HERE

Deals for new skiers and snowboarders

Want to learn to ski or snowboard? Consider taking an adult clinic at Pats Peak in New Hampshire and get a lesson, half-day lift ticket, and lunch for less than the cost of a regular half-day lift ticket. The Weekday Adult Ski/Snowboard Clinics run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings (with a few holiday exclusions) through the end of the season. Clinics cost $40 per day for a one-time pass to $300 for a 10-clinic package. Or sign up for Passport Program PLUS, a weekend program that includes four beginner lessons, lift ticket, and rental packages. After finishing the program, you get a free Pats Peak Unlimited Season Pass, a free pair of Elan skis and bindings (limited quantities available), and discounts at ski shops in Concord, Salem, Nashua, and Manchester, N.H., and at The Ski House in Somerset, Mass. The prepaid program costs $389, for 18 and older. 888-728-7732, http://www.patspeak.com.

Bostons annual Celtic festival

Celtic musicians, singers, and dancers from around the world gather in Cambridge Jan. 16-19 for the 17th annual Boston Celtic Music Festival, known as BCMFest. The event includes more than 60 performances at Club Passim, The Sinclair, and The Atrium in Harvard Square, showcasing artists from Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, and other Celtic communities. Enjoy performances by renowned Cape Breton fiddling duo Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy MacIsaac, Irish step dancer Kevin Doyle (a US step dancing champion), and dozens of local dancers and musicians. Dont miss the Boston Urban Ceilidh Jan. 17, a Celtic dance party with live music at The Atrium, and Dayfest, which features more than 12 hours of Celtic music Jan. 18 at Club Passim and The Sinclair. Tickets range from free to $25, depending on event. Two workshops on Cape Breton music and dancing take place Jan. 19 at The Passim School of Music ($45 per person). 617-492-7679, http://www.passim.org/bcmfest.

Reel fun in Belmont

Bring your kids to Belmont World Films 17th Annual Family Festival and enjoy animation workshops and more than 35 films from around the world. This years festival, themed Where Stories Come Alive, features live action, animated, and documentary films geared to children 2 to 12. It begins Jan. 17 at Belmonts Regent Theatre with the East Coast premiere of Hacker, a Danish film about a boy whose mother, a scientist, disappears under mysterious circumstances and that ends happily. Subsequent days focus on different themes: the animal kingdom (Jan. 18), short films (Jan. 19), and the ideals and values of Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 20). Also attend The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show Storytime with storytelling and an audience participation puppet show, and talks and workshops with writer/director Cinzia Angelini, the head story artist for Abominable. Tickets: $6 (shorts) to $20 (workshops); $50 festival pass includes all programs except workshops. 617-484-3980, http://www.belmontworldfilm.org.

THERE

Tis the season for Drunk Yoga

Two people walk into a bar and their discussion over a glass of wine leads to the founding of Drunk Yoga, a program that encourages people to try something new without feeling intimidated. Eli Walker, the founder of Drunk Yoga and a certified astrologer, isnt a proponent of getting drunk though youre welcome to enjoy a complimentary wine, beer, or mimosa in her yoga classes but its about getting drunk, in a sense, on the good feelings of connecting with others, celebrating community, and trying something new with supportive strangers. Walker has teamed up with CheapCaribbean to offer a three-day New Year, Do You Retreat in Cancun, Feb. 20-23, which focuses on self-care, mental wellness, and beachside fun. It includes Drunk Yoga classes (with cocktails, coffee, or water in hand), one-on-one birth chart readings, sunrise (sober) beach yoga, Walkers character-development workshops, and a copy of Walkers book, Drunk Yoga: 50 Wine and Yoga Poses to Lift Your Spirit(s). Cost: $1,299 per person, includes roundtrip flight from Boston, three nights at Haven Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa, and the above activities. http://www.tiny.cc/3ul2hz.

