THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION: @LIS PROGRAM IN LATIN AMERICA
the present paper focus on the relations between the Education, Communication and Cyberculture areas, and its research subject matter is the online education as an ethos that materializes education actions in cyberculture by means of digital technologies. As a general objective, it seeks to deepen the reflection about the the inter-relations between Education, Communication and Culture; to deepen understanding of the relations between digital technologies and pedagogical design, media, interactivity and Interaction modes. With a qualitative and descriptive approach, the research that was done, in 2008, can be characterized by the documental analysis and contemplates the literature revision, observation, analysis and conclusion phases. In the first phase we studied the theoretical models, methodological problems and thematic contents involved in the problem; in the second phase, empirical data was collected through analysis of projects developed by Spanish and Latin American universities in the @LIS Program context, and finally In the third and last phase, analysis and conclusion, connections was identified between the hypotheses, involved concepts and built propositions. Upon the investigation end, the mappings may constitute new theoretical references. The research final contribution, therefore, presents theoretical and methodological character. On September 28th, 2006, upon the @LIS Day, Red VIT@LIS was created, with the intention of capitalizing and strengthening the collaboration between Latin America and the European Union, in view of the results obtained by the @LIS Program development. The @LIS Day is composed by a broad range of events in countries involved in the @LIS program actions, and disclosed the importance that this program had for Latin American countries. The VIT@LIS creation was a proof of the force that the actions had and of the will of institutions and governments towards its continuity. In function of that, it is important to have in mind the @LIS Program development and its contributions for education in cyberculture, inasmuch as many projects used online education as an educative strategy.