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Two years ago I wrote a column for Inside Higher Ed entitled "The iPad for Academics." Now, two years and two new models of iPad later, it seems time to revisit some of that original column: How well does it stand up, how did my predictions turn out, and what have I learned since then? The answers are, roughly, "good" "O.K." and "a lot." When I wrote my column, no one was sure what the future held for the iPad, and there was serious skepticism about the more apocalyptic predictions. In fact, somewhat boringly, Apple's release of the iPad did what most Apple products do -- change the world, sell millions of units, and alter our information ecosystem irrevocably -- but it didn't end the world.

"This is an online course to help you understand better how to use technology to enhance your teaching practice. The course is aimed primarily at people teaching at Higher Education level, whether in Higher Education Institutions or Further Education Colleges."

Blog post from Inside Higher Ed which lists some concerns ... the follow-up comments express varied and alternate views.

"...almost 50 exemplars of effective practice in support of students' digital experiences. The exemplars have been written up with the support of the staff (and in some cases students) involved." Drawn from Higher Ed, but applicable in secondary too.

"Higher education options are changing for all students - not only for gutsy school reformers and tech enthusiasts dropping out with hopes to become the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. As MOOCs proliferate and college costs keep rising, more young reformers and "edupreneurs" are looking for a way around a four-year degree, some opting for a gap year to work on personal passions they hope will take off, and some looking for meaningful work experience in the world's classroom."

"At one session here at Davos, the presidents of Harvard, Stanford and MIT all readily acknowledged that the experiments in new models of online learning will soon radically disrupt higher learning. One expert suggested many universities are facing the early days of bankruptcy. Another predicted there may only be 10 universities that survive this transition."

"Pearson, the major international publisher and education firm, is to become a for-profit private higher education provider in the UK. The firm is opening Pearson College, teaching a degree course validated by existing London universities. The business and enterprise degree, taught in London and Manchester, will have about 40 places this year. The college says it will be for "students who are serious about succeeding in business". Pearson says this will be the first time a FTSE 100 company has directly delivered a degree course."

"The BlendSynch project explores solutions to connect twenty-first century students with twenty-first century higher education. Uniting face-to-face and remote learners through rich-media real-time collaboration tools"

"I've been getting a lot of questions from high school kids asking whether or not they should go to college. The answer is yes. College is where you find out about yourself. It's where you learn how to learn. It's where you get exposure to new ideas. For those of us who are into business you learn the languages of business, accounting, finance, marketing and sales in college. The question is not whether or not you should go to school; the question for the class of 2014 is what is your college plan and what is the likelihood that your college or university you attend will still be in business by the time you want to graduate? Still in business? Yep. When I look at the university and college systems around the country I see the newspaper industry."

Alvaro González-Alorda has created a powerful presentation that's a must see for any educator looking to push his or her school / classroom into the future. He talks about what the leaders of today's major schools and companies have to say about what academics will look like in the future. Basically, it's decision time for schools who have been clinging to best practices from the past and not paying enough attention to future trends. In fact, Alvaro lists more than a few trends to be on the lookout for in terms of education technology. The following presentation is on Slideshare and worth spending the next minute of your day on.

Horizon report 2012 on technology trends