THE TECHNOLOGY is now in place for distance learning educational programmes to be broadcast to every household in Jamaica with a television set.
Head of T3 Communications (T3Com), David Cassanova, who has developed the network system using regular over-the-air broadcasting frequencies, has been in discussions with JAMAL and Shortwood Teachers' College to stream classes by the network or intranet.
The technology was on show during the recent two-day regional ICT for National Development Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, where T3Com collaborated with LOVE TV to broadcast live video and audio feeds to the conference from the United States and from the parley to Italy.
According to Mr. Cassanova, "There are 904,000 television sets around the island and we have the capability to stream classes from an educational institution to every subscriber at a cost of about $50 per subject per month."
He said exploratory meetings have been held between his company and the principal of Shortwood Teachers' College, Elaine Foster-Allen, to transmit lectures in the Master in Education programme in Early Childhood from and between the college and the University of South Florida to students at home.
In addition, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Jim Whorwood, while on a recent visit to Jamaica, met Mrs. Foster-Allen to look into the possibility of streaming classes between the Birmingham Teachers' Centre and Shortwood, primarily for the training and accreditation of local teachers.
"In fact, LOVE TV has been streaming a number of live events to community centres, church halls and mass gatherings for some time now using the T3Com technology," said Nadine Blair, special projects co-ordinator of LOVE TV.
"LOVE TV is a facilitator of the process where the information moves from the source by Cable and Wireless network, through the television station and encoded by T3Com for Web or cable cast before it is fed to the destination," Mr. Cassanova explained.
The technology was also used last weekend to transmit the Kirk Franklin concert live from Kings House, St. Andrew, to the St. Elizabeth Technical High School, while the Montego Bay leg of the show was seen live by patrons at the Port Antonio New Testament Church, Portland.
"The broadcast was of DVD high-quality standard, transmitting 29.97 frames per second," Mr. Cassanova said.
And, according to Ms. Blair, the broadcast was so vivid that patrons watching the shows on big screen television sang and danced with the performers as if they were at the source location.
