The document discusses predictions for communication technologies over the next 10 years. It predicts that (1) education will become increasingly virtual, with classrooms and textbooks moving to the cloud, (2) video calling will become integrated into standard phone calls so people can see each other, and (3) technologies will become more integrated into our homes through smart devices and interfaces allowing control of entertainment, security, and other functions.

2. It is amazing how far human kind has come in the 20th
century, with major communication innovations in the past
decade. To understand our future, we need to look at our past.
What will the communication landscape look like in ten years?
Let’s take a glimpse into the past and speculate about the future
decade.

3. Gone for some students are the days of sitting in a classroom scribbling notes on paper.
The internet changed the face of education forever. Online colleges have gained
popularity every year for the last decade. According to US News & World report “62.4
percent of the colleges surveyed in 2012 offered fully online degree
programs, compared with just 32.5 percent in 2002” (2013). Virtual education is big
business, from kindergarten to higher education. What the future holds is the evolution
of the online class room, but not as some of you may think. The hardware used will
evolve; tablet, laptop, even the cellphone will be used to access the classroom.

4. The cloud also offers lower IT costs, provides almost
unlimited storage and makes backing up and data
recovery simple.
In the future, the greatest change in education
will be the impact of the “cloud” and the
accessibility of education. Specifically the cloud
advancements will be linked to the use of the
hybrid cloud. According to the IBM website, “In
the simplest terms, the hybrid model is primarily
a private cloud that allows an organization to tap
into a public cloud when and where it makes
sense” (2013). All IT departments will manage
some resources on a private cloud and use the
public cloud for others. For example, the virtual
classroom could be on their private cloud, so
only enrolled students have access to those
programs. All University library catalogs could
be on the public cloud so anyone wanting to
search the catalog will be able to do so.

5. It is the use of the cloud that will require the need for the hardware, not
the classroom. Because of the cloud and wireless internet accessibility
the classroom setting will change. Companies like Academic
Partnerships are providing options for virtual classrooms that will give
the feel of a physical classroom (Schawbel, 2013). I see paperless
classrooms in our future as well, which also makes me wonder about
the actual written word. According to The Washington Post, 45 states
are following the national education standards that do not emphasize
the teaching of cursive writing (2013). Is that a skill that will be lost?
The cloud will greatly impact the way we receive our education. I see all
textbooks on the public cloud placed there by the publisher. E-textbooks
will have tools like highlighting and search functions for certain
data, along with research tools like a thesaurus that we currently use in
word processors. With the current growth in language translation
software, it will even be possible to use textbooks in a foreign language
because they will automatically be translated into the language of your
choice. Your registration in a class grants you access to the textbooks
required for a specified fee and time frame. The use of e-textbooks will
make the use of specific hardware like a laptop or tablet a necessity.

6. The acquisition of new knowledge and passing it to the next
generation has taken place since human kind first had coherent
thought. That curiosity has led to innovation that resulted in the
improvement and evolution of the human condition.
u This theory on the future of education is supported by the
Media System Dependency Theory. What is central to this
theory is the link that results from the interaction between resources
and objectives. In the case of education, the resource is the institution
providing the education and access to the required knowledge by
means of the cloud. The goals are that of leaning and promoting and
ultimately attaining a degree or diploma.
Whether in a virtual classroom or a physical classroom; assignments, quizzes
and tests, note taking, everything associated with the class will be done
online and therefore using the cloud. So, the cloud will permeate every
aspect of higher education and it will have same effect on every level of
education starting at the pre-school level. My three year old niece already
understands and uses her mother’s iPad for educational applications.

7. People have been thinking about the transmission of sound and images since before the
time of the telegraph. The first image sent over an electrical line was transmitted fourteen
years before Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876 (Television History)
(American Telegraph and Telephone Co. [AT&T], 2012). Obviously, sending images is
not a new idea. It wasn’t put to practical use until at the 1964 World Fair, Bell Laboratory
introduced the picture phone. However this phone was impractical because it required
special wiring and the phone and usage time was too expensive for the time period. This
idea has been attempted in different forms over the past 50 years (Technologizer, 2012).
In the last decade, video chatting using a webcam originally began
as business teleconferencing. Now it has evolved into a form of
personal communication, thanks to downloadable applications like
Skype. What is missing from the video chat is the convenience of
making a phone call. That is what the future holds.

8. Soon, phone calls will become visual. This will change phone
communication because another sense will come into
play, vision. We will be able to see body language in addition to
hearing the voice inflection. For instance, you will see the
smile, eye roll or crossed arms and interpret that observable
information along with the verbal message. That will make it a
more personal, even an emotional experience. In the future with
the evolution of cellphone and video technology, every cell phone
will have this ability. Gone are the emoticons. It will be the
norm to call and see the person you are speaking with. The size
and shape of the cell phone will change. Will they be on your
wrist like a watch or embedded in glasses? This will become a
choice that the consumer makes for themselves.

