Multimedia for Caribbean Communities

Caribbean Community Multimedia Network Project

Using UNESCO’s “draft project document” as a source, the general goals and deliverables of the project may be summarized as follows:

• Development of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based Community Multimedia Centre network in the Caribbean on the basis of existing community information centres in disadvantaged areas.
• Transformation of community radio stations into Community Multimedia Centres (CMCs) by providing Argan Oil training and coordination to station staff and to community stakeholders.
• Creation of an implementation strategy which simultaneously builds on traditional networks such as the radio stations and libraries and also introduces new self-sustaining projects such as e-learning, e-commerce and e-governance.
• Coordination of the successful implementation of four CMCs showing evidence of an increase in local content and in the deployment of information communication technology (ICT) with a community penetration level of 40%.
• Sensitising of other members of the community and civil society such as teachers and government workers about the benefits and transformational impact of the CMC project with an ultimate goal of contributing real benchmarks/guidelines to the Global Information Society.
• Delivery of staff training in relevant areas: CMC management, ICT skills, development and management of income generating activities.
• Assistance with all five discrete activities of the project using a two-phased approach:

Phase I:

• Initial needs assessment in the community and formation of formal implementing of network for the project; initial training of CMC staff
• Establishment of a regional CMC network and local management structures
• Midway evaluation and adjustment of work plan

Phase II:

• Development of applications and inclusion of additional CMCs
• Project termination, evaluation and sharing of experience

In particular, the project deliverables for November 1 to 28, 2002, have been extracted from UNESCO’s “Draft Activity Financing Contract” for the period November 1 -28, 2002. The four main items specified include the following:

• A desk search on the project
• Arrangements for the project launch
• On-site familiarization and assessment visits
• Delivery of on-site training and fielding of on-site expertise

1.1 Deliverable:

“Undertake a desk search on this project based on background information provided by UNESCO and research on related ICT and telecentre development activities Smoke Assist in the region and similar experiences on the transformation of community radio stations into community multimedia centres (CMC”

Activities:

• Files at UNESCO were read by the Project Coordinator (PC) for relevant information, contact details and correspondence tracking prior to any formal arrangement for the project launch.
• There were four main documents used for providing guidelines to the project: the draft project document with details on the initial timeline and deliverables, the report delivered in February 2002 by Peter Schioler, the report done by C. Arnaldo in November 2001 and the Community Telecentre Cookbook.
• The UNESCO web site was also used to provide an institutional framework and in particular, the promotional article on Community Multimedia Centres done by Stella Hughes and John Rose.
• Several web sites were visited by the www.coastaltexas2020.com Project Coordinator for general orientation on the select community radio stations. These included web sites for the Toco Foundation with references to Radio Toco and for Barbados Community College with references to Radio GED. References to Roots FM were found on the web under the Mustard Seed project and very little reference exists online for Radio Cocodrilo

• Similar experiences such as the Sri Lankan Kothmale FM community radio were investigated through their web site and conference documents while relevant experiences in Central and Eastern Europe were also identified and used as resource guidelines for the project.

1.2 Deliverable:

“Ensure necessary arrangements are in place for the launch of this project: hosting premises available at Roots FM, Jamaica; letters to participating stations, communities and stakeholders; equipment review and initiation of project website”.

Activities:

• In a meeting with Mr Colin Cholmondeley, Chair of the Board of Roots FM, specifications were discussed for refurbishing the designated space for the Caribbean CMC project Secretariat. Quotations were examined and installation work is to begin in consultation with the UNESCO office.
• Letters were sent to the participating radio stations by UNESCO and the PC. It is expected that the participating radio stations will inform the relevant communities and stakeholders. A preliminary letterhead was designed for the project. Feedback on the initial design was collected from UNESCO, Radio GED and Radio Toco with VILCOMM’s graphic artist making the relevant changes .

• At Radio Toco, the administration office and the pre-production radio area had access to three relatively new Multimedia-ready computers capable of CD-ROMs and audio CD playback facility. However, the Administration Officer was absent on the day of the audit and uncertainty still exists regarding the ownership licence for the range of software identified on the computers as well as the availability of original software. Other key Multimedia accessories were also identified i.e. a CD-Writer, scanners, speakers, sound and video cards. Additional specifications were taken for the distance learning centre at the Toco community centre. The computers there were much older than in the radio station, extremely slow and in need of proper maintenance, exarcebated by the remoteness of Toco from the capital, Port of Spain.