New hotel within Austin city limits

Austins newest hotel has a state-of-the-art gym overlooking Lady Bird Lake, an in-house yoga studio, and a welcoming dcor thats influenced by the areas historic craftsman-style homes and art nouveau flair. Austin Proper Hotel, the areas first LEED Gold-certified hotel, offers 244 rooms and suites that come with Nespresso machines and Apple TVs. Borrow an electric bike to cruise around town or have a Peloton bike sent up to your room for a private workout; the hotels full-service spa and swimming pool with private cabanas open this spring. The property has a Mediterranean grill with Israeli- and Turkish-inspired fare and an elegant sunken bar with signature cocktails. A coffee shop and caf with take-out options opens soon. Rates start at $350 per night, double occupancy. 888-333-0546, http://www.properhotel.com.

EVERYWHERE

An insulated chair for travelers

Keep warm on your winter adventures with Helinoxs portable Chair One and Seat Warmer. Chair One has rugged aluminum poles with internal bungee cords that make setup and breakdown a breeze they spring into place during setup and easily come apart for packing and a durable canvas material that quickly attaches to the frame. Slip Helinoxs new Seat Warmer, made of synthetic down, over the chair for extra warmth on colder days; cinch the cover in place using the drawstring cord so it doesnt shift around when you do. The low-riding chair packs down to the size of a loaf of bread and comes with a handy zippered travel bag so you can stuff it in the corner of your car or backpack. It weighs less than a pound and supports up to 320 pounds. $100 chair, $70 seat warmer. 877-267-2882, http://www.helinox.com.

KARI BODNARCHUK

Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at travelwriter@karib.us.

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Celtic music, drunk yoga, and a new hotel that brings a Peloton to your door - The Boston Globe

indica News Bureau-

In an attempt to test the effectiveness of yoga as an intervention for treating many diseases, Indian-American cardiologist Indranill Basu Ray, will present a new method at the upcoming Indian Science Congress (ISC) in Bengaluru. His new protocol will be presented at the 107th ISC which is being held from January 3 to 7.

The cardiac-electro-physiologist at the Veterans Hospital in Memphis, US, said that as the RTC (Randomized Control Trials) was not proving to be very useful in testing the effectiveness of yoga, new scientific methods need to be devised, Hindustan Times reported.

Despite understanding the molecular mechanism, large trials of yoga using the standard protocol called RCT (Randomised Control Trials) has not shown as much promise as expected, said Ray, adding, We proved tobacco was toxic not by doing clinical trials, but by following people who smoke and showing they develop a particular type of lung cancer it would have been almost impossible to prove this using an RCT other than being phenomenally costly, he said.

Ray said, same is true for yoga, as a person who has a disease like hypertension that is due to chronic adaptation to stress, may be treated with a yoga protocol to eliminate the disease.

The Kolkata-born cardiologist proposed that with advanced molecular biology available wearable devices, the adaptive stress-response can be measured with yoga by monitoring hormone levels, a well-established biomarker of stress.

He added that the same may also be done through complementary physiological signals such as electro-dermal activity and heart rate variability, proxies for the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system.

It is the chronic arousal of this system due to adaptation to chronic stress that causes hypertension, he said.

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Indian-American cardiologist proposes new protocol to test effectiveness of yoga - indica News

Dallas weekends are packed full of events, but how many of them are truly worthy of your time?PaperCitys newevents calendaroffers a curated look at all of the best things to do in North Texas. But everyone can still use an expert.

PaperCitys Weekend Expert Megan Ziots culls our calendar for your must dos in this regular weekly series.

NYCs Original Drunk Yoga class debuts at Virgin Hotels Dallas this weekend. Founder Eli Walker is coming in town to teach special classes from this Friday, January 3 through Sunday, January 5 at the brand new Design District hotel. A twist on a vinyasa yoga class mixed with happy hour, classes are always held in non-traditional venues like at bars, on rooftops, or yachts.

At Virgin, a 15 minute happy hour will kick off festivities with wine and mingling. Your teacher will then begin a 45 minute beginner yoga class with wine in-hand. Then, a 30 minute wine-down will conclude the event. The $45 tickets include the yoga class and two glasses of wine. Students must bring their own mat.

Go to the fullPaperCityevents calendar listing.

