc949a ] Enjoy! /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 gerrymck@iastate.edu There is Nothing More Powerful Than An Idea Whose Time Has Come / Victor Hugo [ http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490 ] Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows [ http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/ ]