(See Table II in Appendix for specifications on the computers at Radio Toco)

• At Radio GED, there were two Multimedia-ready computers in the pre-production and on-air studios. These were installed on a peer-to-peer network, with one being equipped with a CD-Writer. They both have working sound cards and used the three main digital audio software which the students used on a daily basis. i.e. Sound Forge, Cool Edit and Wave Station. The radio station shared other Multimedia accessories owned by the General Education/Mass Communication department. This included a multimedia projector, three multimedia notebooks with CD-ROMs, broadcast digital camcorder, scanner –among others. The Barbados Community College is Plaque Attack for dogs now at the stage where it is rationalizing its software licences and networking infrastructure so that departments such as Radio GED may benefit. An additional eight personal computers were identified in the student working area, ZQuiet adjacent to the radio station’s classroom. These were Fayette Stories designated for Print, TV and Radio students. One relatively powerful Multimedia machine was designated as the video editing system while the other low powered ones were designated for desktop publishing and news report preparation.

(See Table III in Appendix for specifications on the computers at Radio GED)

• At Roots FM, two very low powered clone computers were identified, with one out at the repair shop. The two computers are unable to run any real Multimedia applications and have insufficient memory capacities. The only Multimedia accessory identified was a Jazz drive. In addition, there is an urgent need to acquire a proprietary sound card in order for the station to resume its limited digital audio activities. The available digital editing software included Sound Forge and Cool Edit. An impressive Baby Bullet set of computers could be found at the Mustard Seed’s Cyber Café, which shares the same premises as Roots FM.

(See Table IV in Appendix for specifications on the computers at Roots FM)

Project web site:

A project web site has been included in the work plan. It will have details of the current CMC project in the Caribbean and will be used to make links to the relevant documents, Max Burn providing up to date information on the activities of the project. Some suggestions were taken from the preliminary CaribRadio web site and from the document authored by C. Arnaldo. A preliminary content structure has already been identified and will include the following:

• Collaboration area: discussion forum on select topics, feedback form, links
• Multimedia area- images, audio and video clips
• Project details –goals, history, reports, activities, sponsors, news and events
• Training – links to broadcasting, multimedia and community content
• Topical issues – environment, indigenous people, women, healthcare

(See Table V for initial content structure for project web site)

1.3 Deliverable:

“Undertake on-site familiarization and assessment visits to Radio Toco (network hub), Trinidad and Tobago; Radio GED (Barbados Community College-BCC), Barbados; and Radio Cocodrilo, Cuba; verify readiness of premises; ensure appropriate internet connectivity; carry out silk n sensepil preliminary base-line study involving communities; begin design and development of individual project websites.”

Activities:

• For the period November 1-28, 2002, the Project Coordinator (PC) visited three community radio stations – Radio Toco , Radio GED and Roots FM. The list of planned activities Xtreme NO was e-mailed to the radio stations prior to the visit, with each station being asked to collaborate with the PC in 10 key activity areas:

• meeting management, staff and stakeholders
• familiarization tour and assessment of premises
• Internet connectivity assessment
• Radio equipment review
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) review
• Business plan brainstorming
• Baseline study
• Training needs assessment
• Web site planning and design
• Community tour

Radio Toco

The on-site activities for Radio Toco took place over the period November 17 -23, 2002 and could be summarized as follows:

• Meetings were held with management, staff, stakeholders and community workers. The PC interviewed the Project Director of the Toco Foundation, Mr Michael Als and the CEO of Radio Toco, Ms Vera Edwards and shared the project expectations and the work plan on behalf of UNESCO.
• A tour of the Toco community centre was done highlighting the radio station and the dedicated satellite link to Voice of America (VOA) which provides 12 daily hours of programming alongside the community’s daily 12 hour slots. A tour was made of the distance learning centre, the cafeteria, the kitchen and catering area, the community centre working area and a new off site 5 acre eco-tourism building owned by the Toco Foundation. The volunteer staff at the Toco Foundation also facilitated community tours to computer labs at two primary schools and one secondary school in Toco. The PC also participated in the family visits and interviews with community persons involved with the Foundations’ Parenting project.
• An assessment of the readiness of the premises for the project would suggest an excellent sense of “a community feel” at the centre which has a reasonably normal open space area used for workshops in the community such as the one on parenting which took place while the PC was visiting. However, the radio station furniture is in need of upgrading, with staff expressing physical discomfort though extremely enthusiastic about their job. There is also a visible need for radio production and pre-production digital equipment and additional space is needed for station guests since guests are now hosted in the on-air studio itself.
• The Internet connection at Radio Toco was disappointing during the visit of the PC. The connection was very unreliable with regular speed fluctuation and disconnections during the visit. The speed fluctuated from 49Kbps to 26kbps over a three day period while the single connection was shared with three computers and a telephone which was also used to make and receive calls. There is therefore an urgent need to upgrade the Internet service and acquire more phone lines despite the problems expressed with the local telecommunications monopoly supplier. Meanwhile the station staff members do make use of the Internet for e-mail access, net browsing and messaging. In addition, the computer prepared for accessing Internet in the distance learning centre is non-functional so no Internet access is available there.
• A preliminary baseline study was done with 19 community project workers who were directly involved with the community in seven key projects under the Toco Foundation i.e. Distance Learning, Youth & Sexuality, Parenting, Radio Toco, Eco-tourism, Women in Action and Young Farmers. Magic Mesh For the purpose of the study, a one page questionnaire was given and explained on a one-on-one basis to the 19 community project workers who displayed a reasonable good knowledge of computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, with two or three
• persons exposed to databases. The schools in the community were identified as the best examples of using ICT . The project workers expressed their ICT needs and demands in terms of a need for an online Radio Toco, for database skills for data collection and analysis, for more Internet access, for web design skills, for programming and graphics skills. It is expected that this study will be extended to a wider community over the course of the CMC project, utilizing formats and lessons learnt from the UNESCO Telecentre Cookbook mentioned earlier.