The giant pyramid that was recently built just outside of Globe Life Park is now open for virtual reality showings. PY1 popped up on New Years Eve and will be open until February 1. With Dallas (or Arlington), its first stop in the United States, PY1 is offering two shows:Through the EchoesandStella The Time Machine Journey.

On Saturday nights, the pyramid will become a club-like nightlife venue and party for those 21 and up.Through the Echoesis a multimedia show that takes visitors on a virtual reality odyssey through space and time, whileStellais a new participatory show that encourages kids and families to move and dance together. Tickets start at $23.5o.

Go to the fullPaperCityevents calendar listing.

Head over to the Farmers Market this Friday for a Drink Dash. In celebration of the New Year, purchase a $10 ticket for 11 drink fills at participating locations and a souvenir glass. From mulled ale to wine, The Market shops will be open for an evening (6 pm to 8 pm) of strolling, shopping and eating. Merchants include The 2nd Tap, American Butchers, Beyond the Butchers, Cajun Tailgators Cafes, Rexs Seafood and Market, Charming @ The Market, Simply Irresistible, Market Provisions, Lone Chimney Mercantile, Scardello Artisan Cheese and Doc Popcorn.

If you sample at least five drinks, you can guess the number of black eyed peas in a jar for a chance to win a prize.

Go to the fullPaperCityevents calendar listing.

Comedian Taylor Tomlinson is coming by Addison Improv for the second year in a row to do a weekend of shows. Having recently filmed her first stand-up special for Netflix, Tomlinson is on a roll as one of the countrys youngest and most successful touring comedian headliners. Shes also appeared onConan,The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and The Comedy Lineup.

Tomlinson is sort of a millennial comedian for the non-millennials. Her comedy is a mix of self-deprecation and jokes about being in her twenties, as well as others in the millennial generation. Tomlinsons putting on six shows this weekend through Sunday, January 5. Tickets start at $20.

Go to the fullPaperCityevents calendar listing.

See Just Mercy early at a special private screening at the new Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum this Sunday, January 5. Based off the true story of human rights activist Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) as he takes on the case of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), Just Mercyis a must-see film.

This special fundraiser screening will begin at 5 pm with a reception and follow with the screening at 6 pm. Tickets are $100 each and will 100 percent benefit the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museums Museum Experience Fund, which provides free transportation, admission and curriculum support to students from Title I schools.

Go to the fullPaperCityevents calendar listing.

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Drunk Yoga, Pyramid Wonders and a Young Star Comic the Best Things to do in Dallas - PaperCity Magazine

With all the Christmas drama-la-la-la-la-la-la over, we decided to give our bodies a good, om-azing stretch at a chill yoga studio.

By Stacey Makiya and Katrina Valcourt | VISUALS BY KATIE KENNY

Published: 2019.12.30 06:00 PM

Editors Note: Stacey and Katrina are at vastly different fitness levels (and ages) but both enjoy working out. We thought itd be fun for the two of them to try new or interesting workouts together each month. This time they took the Flow 75 class from The Yoga Room Hawaii.

The Yoga Room Hawaii offers a variety of invigorating yoga-and-Pilates-focused classes that stretch the mind, body and soul. The heated studio offers hot Hatha, Pilates and sculpt workouts in 90-to-95-degree temps. The chill studio, located across the parking lot from the heated one, holds vinyasa, restore and Shakti (yoga, dance and functional fitness) sessions in a nonheated studio. We took the Flow 75 vinyasa class, a 75-minute class that concentrates on breath and posture, ending in meditation.

Katrina: I finally recovered emotionally frommy last yoga class. And this one is open to all levels (read: newbies), so I knew Id be OK. I brought a towel this time to keep the sweat out of my eyes and off my palms. Plus, I know what a tree pose is now. Bring it on.

Stacey: I needed a chill class. Shopping, soires and story deadlines were making me bah humbug. And all of the delish cookies, cakes and charcuterie snackies I inhaled in the last couple of weeks were putting me on the naughty list. So, yoga sounded very merry.

