Dear User:

We are pleased to send you our first newsletter of 2003. Each monthly update gives you access to reliable information on strategic educational opportunities for your personal and professional development. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Sincerely,

                                                                       Educational Portal of the Americas

Contents

- Scholarships for Virtual Educa 2003
- Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Conference
- Internet 2: Revolution or Evolution?
- Multimedia laboratories

Scholarships for Virtual Educa 2003

To increase knowledge about the use of new technologies and their impact on education and society, the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD-OAS) and the Institute for Advanced Studies of the Americas (INEAM) are offering scholarships to attend the Fourth International Conference on Education, Technology and Training VIRTUAL EDUCA 2003, to be held on June 18-20 at the James L. Knight Convention Center in Miami, Florida, USA. Specific scholarships are also being offered to participate in the workshop "New Information Technologies in Education", to take place on June 16-20 in INEAM's academic center in Miami. The deadline for receiving applications in Washington, DC is April 25, 2003. Click here for more information.

Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Conference

The Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development of the Organization of American States (IACD-OAS) was invited to participate in the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Conference that took place on January 29-31, 2003 in Bávaro, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This meeting forms part of the preparatory process for the World Summit on the Information Society (CMSI) that will take place in two stages: 2003 (Switzerland) and 2005 (Tunisia). The objective of CMSI is to search for "a common vision and understanding of the information society, as well as the approval of a declaration and an action plan to be applied by governments, international institutions and all sectors of civil society."

http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory/regional/bavaro.html

Internet2: Revolution or Evolution?

Convinced that we all have experiences and anecdotes to share regarding the invasion of new technological systems, we have created a space for reflection, dialogue and interaction on this topic within our "Topic of the Month" section. We encourage all users to prepare short essays and to send us opinions and points of view regarding an area that promises to substantially modify the way we generate knowledge in the future: Internet2. Visit the Portal today to read about this interesting topic. We also encourage you to send us your suggestions on how we can continue to offer the best and the most relevant service for the development of human potential in the Hemisphere.

http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/tema/tema.aspx?culture=en&tabindex=36&childindex=0

Multimedia Laboratories

The information society has imposed a new educational paradigm. Recent trends indicate that knowledge is not something static that is acquired at one time but is rather a flexible and continuous process in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play an essential role. In this vein, the Educational Portal of the Americas is offering a new service called "Multimedia Laboratories", a space in which our users can acquire new abilities and share their reflections. Users will also find diverse free software to consult, use or download on their computers, as well as electronic documents regarding topics relevant to the strengthening of human development.

http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/materiales/materiales.aspx?culture=en&tabindex=56&childindex=0