Tele-Education: an approach for including non-traditional groups in the knowledge of space activities in Venezuela

Paper number

IAC-13,E1,7,11,x16688

Author

Dr. Mariana Maneiro, Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE), Venezuela

Year

2013

Abstract

In the spirit of the major guidelines expresed in the Venezuelan National Development Plan "Simon Bolivar" as "the maintenance and the deepining on the independency and sovereignty" and the "new national geo-politics", the Simon Bolivar  telecomunication satellite and  the Miranda remote sensing satellite have become symbols of union and a spearhead  in technology as tools for inclusion. In that sense, the Bolivarian Agency for  Space Activities (ABAE for the spanish initials), developes and works in a Tele-Education Pilot Project that pursue the  inclusion of indigenous groups in the Space Technology Knowledge. The integration have been conceived, in first place, linked with the benefits that the communities receive. Incorporating on-line software as teledetection of the geographical environment using satellite images, as a tool to  analyse the geographical surrounding, basic principles of teledetection, as well as notions on how to deal with natural disasters, and hazards in the denominated "participative maps" (developed by the Remote Sensing Department of the ABAE). Also contributing to the independence and social development, courses on assembling, positioning parabolic antennas and configuring terminal equipment is given, along with telecomunications basics. In this way the communities can relate with the space technology on a first hand basis, empowered by the final products generated and for the assumption of a tool that they will be able to use and get involved with.

The analysis of the interaction between the ancestral cosmovision and the actual role of the emerging Venezuelan Space Technology it's being developed with the teachers and students in the communities.  At this moment the Program has been implemented in six communities, belonging to the Warao indigenous group, located in the Delta Amacuro Province. These communities have already been included in the network of the Bolivarian Telematic and Informatic Centers (CEBIT  by the spanish initials) and have access to the  on-line courses allocated in the National Network of teaching actualization.  The inclusion of seven communities, belonging to the Pemon indigenous group, located in Bolívar Province, is at the stage of adaptations on the infrestructure to meet with the conditions to approve the instalation of  CEBIT´s on these locations, as a first stage to access the whole program. 

The inclusion of these human groups enhances a new era of Venezuela with its own agenda of space activities, stating that the objectives of  integral development, can be addressed by the use of the space technology.

Abstract document

IAC-13,E1,7,11,x16688.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-13,E1,7,11,x16688.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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