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 CONEXIONES
began in 1993 as a research project of EAFIT University and
the Pontificia Bolivariana University in Medellín, intended
to develop new ICT-supported learning environments for improved
quality and equity of education in Colombia. Since its initial
research phase, it has targeted schools in both rural and urban
areas, without regard to socioeconomic conditions. To date 75
schools in the provinces of Antioquia, Santander, Bolívar, and
Valle del Cauca belong to the CONEXIONES network, which encompasses
more than 1,000 educators and more than 6,000 students between
7 and 16 years of age.
Project Profile.
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| La PachaMama interface. |
Technology. CONEXIONES provides
participating schools with a connection to its interschool network
and software interfaces that require minimal computer training
to use. At the center of the technology package is La PachaMama,
a graphical interface integrating CONEXIONES' communication
and collaboration tools with educational software, and can be
installed on intranets, which are established at low cost using
Windows and Linux operating systems.
Pedagogy. For CONEXIONES, technology
does not add value to education in and of itself; ICT's real
value lies in its unique ability to support the collaborative
learning projects that form the basis of the CONEXIONES model.
Through these projects, groups of students identify problems
in their community or city and develop teamwork approaches for
designing and proposing solutions. ICT lets all students participate
actively, providing virtual spaces for teamwork and connecting
to other educational spaces via Internet and e-mail.
"The classes were tedious, full of books
and notebooks, working individually without integration of materials.
Now we work in groups, everyone values the work of all members
of the class, there is communication with companions of other
schools, the teachers are more dynamic, now the learning activities
challenge your own creativity, and it is more fun to work in
the classroom." —Student
Two important parts of the CONEXIONES model are collaborative
work and curricular integration, which have permitted teamwork
not only among students but also among teachers of different
subject areas, both within a school and among different schools.
 Interestingly,
the amount of funding available for the project does not seem
to have been a determining factor in its success: CONEXIONES
has achieved its objectives with equal effectiveness in schools
with very limited resources, with a single computer installed
in one classroom, as in schools with several well-equipped computer
labs.
Keys to Success.
Awareness and training. A high degree
of commitment is required, because CONEXIONES brings about radical
changes within participating schools—including changes
to basic organizational structures ranging from student-teacher
roles to space distribution within classrooms. Awareness raising
and training among administrators and teachers begins early,
and leads to the development of an institutional action plan
after 2-4 years.
CONEXIONES offers 180 hours of training in four installments
over an 18 month period, with each installment being followed
by a period of application in the classroom. Topics covered
include using ICT tools, working with the CONEXIONES learning
materials, and conducting the learning process in a dynamic,
participatory manner.
Long-term backup and follow-up are essential as well: two years
of training and permanent support seem to be the minimum needed
for a teacher to develop the capacity to effectively integrate
ICT into his or her teaching. During this time, each school
counts on one project staff person and one university student
(after 120 hours of training) for support. Most support services
are delivered via e-mail, a system that has proven flexible
and effective.
 Leadership. Leadership is also key
in implementing the model. CONEXIONES promotes leadership within
the schools by encouraging the most dedicated and interested
students to form "ICT Friends' Clubs" or CATICIs,
as they are known in Spanish. CATICIs receive guidance and special
tutoring from CONEXIONES support staff, and work informally
as promoters of the program within the school.
Other important agents in the process of incorporation and appropriation
of the CONEXIONES model are the "champions." These are
usually university-age students (preferably from the local community
where they work) whose proximity of age, interests, language,
and culture makes them easily accepted within the schools. To
be able to provide effective support to teachers in the classroom,
as well as to the students in the CATICIs, these champions receive
extensive training and permanent support from the CONEXIONES
team.
Cooperation. A significant challenge
for the project has been to facilitate interaction between the
different groups that make up the Conexiones learning environment:
urban schools with medium-high economic level, schools in poor
city neighborhoods, and rural schools. Getting teachers from
different academic departments and even different schools to
work smoothly together has also been a priority. An important
lesson has been that quality education requires participation
by all members of the community: students, parents, teachers,
and administrators.
Impact. CONEXIONES' most important
results have been the improvement of the institutional climate
within schools, the change of roles, attitudes, and valuations,
the participation and recognition of the work of all the students,
and the consequent improvement of self-esteem in both students
and teachers. As the project team declares in its summary report,
"the children are very sensible to their cultural surroundings—in
[Colombia's] case, the conditions of poverty, intolerance, violence,
insecurity, and corruption affect them very deeply. The conviction
that collaborative construction and sharing of knowledge.are
means to face such problems turns ICT into an important opportunity
to integrate school, community and life."
 One
of the most successful collaborative projects has been "Constructing
an Integrated Ecological Farm." This project seeks to strengthen
the students' ecological, ethical, and cultural values. As the
project develops, the students discover the importance of the
land and of the work of the small farmer, in a country whose
economy has been fundamentally agricultural, as well as the
importance of living harmoniously with nature. Likewise, as
the students investigate the workings of an integrated ecological
farm, they develop in groups proposals for the design and maintenance
of different parts of the farm. At the end of the project, the
students use dialogue and consensus to integrate their proposals
and design—electronically—a complete farm.
"There has been a revolution: we have
better facilities to engage in dialogs and to solve problems
that emerge in the classroom, and also to create projects to
address our local needs." —Student
Sustainability. The project has received
both financial and logistical support from the World Bank's
InfoDev program, the Science and Technology Center of Angioquia,
the Education Secretary of Antioquia, the Education Secretary
of Medellín, COLCIENCIAS, and UNESCO. On the basis of results
gleaned over its nine years, CONEXIONES intends to achieve financial
sustainability by offering interested schools a portfolio of
services and products related to its educational model. This
process has already begun in several municipalities.
After two or three years of implementing the model, schools
have typically acquired the pedagogical and administrative skills
they need to continue on their own the educational innovation
that the CONEXIONES model represents.
CONEXIONES II. CONEXIONES II—"from
schools to communities"—was inaugurated in 2000. This project
is establishing community centers as meeting places for families,
students, and teachers, in order to familiarize citizens with
technology, integrate educational centers into community life,
provide opportunities for training and education, enhance the
participation of women as development agents in their communities,
and provide activities for youth. The overarching idea is to
provide communities with the tools they need to self-manage
social development projects.
 The
CONEXIONES II pilot center in Antioquia offers access to ICT,
training in Internet and basic computer tools, access to free
virtual courses, and participation in virtual communities on
health, governance, and the like. The Center also offers training
in the original CONEXIONES model, and Internet access to neighboring
schools.
Interestingly, the activities initially proposed by the Center
were modified during execution—in accordance with needs
expressed by user groups. For example, the community expressed
interest in combining cultural and recreational activities with
technological training activities. This is intended to ensure
that the community takes ownership of the Center, participating
in the whole process, and has generated high levels of motivation
and interest.
Today approximately 700 users—57% of them housewives—visit
the center every month, with each family paying a monthly fee
of approximately US$7 and thus contributing to the sustainability
of the Center.
In 2002, CONEXIONES has begun implementing additional centers
in Antioquia, and in the medium term anticipates implementing
a Center in each school that has successfully incorporated the
CONEXIONES model.
Scaling Up. The CONEXIONES experience
is already being replicated in other regions of Colombia. On
an international level, CONEXIONES would like to contribute
to similar initiatives by sharing its experience, tools, and
methodology. Interested collaborators are invited to contact
the CONEXIONES team.
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