Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
Issue link: http://elmezine.epubxp.com/i/74275
research:learningtechnology Infrastructure is being developed with increased wireless connectivity in schools, while soſtware apps and cloud computing are making it easier to manage PCs remotely, allow interactivity between mobile PCs and classroom displays and push-out content, supporting the multifunctional use of devices longer term. technical developments in smart TV such as gesture control, voice recognition, built in Skype and retina recognition could be utilized to suit learning objectives. Interactive projectors have seen strong early adoption, though this success has largely been driven by entry-level positioning and pricing. Consequently, the value performance has been limited. Watch Turkey, Tailand and the Middle East where multi-billion dollar nation-wide tenders are likely to be initiated. Te new technology has pushed powerful projection vendors into a head-to-head battle with IWB vendors, where once the relationship was far more symbiotic with projectors used in conjunction with IWB devices. Interactive projection vendors are also increasingly forming valuable relationships with education soſtware vendors: a critical part of an interactive solution and an area in which IWB vendors have held a position of strength. Dedicated single-function comple- 26 July / August 2012 Elearning! mentary devices such as voting systems will also come under pressure in the long term from tablets and other multifunctional devices. However, short- to mid-term sales of complementary devices are expected to hold, because few schools and universities can currently guarantee one-to-one device usage. Similar to the consumer market, a battleground is emerging in the education sector over who can develop and own the content ecosystem. Tis includes hardware, interactivity, storage, content, the learning platform and associated elements. Tose that develop a fully-integrated ecosystem across all elements will inevitably hold a distinct advantage over those without. DISTANCE LEARNING INCLUDED As more learning content becomes digitized and accessed via centralized content platforms, the opportunity exists to target the lucrative distance-learning and -tutoring market. Te key to success could be in developing an industry standard content platform that can be used across a range of hardware devices. Apple has already demonstrated that suppliers who offer consistency across hardware, soſtware and content are more likely to dominate the landscape in the future. Te ability of suppliers to monetize the content and services part of the ecosystem will be critical, and the development of content partnerships and content platforms is likely to be a key factor in overall market leadership. With a wide variety of suppliers targeting different elements of the education market, competition in the education sector is extremely fragmented. Until now, AV solutions providers, IT infrastructure and one-to-one learning solutions providers have operated separately. However, end- users are already seeking to unify their digital learning structures and strategies,