About Center for Media Education in Amazonas

The Center for Media Education in Amazonas is an initiative of the state of Amazonas government to expand and diversify the service to students of public schools in the state of Amazonas, offering innovative and good education through information technologies and communication, with emphasis on interactivity.

A Brief History

Since 2004, the Education Secretariat of Amazonas - SEDUC / AM  hasbeen doing survey of demand in schools in 62 municipalities in Amazonas and thus can see that thousands of Amazonians, who live inrural communities, studied up to 9th grade of elementary school and did not continue their studies. It happened because the traditional school did not reach these students. As the schools are located, in general, in the center of the municipalities, there were many communities that were excluded,because of the difficulty of access to urban areas. The geographical features, the peculiar topography of the different localities, poormeans of transport available to residents of communities with sparse population and the irregular supply of electricity were obstacles toovercome. More over, there is a lack of skilled professionals in sufficient number to meet the growth in educational. UNESCO has been pointing out the shortage of teachers worldwide. It will take 18 million teachersby 2015 to supply teaching in schools. This reality is even worse inregions difficult to access, as it is the case of the State ofAmazonas, which has 18.45% of the country and a differenti ated logistics.

The solution found by SEDUC / AM, however, to meet this historicalpent-up demand of students was to use technology of satellite transmission, multipoint video conferencing as a pedagogical tool and methodology with technological mediation unprecedentedly in the world. 

For this, the State of Amazonas implemented the High School via Satellite and established the Center for Media in 2007, expanding and diversifying the school attendance using the best technology solution available to a large extent in the public system and elementaryschool.

The technical infrastructure and the first results

The technical infrastructure built to serve the High School with Technological Mediation Project, there fore, soon gave way to the Center for Media Education in Amazonas, increasing the chances ofreaching Amazonian society in the capital and the interior of thestate. 

A Central Production for Educational TV broadcasts daily live classes through an interactive TV over IP, connected to a satellite network bytwo-way VSATs, which allows interactivity between classrooms. For this, each classroom received, besides the antenna, atechnological kit, which includes computer, printer, webcam,microphone, IP phone, printer, and a 42 " LCD TV. Internet access available in all classrooms complements the Technology Platform with modern communication services. 

The course has the same regular school hours and 200 school days per year. The difference lies in technological mediation and the preparation of lessons, the result of a different and specific educational project. 

As initial result, 10.000 students from 42 municipalities were ableto continue their studies and attend the 1st year of high school in2007, and in 2010 the numbers of attendance reached 30.000 students in 62 cities.