Boletín Informativo

Education in the Workplace: Challenges for the contemporary business

In recent years, businesses have used new ICTs as a means to satisfy the need for the continual updating and training of staff. This has facilitated a rapid and efficient access to professional training that has been adapted to the means and circumstances of the users. From this perspective, many businesses have developed their own training courses because: a) it is important to formalize the training process; b) the certification of knowledge from an institution lends seriousness; and c) achieving a certain level of business maturity requires correlation in the learning process. Implemented projects are not always successful, however.

http://educoas.org/portal/en/tema/2006/feb06.aspx?culture=en&navid=36

INELAM 2006: Educational Portals

Applications for the sixth edition of the Award for Innovative Education in the Americas (INELAM) will be accepted through March 17, 2006. The Award will recognize educational portals in Latin America and the Caribbean that offer direct services for students, educators or parents at the preschool, primary, intermediate or secondary levels. The educational portals may be initiatives of either governmental, non-governmental or mixed entities, and must have been in continuous service through the Internet for at least three years prior to the close of this announcement. The Jury will review all candidates between March and April and will make their decision in early May. As in previous editions, honorary mentions will be awarded in the fields of Educational Quality, Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility to recognize achievements in the field of socio-educational development. The 2006 INELAM Award and honorary mentions will be sponsored by ASIVE (International Association Virtual Educa) and the Diputación Foral de Vizcaya. The prizes will be awarded during the VII International Conference of Virtual Educa that will take place June 19-23 in Bilbao, Spain.

http://www.educoas.org/portal/es/premio/premio_2006.aspx

INEAM News

Within the framework of strategic partnerships to expand, strengthen and diversify the updating and training of educators, INEAM held a working session with Dr. Steven G. Gamble, President of Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) and the technical authorities of various areas of said institution. As a result of the meeting, ENMU will act as the executing institution of a training program for educators of universities as agreed with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities of the US (HACU, http://www.hacu.net/hacu/Default_EN.asp). Staff of ENMU will be trained during the first half of the year with a view to launching full-scale activities after July. “We are very excited about the potential for carrying out activities with INEAM and its Educational Portal,” said Dr. Gamble “which will allow us to share experiences throughout the continent and contribute to the strengthening of the inter-American educational community.”

http://www.enmu.edu/aboutenmu/administration/president/index.shtml

Higher Education: Evaluation, Accreditation and Certification

The Fifth Program on International Evaluation of Higher Education Programs will begin in March. This activity is part of the “Engineers of the Americas” project carried out in the framework of the working plan signed between GRANA-ISTEC (2005-2008). Its objective is to reduce the quality divide existing between Ibero-America and first-world countries in the area of scientific and technological development, establish standards of international quality for educational programs, create communities of learning and generate research topics in 4 specific areas: “The Global Context”, “The World in the Curriculum”, “From Theory to Practice”, and “Instruments for Evaluating GRANA-ISTEC”. The online course will be 16 weeks in duration and will include an onsite seminar at its conclusion. Based on the results of previous editions it is hoped that another edition of the course will be offered after July for an additional 40 participants.

Teacher Course “Improving Quality in Basic Education”

Several editions of this course were offered during 2005 for teachers of Central America, Dominican Republic and Argentina, among others. Agreements were reached between INEAM and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE), with the support of the Ministry of Education (SEE) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (SEESCYT), to provide financial assistance for 300 participants (citizens or residents) of the Dominican Republic. In addition, the Universidad Nacional de Luján (Argentina) was successful in articulating efforts with the General Office of Culture and Schools of the Province of Buenos Aires to bestow 511 scholarships to teachers and administrators. These actions, the result of combined efforts of various organizations, demonstrate the efforts made to offer new training opportunities for teachers throughout the region.

Online degrees: Library Studies and ICTs

On April 24, the Virtual University of Guadalajara will begin offering undergraduate programs in Library Studies and Technology and Information, both of which will be offered online to meet the training needs of those who are not able to participate in the traditional onsite program. In a press conference, the President of UDG Virtual, Manuel Moreno Castañeda, signaled that the two form part of the Education program -- also offered online—which is composed of 1,380 students from 80 municipalities of Jalisco, including 450 small and isolated communities from rural and indigenous zones, who take courses in remote locations offered by the CASA Universitaria program, which has free Internet access. The Library Studies program is a 4-year program that includes the management and organization of municipal archives, archives of state notaries, federal institutions, libraries, electronic or virtual information centers, as well as public and private educational institutions. Many of the students with professional experience in the field can receive credit after the third semester. The Technology and Information program will focus on training professionals in the planning, development and management of information systems. Its graduates will be trained as technology consultants, and be able to provide technological and applications support, and systems planning and development, where their leadership and implementation of technologies will help them to increase strategic competitiveness.

