Timely Topics

Northern Advocate, 31 March 1938, Page 6

Timely Topics

| \ LONDON UNDER ? GLASS.

RADIO FOR EDUCATION.

f An eminent French architect, M. I Ciorbusier, noted for his advanced V I theories on town planning, has late- ■ ly added yet an- •! other to the various schemes in t existence for an • Ideally designed London. His vision iis of “a towering city of glass, built |on sturdy legs so that most of the f earth may be green. It would be an j immense park, reduced four or five \ times in size by rectangular planfning and the use of height, in which | traffic would roar along elevated I motor roads. . . ." , o,' | In taking such a long view one has |to. reckon with a possible change of i conditions that might well leave the | new glass city open to a good deal of • i stone throwing. For the progress of | invention is rapidly annihilating | space and time, in so far as these are f ? < obstacles to human intercourse; and a ! further big advance along this line T would alter completely the functions % land the requirements of the city I they are known today. ' •• | IS! tS ll ' @ . j j Granting special wavelengths for yJ f school purposes, the Federal Com- - • I muni cations Commission, U.S.A., is | paving the way for a long-dreamed- v| t of plan for the best in A'; teaching for public school pupils. When | radio was in the easy-to- ? get-wavelengths stage, the schools —> I which means in this instance the city • . | fathers—did not, have vision to see • how far radio could go in furthering {education. By the time its ppssibili- | ties were recognised, commercial inI terests had all the available wave- • {lengths. Some colleges managed to A; -2. retain a feW wavelengths land still ; y; j operate them. But the public - schools 1 (of city and town were, radio?less.---Af The major networks did devote periods to musical instruction'; such;, *£ as the Damrosch hours and School of|| the Air.' These programmes met 'part§| of the demand for special radio - edu-’|| cation. But far-seeing educators, Aj continually facing criticism of.the;-*? quality of teachers available, saw, a way out in radio. They- visualised a radio station in: -i each city, connected with radio in every school room. From a ;cen-j- : | tral studio the ablest teachers could presen? their subjects, while > rpom. teachers saw to discipline and clerical work of presenting andcollecting co-ordinated printed ; materr.,,;,! ial. The more they thought abbut it; A’ the better they liked it. ' ' >s -