SCOLA LEARNS THE NEW WAY 

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FOR THE PAST HUNDRED OR SO YEARS WE HAVE PRETTY WELL DEPENDED ON READING TO LEARN ABOUT FOREIGN COUNTRIES, THEIR LANGUAGE AND THEIR CULTURE. SURE, SOME HAVE TRAVELLED TO A FEW PLACES BUT THOSE WERE THE MORE FORTUNATE ONES THAT HAD BOTH THE MONEY AND THE TIME. FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION WE HAD TO RELY ON SECOND-HAND INFORMATION USUALLY TRANSMITTED VIA THE PRINTED WORD.

I JUST RETURNED FROM OMAHA, NEBRASKA WHERE A LEE LUBBERS HAS CREATED AN ELECTRONIC NETWORK CALLED SCOLA, WHICH STANDS FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS FOR LEARNING. HE BELIEVES, AND I FOR ONE CERTAINLY AGREE, THAT TODAY IF YOU DON'T LEARN VIA THE NEW ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES YOU JUST AREN'T AWARE OF THE VAST CHANGES ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

THOSE IN THE SCOLA GROUP CAN LEARN RUSSIAN, GERMAN, ARABIC, JAPANESE, FRENCH, SPANISH AND PORTUGESE WHILE LEARNING ABOUT THOSE COUNTRIES AND THEIR CULTURES THE SAME WAY WE - AND THAT INCLUDES ALL NORTH AMERICANS, DO TODAY - BY WATCHING TELEVISION!

SCOLA HAS 21 SATELLITE DISHES ALL POINTING AT SOME, SATELLITE HIGH IN THE SKY THAT IS PUMPING OUT INCREDIBLE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE. WHY, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN RUSSIAN SHOULD YOU LABOR OVER THOSE NOW FADING TEXTBOOKS WHEN YOU CAN LEARN SO MUCH FASTER FROM THE DAY TO DAY EVENTS UNFOLDING ON YOUR TV SCREENS? IF YOU CAN HEAR REAL RUSSIAN, EVERY DAY FROM ALL QUARTERS OF THEIR COUNTRY AREN'T YOU GOING TO BE FAR MORE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE AND THE PEOPLE THAN IF YOU GO TO SCHOOL AND TRY AND LEARN IT FROM BOOKS? LOOK AT HOW MANY OF US TOOK FRENCH VIA THE BOOK ROUTE AND, HOW FEW CAN SPEAK IT TODAY.

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