9. Imagine video phones not only on a cell phone but also at home. I am reminded of a scene
from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey and a cartoon series I watched growing up, The
Jetson’s. Both were produced in the 1960’s and used video phones in similar ways.
u The future of the video phone directly correlates to the Critical
Mass Theory. A segment of the population will start using the
video phone technology, like the users who first utilized Facebook
at Harvard. In this case that group will be the pioneers who lead the
rest of us in the video phone revolution. Unlike the earlier attempts
to launch this technology, it will succeed and become the accepted
mean for making phone and cell calls. This technology will be
readily available and at a reasonable price so everyone will have
access to the technology and its growth will explode.

10. In 2023, when you enter your home, the cell phone on your wrist will automatically
link to your wireless network. Then you can answer and have video
conversations on one of the panel tiles of the television that fills a wall, floor to
ceiling. No, not like Skype, it will be a video phone call. We are in the early stage of
this already. AT&T U-Verse Cable TV when linked to the VOIP (Voice over Internet
Protocol) phone displays the phone number of an incoming call and offers the option
of answering the phone on the television in audio only.

11. By 2023, your television and computer will merge and every IP
addressable device with be linked to it. It will be the
entertainment, research, social network, security and Wi-Fi center
of your house. Your TV might be a large touchscreen that accesses
any application, browser or entertainment network you can think
of. Based on the popularity of YouTube and Netflix, it is only a
matter of time before major internet players like Google, YouTube
and Microsoft are in the entertainment production business.
I’ll go one step further and say that all of our devices;
home, car, phone, security, etc., will become linked in what Greg
Satell called the “web of things” (Satell, 2013). Smart
homes, security, business and commerce will be taken to a new
level. Biometrics will be used in everything from marketing to
security. Every device will have biometric parental controls as will
your ID card. Anything restricted by age will be regulated by use
of a smart ID and/or required finger print scan.

12. Search engines currently track your website usage and shopping habits. Imagine, you sign
onto your computer or smart device with a finger print. Now your finger print is used to
track your preferences. You open the door to the mall or store and the in the door handle
biometric reader scans your finger print. Now the advertising you see during your
shopping trip is designed based on your shopping history. Stores can direct you to items or
sales that reflect your likes through your smart device. Grocery carts are automated, with
biometric readers and touch screens. This way as you shop, you receive alerts of items on
sale that match your needs or items you have looked at previously, but not purchased.
Basic
Need(s)
Gratification
Sought
Technology
Options
Technology
Selected
Need(s)
Satisfied
u This adoption of new technology is based on the Uses & Gratifications
research. This research gains insights on why consumers choose
technology based on what needs the technology satisfies. As technology
continues to develop and improve, this theory will become even more
important because as our options multiply, so will our technology choices.

13. The future of communication technology is limited only by our imagination and
genius. What will the technology look like? Will we have a need for classrooms or
will education be primarily a virtual experience? Will cell phones be on your wrist
like a watch or embedded in glasses? Will televisions be touch screens that are floor
to ceiling, tiled, multi-channel, 4D systems linked to every techno device you own?
Who will use your finger print and for what purpose? Again only our creativity and
ingenuity will determine that.
How will all the technological advancements impact humanity? This is my question.
Will individuals end up more secluded? Will our intentions of improving how we
communicate with one another lead us to become disconnected with limited physical
contact? I want to think that won’t happen by 2023. But, will we look back on 2013
as the beginning of a communication revolution or the end of a free
moving, physically connected society?

14. I believe that as we strive for innovation, we
shouldn’t sacrifice our positive
attributes, in-person, face to face
communication is the essence of being human.

15. References
(American Telegraph and Telephone Co. [AT&T], 2012). Milestones in AT&T History. AT&T website. Retrieved October 7, 2012,
from http://www.corp.att.com/history/milestones.html
Edwards, B., (Technologizer, 2010). pp.4. 132 Years of the Videophone: From Futuristic Fantacy to Flops to Face Time.
Retrieved on July 28, 2013. http://technologizer.com/2010/06/14/videophones/
(IBM Corporation, 2012). Going Hybrid: Best of Both Worlds in Cloud Computing. Retrieved on July 28, 2013.
http://www-304.ibm.com/businesscenter/cpe/html0/228279.html
Schawbel, D., (Guardian News & Media, 2013). Millennials Believe The Future Of Education Will Be Virtual. Retrieved on July 28,
2013. http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teach-blog/2013/jun/19/technology-future-education-cloud-social-learning
Shapiro, T. R., (The Washington Post, 2013). Survey shows cursive, on the decline, is taught in many classrooms nationwide.
Retrieved on July 31, 2013. http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-07/local/39084447_1_cursive-second-grade-teachers-
survey
Sheehy, K., (U.S. News & World Report, 2013). Online Course Enrollment Climbs for 10th
Straight Year.
Retrieved on July 29, 2013. http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2013/01/08/online-course-
enrollment-climbs-for-10th-straight-year
(Television History). Timeline of Television - Important Moments in TV History. Retrieved on
July 28, 2013. http://www.television-history.net/television-origin/television-timeline/