The chill studio is a bit smaller than most yoga studios, but the class we attended had about 10 people, so there was plenty of room to make house and s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Of course, it being a flow vinyasa class, the people were very Zen, including our instructor, Rian Mokiao-Lee.

Foam blocks (used as support or to enhance the workout) are available. Its $2 to rent a mat.

SEE ALSO:We Tried Bouldering at The Arch Project Climbing Center

Stacey: My position on warming up in a yoga class is indifferent. To me, a yoga class, especially a noncardio one, is just one long warmup. We started off with childs pose. Katrina, howd you feel?

Katrina: Like an idiot. Right off the bat, Rian pointed out that my mat was upside down and flipped it over. Aaaaand then my foot cramped. But after that, the first few poses helped me get into the zone and work on my breathing. Im a shallow breather, which is probably why I hate endurance movesits not that my muscles hurt or Im tired, I just get out of breath quickly and want to stop.

SEE ALSO:How Do You Do Yoga on a Horse? We Found Out at Turtle Bay Resort

Stacey: After stretching our inner thighs and backs with childs pose, we jumped into one of my favorite moves: the bird dog. You start on your hands and knees, then extend one leg and the opposite arm at the same time. Then, you pull in that arm and leg in a crunchlike move.

Next, we threaded the needle, another favorite stretch of mine. Check out the video of Katrina doing it! GET IT GIRL. This move is supposed to relieve any tension or stiffness in your shoulders, neck or back. If youre a desk sitter and stare at the computer all day, this is a great, easy stretch.

Katrina: Easy is not the word I would use. Everything looked and felt wrong since its not a natural position, leaning on your head with your butt up in the air, but the longer I held it, the deeper I sunk into it.

Rian helped me get into position a few times and showed me where to put the foam blocks to make certain moves easier. He adjusted my downward dog early on so I knew how it was supposed to feel when we did it again. And again. And again. (It took me a few cycles of upward-to-downward before I realized thats what svanasana meant.) It wasnt hard but my sweaty feet kept slipping off the mat. I never know if Im supposed to be up on my tippy toes or down flat. Maybe I need two towels. And a fundamentals course.

Stacey: I was sweating! I thought chill studio meant it was an air-conditioned room (it is not), so I wore a long-sleeve top. And, since it was a flow class, there are no breaks. You go with the flow and jump from one pose to the next. On one hand Im glad I was feeling the burn; on the other, I wanted to hang loose.

Katrina: There was no slowing down. Things just kept getting more twistedliterally. I had a hard time going into Figure 4, balancing on my right foot with my left ankle crossing my right thigh. I broke the pose a couple of times as I tried to bend my right knee and lower myself into a sitting position. I seemed to be the only person shaking. Crossing my right leg over the left was easier, but then I was supposed to rest my right elbow in the arch of my foot and look up toward the ceiling. How is that possible?!

Stacey: My booty got off the ground when trying the bridge pose. Thats some heavy lifting, so I was proud! Rian tried to come and help me lift my body higher, but I was cracking up and (ungracefully) fell to the ground. He tried to be calm and not laugh, but he let out a small giggle.

Katrina: Toward the end, my glasses fogged up and I felt sweat dripping down my face like a teardrop. When we were supposed to take three more breaths, I took like nine. I couldnt do the move where you crouch like a frog, put your knees against your forearms and lift your feet off the ground. I just looked at Stacey and laughed. So much for all levels. Neither of us attempted a headstand.

Stacey: Yeah, HARD NO for the headstand. But major props to the women and men who made it look like cake.

Stacey: We ended with a three-minute shavasana. If youve ever been to a yoga class, you know this is the icing on the cake. This is the feeling when you bought your last Christmas gift. This is the moment when everything is calm and jus riiite. All you do is lie down, face up, hands by your side, close your eyes and not think about ANY. THING. Ahhhhhh.

Katrina: Lying on my back isnt relaxing to me. I tried not to think about anything but since I wasnt comfortable, I was very aware of my position, and the fact that Id have to get up in a few minutes, so better not get too comfortable. But I did like the final stretches. When breathing in, I could feel my spine lengthening; breathing out, I folded my body even lower. I was definitely more flexible than when class started.

