Horizon Issues 2. New Products: Coping with Noise, Delivering Value, Structure & Quality Return to Issues List Thankfully, we may enjoy an end to the need for heroics to make new technologies work in our classrooms. We will see "The Plug and Play Learning Package." Educational publishing and subscription services are likely to offer more and more products to help deliver "The "Missing Half" - structured, reliable learning packages of various kinds combining print and electronic resources that are directly related to content standards while offering carefully "scaffolded" learning opportunities to students that are "plug and play" - user friendly and not demanding heroics. Many of these products will offer "guidance" to quality information sites as opposed to censorship and filtering. They will hope us cope with noise, delivering the value, structure and quality that has been missing. Learning More Visit and read through several of the following: Data Smog; Surviving the Information Glut Coping with Info-Glut signal-to-noise ratio (definition) Crossing the Chasm (review) Do a search at Electric Library and read at least 2 articles that cast light on this trend or issue. Possible search questions: info-glut noise data smog information mediator The Plug and Play Learning Package crossing the chasm Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the issues pages are those of the author, Jamie McKenzie. They are meant to stimulate thought and inquiry about issues and trends, but they do contain some speculation and projection about the future. The author cannot be held responsible if some predictions and trends do not materialize or continue, especially if readers attempt to reverse some of the more disturbing trends. Listing of articles to read should not be interpreted as endorsement of the contents, products or ideas by the author. Credits: The photographs were shot by Jamie McKenzie. Copyright Policy: Materials published in From Now On may be duplicated in hard copy format for educational, nonprofit school district and university use only and may also be sent from person to person by e-mail. All other uses, transmissions and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly.