Looking forward > Topics in stem / Future trends in life and education

1 Year or Less

• Learning analytics
• Mobile learning
• Online learning 
• Virtual and remote laboratories

2-3 years adoption

• 3D printing (I've also read 5-7 years)
• Games and Gamification
•  Immersive learning environments
• Wearable technology (yes! waiting for my clothes that automatically adjust for temperature!)

4-5 years adoption

•  Flexible displays 
• Internet of Things (Everything physical is tagged; everything is taggable; everything connects with technology think RFID, QR, etc. --  is it here already? some say yes)
• Machine learning (semantic web and beyond)
• Virtual assistants (Amazon's Mayday button and beyond)

Download and read the white paper from the New Media Consortium (NMC), the Centro Superior para la Enseñanza Virtual (CSEV), Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Control at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Education Society (IEEE). :
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-technology-outlook-for-STEM-education.pdf