Extremadura Experience in Latin America

Esmeralda Ramirez and Jose Maria Ruiz-Moyano, professionals dispatched to Latin America, are making a tour of five countries participating in the project. 

During their stay there, their task is to transfer knowledge and best practices with respect to the model of technological literacy and Free Software in Extremadura and the model of cultural development of people's universities, both technically and methodologically, as tools for local development.  Thus, Extremadura contributes to the development of the Information Society in Latin America through networking with local and regional organizations, institutions, universities and companies.

To do this, the technicians from Extremadura are carrying out, through a process of awareness and training, a series of training workshops on blogs, free internet radio or gnuLinEx also contacting local and regional authorities, who are publicizing Extremadura policies in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

In these weeks of experience, and José María Esmeralda also conveyed to the associations and organizations are taking part in this project experiences implemented by the Plan for Technological Literacy and Free Software in Extremadura (PAT) of AUPEX as the project began -e, an initiative designed to introduce businessmen and Extremadura in the use of ICT tools and technological literacy "Campanas Extremadura in the network," a tradition of moving to the Internet or Mundolibre.tv, a TV on-line learning. Web 2.0, the current state of the blogosphere and the new "citizen journalism" are other major issues that are passing in these training sessions and workshops.

 In addition, both professionals are taking advantage of their stay there to collect as much information as possible on the countries they are visiting and which in its turn, will be useful to implement collaborative projects after the experience, putting into practice since AUPEX and Latin American CEPAD, Asdenic, Factor Fundehumano Solidarity and a new cooperation model that allows a long-term projection.Their visit to the five Latin American countries is just one of the measures in the Iberoamerican Network for Technological Cooperation (IBERCOTEC), a knowledge transfer project that will move toward the optimal equilibrium and equal to all people deserve .  The exchange of experiences and methodologies and networking with local and regional organizations will be key to contributing to local development and overcoming the digital divide.