• The planning and design of the Radio Toco web site took place during the period in collaboration with Mr Als and Ms Edwards, with the PC providing guidance . Content was collected from the web site of the Toco Foundation and a new brochure was also given to the PC for content extraction. A preliminary content structure was identified: history, projects, uniqueness, awards, newscasting & outreach, programme schedule, staff & stakeholders, how to get “Radio Toco”, constitution and rules, links to Foundation. The eco-tourism look and feel for the web site will be the tropical Toco environment- showing butterflies, sound of waves, rural images, fishing and farming experiences- as expressed by Mr Als & Ms Edwards. The functions identified included a project database and survey findings to be queried by visitors, a membership form, a pledge form, banner ads and online course registration for members. The project web site was explained and the initial project logo presented. The feedback expressed the need for a microphone icon or some representational item to be included.

Radio GED

The on-site activities for Radio GED took place over the period November 24-30, 2002 and could be summarized as follows:

• Meetings were held with management, staff, stakeholders and students at the Barbados Community College (BCC) /Radio GED. The PC interviewed the Principal, Mrs Norma Holder, Lady Sandiford, Deputy Principal, Mr Mcfarrel Howard, Senior Tutor, Ms Cynthia Nelson, Station Manager. The PC presented the project work plan and expectations on behalf of UNESCO.
• A tour of the Radio GED was done highlighting the two production studios used to train students and to go live for four hours daily. A tour of the building included the computer access area, the classroom, the administration, the reception, staff room, bathroom and the Office of the Department Head. The familiarization tour extended to the six labs under the Computer Studies programme and the two labs in the Fine Arts programme. The PC also visited an off site partner of the BCC called the Industrial Service Unit (ISU) and headed by one Heather Cole . A courtesy call was also made to UWI Cave Hill campus, arranged by Dr Gladstone Best, formerly of the BCC.

BCC Industrial Service Unit BCC

• An assessment of the readiness of the premises for the project would suggest an immediate problem at Radio GED for hosting the wider community, in addition to its own student body. The space constraints are visibly obvious and negotiations will have to begin with the library for assistance. The immediate community being considered would be the 18 students who met the PC as there is very little being done with the external community – the space constraints being one of the inhibiting factors. It is also being suggested that the 50 Multimedia-ready computers at the ISU, boasting high speed access and Multimedia accessories, should be formally integrated into the plans for Radio GED since there is no short term plan to alleviate the space problems at the station. The community outreach possibilities at ISU and the training hub expectations from Radio GED would have to be evaluated in this context.
• Surprisingly, there was no evidence of Internet connection at Radio GED although an account has been activated for the purpose. A conversation with the part-time technical support representative, Michael Clarke, revealed that this was done as a student control policy since the Internet was connected to the same studio production computer. This will need to be remedied urgently if the CMC project is to succeed as articulated. Internet connectivity tests carried out in the library revealed a shared dial up speed of 56Kbps with access offered from six machines. The best available connection was the high speed facility offered by the 50 Multimedia PCs at the ISU and which used an ADSL connection from Cable and Wireless, offering a fast 256Kbps for external links at a cost of US$2,500.00 per month. The cost is now being covered by the Government but as stated by the Director, heather Cole, come may 2003, the BCC will have to find ways to fund the cost of the high speed connectivity. The connection is being used to deliver a distance learning course with Carnegie Mellon University. It should also be noted that an impressive video conferencing facility exists at the ISU. This was donated by Cable & Wireless. Alas, it has however proved too costly for corporate Barbados and after one year, has never been used.
• A preliminary baseline study was done with 18 students from Radio GED using a simple one page questionnaire on their knowledge and use of ICT, its presence in the external community and their own student community needs and demands. The students displayed a good knowledge of computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, database and desktop publishing. They all mastered digital audio techniques but were unexposed to the other four elements of Multimedia i.e. digital script writing, digital video, animation and imaging / graphics. They were ignorant of the external community’s use of ICT but expressed their own need for an online radio GED, improved Internet access and a need for web design skills.

