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User-Friendly Information Society

Multimedia content and tools

An Illustrative project

What is a video conference? It is a tool permitting dialogue at a distance which offers new possibilities for the educational sector. Students can access teaching dispensed in other regions; groups of pupils from different countries can work on joint projects; and specialists can broaden their audience. For this to become a reality, teachers must first master this new approach. The European SAVIE project has a name that says it all: Support Action for Videoconferences In Education. On the basis of work carried out by teams thoroughly conversant with these methods, from the Universities of Leuven (B) and Helsinki (FIN), two training modules (a video cassette and a manual) have been produced to permit teachers to prepare and produce lessons that are adapted to the new teaching tools. The aim is in no way to replace traditional methods, but to strengthen them.

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Contact:
IST
ist@ec.europa.eu
Fax: +32-2-296 83 88

Implications for society

The rapid progress in multimedia technology and products is revolutionising teaching and cultural approaches. It is in this context that new training possibilities, ranging from a child's first lessons to adult in-service training, are opening up. By encouraging an interactive, individualised and flexible approach to learning, multimedia technologies are making new ways of mastering information, acquiring knowledge, and transferring know-how available to a broad public.

Implications for the economy

Having conquered every domain of professional life, computers are now invading private homes to a massive extent. Almost all are able to access multimedia products either on-line or on CD-ROM. These products are being offered by major publishing and communications companies, which are investing ever-increasing sums in order to develop their catalogues in the fields of education, information, culture and entertainment, and represent a gigantic new market which is a source of both revenue and many new jobs.

Implications for Europe

First and foremost, the multimedia industry produces content, and Europe enjoys a fundamental advantage in this area. Multimedia technologies make it possible to offer vehicles for knowledge that can be adapted to the different languages and cultures of the continent. If Europeans wish to preserve the diversity of their identities, as well as the very strong links uniting them, they must express, strengthen, and disseminate them using these new tools that form the basis of the new society of information and knowledge.

Targeted fields of research

Interactive electronic publishing and digital cultural content - The scientific, professional and domestic domains; geographical, statistical and socio-economic data; cultural heritage (especially networking of libraries and museums), etc.;
Education and training - Technologies to improve acquisition processes; teaching materials; broadening of access to learning resources and services, etc.;
Technologies linked to spoken and written language - Particularly in order to permit exchanges between languages and cultures;
Access, filtering, analysis and processing of information - Advanced technologies for managing, selecting and handling information, while respecting privacy.