http://udgvirtual.udg.mx/lti/
http://udgvirtual.udg.mx/lb/

Tianjin, China: ICDE International Conference

The next ICDE International Conference will be held in Tianjin, China from April 20-22, 2006. The Conference will focus on the issue of quality in education, one of the priority areas for the Government of the Republic of China and a key topic on the global agenda for distance education. The event, whose main theme is “Key Factor of Distant and ICT-based Education: Quality”, will be hosted by the Tianjin Municipal Educational Admission and Examinations Authority, TAEA, and Tianjin TV University, with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China.

http://www.zhaokao.net/icde2006

XV ISTEC General Assembly: Results

The presentations and conclusions of the XV ISTEC General Assembly, held November 29-December 2, 2005 at the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, are now available. The main objectives of the annual meeting and its related events were to create and strengthen agreements and alliances among the participants of the Ibero-American region to discuss new trends in science and technology and share international competitive and collaborative experiences. Of special importance was the presentation on the transnational network to support human rights and the self-reliance of the marginalized communities focusing on indigenous populations. Also highlighted was the presentation of the Educational Portal of the Americas, within the framework of Seminar e3, focusing on the integration of digital inclusion, emerging technology and strategic areas for understanding.

http://www.istec.org/ga/2005.php?page=0&lang=2&menu=0&section=1
http://editor.istec.org/services/files/Microsoft_PowerPoint__ictsd_working_ses.pdf
http://editor.istec.org/services/files/Microsoft_PowerPoint__PortalofAmericas_W.pdf

Mediateca Educativa Iberoamericana

Within the 2006-2007 Work Plan, the International Association Virtual Educa announced the next version of “Mediateca Educativa Iberoamericana” that will be made available to educational systems, school centers and different organizations working in the area of professional training and updating. The project will be coordinated by the Association of Ibero-American Educational Television (ATEI), the Latin American Institute for Educational Communication (ILCE) and Virtual Educa. Other participating institutions include the OAS, the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) and the Inter-American Consortium-Network for Distance Education (CREAD), among others.

http://www.ateiamerica.com/pages/asociados/presentacion.htm

First International Congress of Communities of Learners

Organized by the Universidad Fray Luca Paccioli, the First International Congress of Communities of Learners will be held August 13-16, 2006. Educational institutions, community associations and the general public are invited to participate. The main objective is to promote learning in the integral development of communities and foster actions that focus on gathering information about man through his training as an individual, using multimedial methods in some cases. In this way, it is understood that if man is capable of interacting and demonstrating his knowledge with confidence, he can then generate a collective conscience that promotes coexistence among the members of a community. The event will take place in Oaxtepec, Morelos, Mexico.

http://www.imss.gob.mx/IMSS/IMSS_SITIOS/DPES/DPES_SER/Vacaciones/Oaxtepec/presentacion_oax.htm

For more information, or to register in the Congress write to: secretaria.academica@frayluca.edu.mx

Digital Information for Society

The 4th International Symposium on Digital Libraries, organized by the University of Málaga and the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC), will be held June 21-23, 2006 in Málaga, Spain. The Symposium aspires to be a forum in which to present and debate the latest trends in digital libraries, with special consideration of university libraries given their role in supporting research and learning in their institutions, as well as for their contribution to the development of society. The Symposium will focus on the future of digital libraries, services for virtual environments, preservation of digital information resources, author rights, tools for accessing digital libraries, metadata, depositories and open access, digital libraries in the virtual classroom, evaluation and quality management of digital libraries, information literacy and marketing of services in the context of digital libraries and the relation of digital libraries to learning and research.

http://www.uma.es/servicios/biblioteca/4sibd.htm

Online Educa Madrid: 6th Edition

The Sixth Edition of Online Educa will be held May 17-19 in the Hotel Auditorium of Madrid, Spain. The meeting will bring together heads of e-learning from Europe and Latin America, as well as representatives from corporations, government and education sectors. The meeting will touch on the integration and application of e-learning, project management, new pedagogical trends and the evolution of technological innovations.

http://www.online-educa-madrid.com

We appreciate your interest and participation in the activities of the Educational Portal of the Americas. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send all messages to portal@oas.org. If you have received this message in error and would like to cancel your free subscription, please send a message to portal@oas.org and include "Cancel Newsletter Subscription" in the subject window.



