Learn Something New, Help Local Students

Over at her blog Center Court, Jo Posti has a great idea to help you learn something new this year: make a commitment. We make commitments to eat less, to go to the gym – so why not to learn something?

To help you follow through, Jo invites you to send her an email, telling her what you’re committing to learn. For each person who sends one, she will make a donation to the Mt. Lebanon Foundation for Education. Your email not only helps you learn something, but helps local students learn something, too. Pretty good deal.

I’ve already sent in my email. How about you? What are you going to learn this year?

Libraries Offer Interactive Learning

Justin Thakar's mother was pleased when she was told her 15-year-old son has a good accent when he speaks Japanese. "He is doing well with Japanese. It's not the easiest language to learn," said Mary Beth Thakar of Mt. Lebanon, who home-schools her son.

Justin works hard on his Japanese, but his mother credits his progress to online language instruction the Mt. Lebanon public library offers its patrons. The library provides "Rosetta Stone," a language study program that she downloaded onto an MP3 player to help guide her son through the difficulties of Japanese and Spanish. The library offers similar programs in other languages, including English as a second language.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_533107.html