WSKG Solicits Southern Tier Area School Districts For Foreign Language Education Needs
We live in a world instantly connected via satellites, computers, and other electronic technology. Our children embrace the technology that makes those connections possible, but need the educational background through cultural and linguistic experiences that will prepare them for the global world of today and their international future. To help our children acquire these skills, WSKG is investigating the feasibility of using its communications capabilities to provide language training in the region.
(PRWEB) June 3, 2006 -- We live in a world instantly connected via satellites, computers, and other electronic technology. Our children embrace the technology that makes those connections possible, but need the educational background through cultural and linguistic experiences that will prepare them for the global world of today and their international future. Students need to succeed in an era of rapid global changes, to understand world economics, peoples, and cultures and to function comfortably and effectively in languages and cultures other than their own.
To help our children acquire these skills, WSKG is investigating the feasibility of using its communications capabilities to provide language training in the region. Their plan is not to offer languages that are already being taught in the local schools but languages that are not in demand at the local level. These languages will be important to our nation and the economic capabilities of students when they enter the work force. Among languages being considered are Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Farsi, Russian, Vietnamese and others. Languages chosen for the program will be those that the schools in the area identify for their students. WSKG has had preliminary discussions with Binghamton High School, which expressed an interest in partnering to deliver Mandarin to other districts.
The technical details regarding conduct of training, while still in development, will most likely involve a mix of radio/TV broadcast, internet use, downloadable lessons and, live two-way communications with an instructor.
Please feel free to contact us with your questions, comments or concerns:
Carolyn A. Weston
Education Services Coordinator
607-729-0100; ext 307
607-729-7328 fax
Carolyn_Weston@wskg.pbs.org
About WSKG: WSKG Public Broadcasting exists to address issues of importance and give them context in our local communities; to teach children the best values of our culture; to raise civic questions so that citizens can answer them; to give voice to the voiceless; and to inspire audiences to see our region and world as a diverse, complex and fascinating place.
WSKG is operated by WSKG Public Telecommunications Council, a private non-profit corporation chartered by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York in association with the New York State Department of Education, and provides a public educational telecommunications service under the governance of a Board of Trustees which is selected from the communities served by the Station. WSKG is a community licensee and is authorized by the FCC to operate television and radio broadcasting services.
# # #
|