	*Click here to see previous Newsletters*
	February 2006: Education in the Workplace: Challenges for the contemporary business INELAM 2006: Educational Portals INEAM News Higher Education: Evaluation, Accreditation and Certification Teacher Course “Improving Quality in Basic Education” Online degrees: Library Studies and ICTs Tianjin, China: ICDE International Conference XV ISTEC General Assembly: Results Mediateca Educativa Iberoamericana First International Congress of Communities of Learners Digital Information for Society Online Educa Madrid: 6th Edition
	Education in the Workplace: Challenges for the contemporary business In recent years, businesses have used new ICTs as a means to satisfy the need for the continual updating and training of staff. This has facilitated a rapid and efficient access to professional training that has been adapted to the means and circumstances of the users. From this perspective, many businesses have developed their own training courses because: a) it is important to formalize the training process; b) the certification of knowledge from an institution lends seriousness; and c) achieving a certain level of business maturity requires correlation in the learning process. Implemented projects are not always successful, however. http://educoas.org/portal/en/tema/2006/feb06.aspx?culture=en&navid=36 INELAM 2006: Educational Portals Applications for the sixth edition of the Award for Innovative Education in the Americas (INELAM) will be accepted through March 17, 2006. The Award will recognize educational portals in Latin America and the Caribbean that offer direct services for students, educators or parents at the preschool, primary, intermediate or secondary levels. The educational portals may be initiatives of either governmental, non-governmental or mixed entities, and must have been in continuous service through the Internet for at least three years prior to the close of this announcement. The Jury will review all candidates between March and April and will make their decision in early May. As in previous editions, honorary mentions will be awarded in the fields of Educational Quality, Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility to recognize achievements in the field of socio-educational development. The 2006 INELAM Award and honorary mentions will be sponsored by ASIVE (International Association Virtual Educa) and the Diputación Foral de Vizcaya. The prizes will be awarded during the VII International Conference of Virtual Educa that will take place June 19-23 in Bilbao, Spain. http://www.educoas.org/portal/es/premio/premio_2006.aspx INEAM News Within the framework of strategic partnerships to expand, strengthen and diversify the updating and training of educators, INEAM held a working session with Dr. Steven G. Gamble, President of Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) and the technical authorities of various areas of said institution. As a result of the meeting, ENMU will act as the executing institution of a training program for educators of universities as agreed with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities of the US (HACU, http://www.hacu.net/hacu/Default_EN.asp). Staff of ENMU will be trained during the first half of the year with a view to launching full-scale activities after July. “We are very excited about the potential for carrying out activities with INEAM and its Educational Portal,” said Dr. Gamble “which will allow us to share experiences throughout the continent and contribute to the strengthening of the inter-American educational community.” http://www.enmu.edu/aboutenmu/administration/president/index.shtml Higher Education: Evaluation, Accreditation and Certification The Fifth Program on International Evaluation of Higher Education Programs will begin in March. This activity is part of the “Engineers of the Americas” project carried out in the framework of the working plan signed between GRANA-ISTEC (2005-2008). Its objective is to reduce the quality divide existing between Ibero-America and first-world countries in the area of scientific and technological development, establish standards of international quality for educational programs, create communities of learning and generate research topics in 4 specific areas: “The Global Context”, “The World in the Curriculum”, “From Theory to Practice”, and “Instruments for Evaluating GRANA-ISTEC”. The online course will be 16 weeks in duration and will include an onsite seminar at its conclusion. Based on the results of previous editions it is hoped that another edition of the course will be offered after July for an additional 40 participants. Teacher Course “Improving Quality in Basic Education” Several editions of this course were offered during 2005 for teachers of Central America, Dominican Republic and Argentina, among others. Agreements were reached between INEAM and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE), with the support of the Ministry of Education (SEE) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (SEESCYT), to provide financial assistance for 300 participants (citizens or residents) of the Dominican Republic. In addition, the Universidad Nacional de Luján (Argentina) was successful in articulating efforts with the General Office of Culture and Schools of the Province of Buenos Aires to bestow 511 scholarships to teachers and administrators. These actions, the result of combined efforts of various organizations, demonstrate the efforts made to offer new training opportunities for teachers throughout the region. Online degrees: Library Studies and ICTs On April 24, the Virtual University of Guadalajara will begin offering undergraduate programs in Library Studies and Technology and Information, both of which will be offered online to meet the training needs of those who are not able to participate in the traditional onsite program. In a press conference, the President of UDG Virtual, Manuel Moreno Castañeda, signaled that the two form part of the Education program -- also offered online—which is composed of 1,380 students from 80 municipalities of Jalisco, including 450 small and isolated communities from rural and indigenous zones, who take courses in remote locations offered by the CASA Universitaria program, which has free Internet access. The Library Studies