Educational technology in Latin America in the seventies

Abstract

It gives a review of the progress that has been achieved in Latin America during 1970-1980 in the field of Educational Technology, understood as the application of organised knowledge to practica1 problems. This is made, taking into account, the psychological aspects like the phenomenon of communication and the theory of systems; the balance between these three dimensions is what assures the technological success. Educational Technology has been developed in various areas. One is the training of hundreds of people, specialists and technicians in different countries, and of more than 6. 000 people through seminares andiwork-shops of short duration. Some institutions have presented diplomas at Bachelor level. Another is the publication which includes hundreds of books and also various periodical publications. An important innovation has been Educational Television, with up to 14 systems of this type, among them some less formal such as the “telepost” or “teleschools” which bring teaching where the formal systems of education do not reach. Teaching with videocassettes and systems of portable recording (50 projects) has also developed. The Educational Radio has 70 projects in Latin America, transmitting programmes on illeteracy, health education, stock breeding, domestic training and agriculture. Many projects which use information in the form of audiovisua1 material exist (sonovisos, diaporamas, etc. ), applicable to different scholastic levels. That called ccEducation from a Distancen has been used at university level in the training of teachers and has also been used in adult education; in rural zones there primary teachers who are working without having finished their studies, and they are able to complete them with this method. It is important to pay attention to the psychological bases which condition the didactic technological methods, and to encourage the participation of the students in the decisions on the content, the form and the process and evaluation of these methods.