CORE's Ten Trends for 2011 are listed below—each with three examples to illustrate where the trend is or may potentially be impacting on education.

1. Smart Web

As the WWW grows and develops there is an increasing sophistication in terms of the applications being used, and in terms of the level of “intelligence” that exists in the web itself. A growing trend will see more applications and services that are capable of acting without human intervention, with decisions being made on the basis of data usage patterns etc.
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2. Ubiquitous computing

Among users of all ages there is a clear shift towards computing ‘anywhere, anytime with any device’ – where access is not confined to a particular time and place, and not dependent on a particular device. There are three key enablers of this:
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3. Personalisation

There is a growing awareness that one-size-fits-all approaches to school knowledge and organisation are ill-adapted both to individuals’ needs and to the knowledge society at large. The move beyond uniform, mass provision can be described as “personalisation” of education and of public services more widely. Digital technologies are playing a pivotal role in enabling this to happen.
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4. Data

We are witnessing an unprecedented ‘explosion’ of data in the world, accumulating in electronic databases everywhere. This poses challenges about its usefulness and about how we may store, manage and derive meaning from it.
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5. Citizenship

Citizenship is a continually evolving concept. It is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. As these contexts change, so too does the concept of being a citizen within them. Citizenship involves understanding the ‘rules’ and boundaries that exist, and involves both rights and responsibilities. As our world expands to include the ‘virtual’, so too do the following lenses on citizenship:
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6. Cloud computing

The “Cloud” is growing significantly over the whole of the ICT world. Cloud computing refers to storage and processing that occurs in a networked environment rather than relying on the limits of a personal computer. In “the cloud” storage and processing resources are allocated “on the fly ” among users based on their specific needs.
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7. Virtual Learning

Virtual learning embraces the range of teaching and learning activities which take place in an online environment, utilizing a mix of synchronous and asynchronous technologies. It is an effective way of providing access for those who may not otherwise be able to participate. Virtual learning services are expanding internationally, with the development of virtual schools in many countries.

In the virtual learning environment there is opportunity for three key areas of activity:
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8. New forms of engaging with information

Digital technologies are expanding the opportunities and ways we can engage with information. What has historically been confined to 2D print and/or oral/aural communications, is now accessible in a range of new and exciting ways. In addition, where engagement tended to be passive, it is now an active experience.
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9. Open-ness

The move towards open-ness is a reaction against the many ‘closed’ characteristics of our current education system – such as enrolment schemes, copyright, student records etc. What were previously regarded as barriers to growth, access or innovation in our system, are now being challenged or circumvented through the use of systems that are more open and participatory, including:
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10. Networked schools

In the networked age, our education institutions need to shift from the existing paradigm of operating in relative isolation (even competition) to being more collaborative and working as a node on the education network. The model that is emerging is referred to as the Networked School.
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