Apprehending the Future: Emerging Technologies, from Science Fiction to Campus Reality | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Emerging technologies are a matter not only of qualitative challenge but also of sheer quantitative overload. Web 2.0, gaming, wireless and mobile devices, virtual worlds, even Web 3.0 in all its unrealized potential—each churns out new developments daily and connects with other domains to ramp up the problem still further. How can those of us in higher education best understand new technologies? The phrases "emerging technologies" and "evolving technologies" remind us that the digital world is largely in flux. New devices, altered applications, and shifting practices keep crossing over the horizon—or quietly appearing in our midst. Deciding which technologies to support for teaching and learning—and how to support them—depends, first, on our ability to learn about each emerging development. Doing so is partly a matter of science fiction, which consists, after all, of the stories we tell about the future. This paper will introduce and explore methods for apprehending the future as it applies to the world of higher education and information technology.