Extremadura and its model of knowledge society and information
I was able to visit the Centre for New Initiatives of Extremadura for the experience of new technologies Extremadura told by his Director Francisco Huertas, and who then interviewed.
Extremadura develops free software project as a political gamble with a long-term vision, thinking to meet the first stage of development in a period of at least 20 years. As Huerta the critical path of development followed two major steps:
- The creation of the necessary telecommunications infrastructure to develop the knowledge and information. To this end the Board of Extremadura invested in the development of the telecommunications network that would allow for 2001 to deploy a broadband network in every community of Extremadura.
- Develop plans for socio-economic status so that citizens could access the use and exploitation of new technologies. Search for the generation of scenario for which the citizen is incorporated into the society of knowledge and information. The first action sought a) to have new research institutes. b) training in the new centers of knowledge to citizens of all ages. c) the creation of Vivernet in 2000, an incubator of innovative sensing good business ideas and helps develop computer and providing logistical support necessary during the incubation process. d) Dissemination of program information society are developed through the Web, popular universities, institutional distribution, etc.
According to the Director of the Centre for New Initiatives are defined under the premise that technology is not an end in itself but a tool, a policy of targeting resources to invest primarily in the education sector, more precisely in the primary and secondary schools from Extremadura. It had the vision to open the student's mentality live network, open to the world community, the different ideas and innovation. It is hard to bet the student can develop capacity to see if it has since the beginning of their educational development with a computer with internet connection.
After a cost analysis was assessed that free software would save an estimated 30 million € uros only by the concept of licenses and invested approximately 60 million € uros for the purchase of one computer for every two students of the educational system in Extremadura, meta have been met since 2002 with over 80,000 installed equipment. The challenges today is to have a laptop for each student.
Some actions implemented are:
- A system of support for the teacher to be formed in the use of new technologies.
- Creating a training portal content ( www.educarex.es ) and tools for educational management, such as software Rayuela
that allows the realization of online tutorials, discussions between students and teachers, academic notes emailed to the parent, monitoring absence with information available to parents, etc..
- He took advantage of the benefits that free software allows you to: social cohesion since it can involve the community. This established an open platform where the teacher or citizen who wanted to accompany and support you can get involved in building the software. Currently has a large team of people working on product development.
- It delivers free support to all the equipment installed in the educational system in Extremadura. This stand is composed of teachers, administrators and developers, creating a development community.
- We performed broadband connection in all villages in Extremadura, some of which even have less than 300 inhabitants.
Some challenges for the future:
- It will invest approximately € uros 1,000,000 to migrate across the public sector system "Cnet" public sector "which will first be applied to all jobs in the Extremadura.
- It implements and develops system-Cnet Guide addressed to the administration and management of municipal governments.
- One begins to encourage the use of new technologies in higher education by donating a computer for almost € 100 a single student who is enrolled every year in college.
- It is developing versions of free software for e-government, seeking to expand the provision of public services to citizens.