program is a 4-year program that includes the management and organization of municipal archives, archives of state notaries, federal institutions, libraries, electronic or virtual information centers, as well as public and private educational institutions. Many of the students with professional experience in the field can receive credit after the third semester. The Technology and Information program will focus on training professionals in the planning, development and management of information systems. Its graduates will be trained as technology consultants, and be able to provide technological and applications support, and systems planning and development, where their leadership and implementation of technologies will help them to increase strategic competitiveness. http://udgvirtual.udg.mx/lti/ http://udgvirtual.udg.mx/lb/ Tianjin, China: ICDE International Conference The next ICDE International Conference will be held in Tianjin, China from April 20-22, 2006. The Conference will focus on the issue of quality in education, one of the priority areas for the Government of the Republic of China and a key topic on the global agenda for distance education. The event, whose main theme is “Key Factor of Distant and ICT-based Education: Quality”, will be hosted by the Tianjin Municipal Educational Admission and Examinations Authority, TAEA, and Tianjin TV University, with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China. http://www.zhaokao.net/icde2006 XV ISTEC General Assembly: Results The presentations and conclusions of the XV ISTEC General Assembly, held November 29-December 2, 2005 at the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, are now available. The main objectives of the annual meeting and its related events were to create and strengthen agreements and alliances among the participants of the Ibero-American region to discuss new trends in science and technology and share international competitive and collaborative experiences. Of special importance was the presentation on the transnational network to support human rights and the self-reliance of the marginalized communities focusing on indigenous populations. Also highlighted was the presentation of the Educational Portal of the Americas, within the framework of Seminar e3, focusing on the integration of digital inclusion, emerging technology and strategic areas for understanding. http://www.istec.org/ga/2005.php?page=0&lang=2&menu=0&section=1 http://editor.istec.org/services/files/Microsoft_PowerPoint__ictsd_working_ses.pdf http://editor.istec.org/services/files/Microsoft_PowerPoint__PortalofAmericas_W.pdf Mediateca Educativa Iberoamericana Within the 2006-2007 Work Plan, the International Association Virtual Educa announced the next version of “Mediateca Educativa Iberoamericana” that will be made available to educational systems, school centers and different organizations working in the area of professional training and updating. The project will be coordinated by the Association of Ibero-American Educational Television (ATEI), the Latin American Institute for Educational Communication (ILCE) and Virtual Educa. Other participating institutions include the OAS, the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) and the Inter-American Consortium-Network for Distance Education (CREAD), among others. http://www.ateiamerica.com/pages/asociados/presentacion.htm First International Congress of Communities of Learners Organized by the Universidad Fray Luca Paccioli, the First International Congress of Communities of Learners will be held August 13-16, 2006. Educational institutions, community associations and the general public are invited to participate. The main objective is to promote learning in the integral development of communities and foster actions that focus on gathering information about man through his training as an individual, using multimedial methods in some cases. In this way, it is understood that if man is capable of interacting and demonstrating his knowledge with confidence, he can then generate a collective conscience that promotes coexistence among the members of a community. The event will take place in Oaxtepec, Morelos, Mexico. http://www.imss.gob.mx/IMSS/IMSS_SITIOS/DPES/DPES_SER/Vacaciones/Oaxtepec/presentacion_oax.htm For more information, or to register in the Congress write to: secretaria.academica@frayluca.edu.mx Digital Information for Society The 4th International Symposium on Digital Libraries, organized by the University of Málaga and the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC), will be held June 21-23, 2006 in Málaga, Spain. The Symposium aspires to be a forum in which to present and debate the latest trends in digital libraries, with special consideration of university libraries given their role in supporting research and learning in their institutions, as well as for their contribution to the development of society. The Symposium will focus on the future of digital libraries, services for virtual environments, preservation of digital information resources, author rights, tools for accessing digital libraries, metadata, depositories and open access, digital libraries in the virtual classroom, evaluation and quality management of digital libraries, information literacy and marketing of services in the context of digital libraries and the relation of digital libraries to learning and research. http://www.uma.es/servicios/biblioteca/4sibd.htm Online Educa Madrid: 6th Edition The Sixth Edition of Online Educa will be held May 17-19 in the Hotel Auditorium of Madrid, Spain. The meeting will bring together heads of e-learning from Europe and Latin America, as well as representatives from corporations, government and education sectors. The meeting will touch on the integration and application of e-learning, project management, new pedagogical trends and the evolution of technological innovations. http://www.online-educa-madrid.com We appreciate your interest and participation in the activities of the Educational Portal of the Americas. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send all messages to portal@oas.org. If you have received this message in error and would like to cancel your free subscription, please send a message to portal@oas.org and include "Cancel Newsletter Subscription" in the subject window.