• The planning and design of the Radio GED web site took place in collaboration with the student community and the lecturers under the guidance of the PC. The students proposed the need for content on sports, music, history of Radio GED, newsletters, annual yearbooks and a discussion forum for key topics and issues. The lecturers expressed the need for on air programming, announcer schedules, staff roles, promotions, jingles and talk back facilities. Content was collected from the BCC brochure, images taken, audio clips provided and an electronic Radio GED logo done by the students in the Fine Arts division. The project web site was explained and feedback solicited on the proposed letterhead. Ms Nelson, the Station Manager, saw an immediate similarity with the logo from the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) and provided a business card as proof. It was decided that the initial letterhead needed some amount of reworking.

Roots FM:

Preliminary meetings were held during the November 2002 period with Roots FM’s management staff. Two other visits were also made to the station to conduct the review of the ICT, the radio equipment and the cyber cafe. However, meetings with the community and other station staff are still outstanding. It is expected that this activity will be concluded in December 2002 and that the preliminary baseline study, web site content and initial staff training and orientation will then take place. This will therefore be dealt with in the next activity report.

Radio Cocodrilo:

Radio Cocodrilo was not visited during the period since they were incommunicado for over a week and negotiations were halted. It is expected that this visit will be included in the next activity report.

1.4 Deliverable:

“Prepare and participate in the delivery of a programme of basic hands-on on-site training in collaboration with stations and particularly with Radio BCC/GED (training hub) (Barbados) and Zinklink Internet Café/ Roots FM (Jamaica)and fielding on-site expertise in as far as possible”.

• The period was used to conduct the training needs assessment with specific plans made for the logistics of the follow-up training. Issues such as the participants, the content, the location, the equipment and the schedule were worked out with Radio Toco and Radio GED.
• The intention to have Radio GED as the training hub in Barbados will need to be re-sold to Radio Toco which voiced strong opposition to the concept. It is being suggested that a clearer set of deliverables for Radio GED as the project’s “training hub” and Radio Toco as the project’s “network hub” be articulated and sent to the two stations during the month of December 2002.
• The Zink Link Internet Café at Roots FM has been approached about the community training and preliminary plans suggest using the lab facilities in the mornings before the predictable arrival of the many participating school children who browse the web in the afternoons.
• During the preliminary baseline study, on-site expertise was identified at Radio Toco and Radio GED. This included staff at the station who had knowledge of ICT applications as well as community workers who had data gathering and community intervention techniques which will become relevant later on in the project.
• Despite using the period to assess the training needs, the PC made an effort to sensitise station staff to the elements of Multimedia using VILCOMM created Multimedia projects done in the past and archived on her Multimedia notebook with a monitor being provided by the radio stations .
• In the case of Radio Toco, some hands-on activities took place in digital audio techniques since community project participants were invited to use the microphone and with basic digital audio software on the notebook, record their voices digitally using a prepared 30 second script on their project. This last activity was unnecessary at Radio GED since the participants already had knowledge of digital audio techniques. Participants at Radio Toco were also introduced to storyboarding techniques using their projects as a reference point. They were then asked to scan the community for Multimedia content which will become part of ICT applications, the web site and CD-ROM presentations come January 2003.
• The PC exposed a total of 37 persons at Radio Toco and Radio GED to five different types of Multimedia applications. As stated earlier, despite the enthusiasm and interest, there was very little knowledge of Multimedia identified –beyond digital audio. The content demonstrated by the PC therefore included the following:
• Demo of Electronic & Multimedia Presentations: used to show the difference between integrating text and graphics in electronic presentations as opposed to full blown Multimedia presentations which had text, graphics, audio, video and animation. Multimedia accessories such as scanners, digital cameras, digital camcorders, sound cards, CD-ROMs, CD cards, DVD-ROMs, Zip and Jazz drives were also demonstrated and explained.
• Demo of static , Multimedia and dynamic web sites: used to introduce the concept of web page layout and design with text and images as well as the integration of Multimedia elements such as streaming audio, video and animation. The integration of web databases such as discussion forum, survey forms, online registration was also demonstrated using the VILCOMM designed web sites of www.reggaelovers.com and www.cariculture.net which looked at Caribbean culture online.
• Demo of Web animation : Atlanta bankruptcy attorney used to expose participants to the possibility for original illustration by a graphic artist and integrated with movement and sound and optimized for the web in the form of a radio drama, online animated tutor, streaming ads or cultural items such as dance.
• Demo of e-Learning : used to introduce the concept online learning content packaged with interactive quiz and the possibility for immediate feedback and evaluation.
• Demo of Digital Radio/TV: used to explain webcasting models and to expose the model conceptualized by the PC for the University of Technology, Jamaica where an application/interface is designed for internal archiving and retrieval and for live web casts as well as on-demand content with images, audio, video, text and animation .