Advances in digitalization are blurring the traditional functional difference of the analogue versions of the telephone, telegraph, radio, etc. By making it possible to carry audio, image, and text signals over the same line, digitalization provides a platform for multimedia applications of information and communication technology.

The Information Technology for Development Division (SDS/ICT) work with countries in the Region to focus on new digital multimedia technology and their implications as tools for development.

Distance Education

Multimedia technology is a major contributor to the dramatic transformation of distance learning. And although the use of technology in this arena is not new, they are transforming the classical education methods as we strength and increase the capacity and infrastructure in our Latin American and Caribbean Countries.

e-Learning is not the same as traditional class training. e-Learning attaints to move class format over a web based platform. People want information, they want instruction, and they want it very quickly. So, when we think about e-learning we think about time.

Also, e-learning is a lot bigger and complex than simply training itself. There are other ideas that we can think when we imply about e-learning. One is the whole idea about knowledge management. People go to the Web and take courses on-line. They also learn through learning content and searching through information in a legitimate form of learning.

The key to the success of e-learning is to understand where it should be used and where it should not be used. And the ability to make those choices and understand their differences is extremely important.

The most important thing to remember about creating an e-learning strategy is that if we base the strategy solely in the technology, it will probably not succeed. The technology is just the tool. The strategy is how to bring the tool to embrace it, and endure everyone. It is about how to engage people in the sense of the value they are learning, and more important, whether senior management support e-learning. There is a big correlation in terms of the effectiveness of e-learning with the support it gets from senior management.

Interactive Distance Learning (IDL)

IDL is a proven way to boost the impact of organizational training - while cutting its cost - over traditional classroom instruction. Using broadcast business television, point-to-point videoconferencing networks, the Internet - even corporate intranets - IDL lets organizations cost-effectively deliver fully interactive instruction to geographically dispersed "classroom" locations worldwide, using keypads and hosts. With IDL, you can…

• Standardize training content across your entire organization
• Sharply reduce costs of training and travel, including lost productivity due to students and instructors traveling to and from training locations
• Cost-effectively train and inform everyone critical to your organization's success: production employees, sales staff, suppliers, distributors, support personnel - even custom