This year is shaping up to be quite a significant one for the elearning and ed tech. The growing influcence of MOOCs, new elearning development software, various learning management systems and course delivery methods are popping-up everywhere.  Finally, Tin-Can API has reached version 1.0 and is ready for mass adoption as well, which will open up an entire world of learning devices, new products and services.

Always at the forefront of technology in education are the schools and universities looking to capitalize on the latest trends.  The infographic below details some of edudemic.com’s ideas as to what we can expect for the remainder of 2013.

From what I can see, there are plenty of the usual players (i.e. SMS Marketing), but also a great emphasis on social learning, specifically through the MOOC phenomenon.  Educational classes by leading institutions are being offered for free, which opens the doors for more creative course presentation.

Currently many MOOCs rely only on videos of lectures, which is a bit lacking.  If a MOOC can successfully present the content in an engaging elearning format, they will be well ahead of the competition.  Speaking of MOOCs, see if you can spot the slight error on the infographic in the MOOC related section.

I see game-based learning gaining traction as well, and have to agree with the infographic’s general prediction that game-based learning is going to be used more rigorously in classrooms for students of all ages.  Heck, just this week I had a conversation with someone who is currently creating open-source games for education – there is certainly a market.

What I am most curious to see (that isn’t explained or predicted in the infographic), is the role Tin-Can API will play in how companies and educational institutions go about gathering metrics for their users.  The possibilities here are pretty immense; I’d love to see Tin-Can successfully mixed with ed tech gaming in some capacity that generates real, tangible results.