Stacey: Sooo-ul good. However, within the next couple of days, my right shoulder started aching. I may have bent the rules and tried to do more than what my body is used to. It still hurts. With that said, I still want to try the sculpt, restore and Shakti classes. The heated and nonheated options are super appealing, and theres no mad rush to snag a spot in a sardine-packed studio. Plus, the staff and instructors are flexible (pun intended) with your yogi level and will help you find a class that works with your lifestyle and health goals.

Katrina: I like the idea that yoga contributes to my overall well-being and helps fix my terrible posture, but it doesnt even register as a workout on myFitbit. To me, yoga is what you do after working out. However, this studio is wayyyyy less intimidating than CorePower, and I love that the class was small, so if youre a beginner, I recommend it.

Membership fees start at $69 and go up to $220 for a 10-class pack option. Drop-in fee for one class is $27.

Heated studio: 1120 12th Ave., Second Floor; Chill studio: 1152 Kokohead Ave., (808) 888-7588, theyogaroomhawaii.com

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We Tried to Bend It Like Bikram at The Yoga Room Hawai'i's Vinyasa Class - HONOLULU Magazine

Today only, as part of its Gold Box Deals of the Day, Amazon is offering fitness, yoga, and wellness products from$7.35. Free shipping is available for Prime members or in orders over $25. Our top pick is the 68- x 24-inch Yoga Mat in various colors for$18.74. Thats down from the usual $25 price tag and an Amazon all-time low. This lightweight and thick yoga mat is designed to be durable and last throughout various workouts. It also has a non-slip texture, which if you know anything about yoga, this is a key component to ensure safety and performance. Rated 4.5/5 stars by over 100 Amazon reviewers. Head below for more deals or jump into the entire sale right here.

Another standout is the Gaiam Yoga Block and Strap Combo Set in various colorsfrom $9.94. Youd typically pay $15 with todays deal being within $1 of the all-time low price. This is a perfect pair with our featured deal mentioned above, ensuring that your next yoga class has all the essentials for a great workout. Designed to provide the stability and balance needed in your practice to help with optimal alignment, these blocks are an easy buy if youre serious about taking yoga classes in 2020. Rated 4.7/5 stars.

Youll find even more at-home workout essentials, energy snacks, and more in todays Gold Box starting at$7.35.

These durable, yet lightweight exercise yoga mats provide additional cushioning your joints need during any yoga or fitness routine. Yoga mat features a textured sticky non-slip surface for excellent traction and superior grip and a stylish design to keep you motivated and focused. Yoga mat purchase includes a free bonus downloadable yoga workout to help get you started.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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Load up on yoga essentials from $7.50 in todays Gold Box - 9to5Toys

TURNERS FALLS Hot yoga, in theory, is the same no matter where you do it. The classroom studio is heated to about 105 degrees, and every class session runs through the exact same positions in the exact same order, the same way every time.

Even people who love it admit that it may not be for everyone, said Mishel Ixchel, the owner and instructor of Fire+Embers Hot Yoga at 142 2nd St. But the people who get hooked say it gives them something they cant get any other way; or, at least, something that is very hard to find.

Ixchel got her first taste of hot yoga the way most people do, she said: a studio offered a ridiculously low introductory price, and after she tried it, I was starving for more.

That was almost 15 years ago, when she was living in New York City. She quickly moved on to a nine-week training course, and was soon teaching.

I dont know how much of this has to do with my zodiac sign, but when I commit to something, I focus my energy and I go right in, she said.

Fire+Embers opened Dec. 21. Preparation took a bit longer than expected, Ixchel said. The studio is on the upper floor of a repurposed old house. Along with construction of the studio itself, the building also needed new insulation to make a 105-degree yoga studio workable.

Almost every contractor I brought in thought I was out of my mind, Ixchel said.

What makes hot yoga unique, other than the intense heat, is its twenty-six and two sequence (usually written as 26+2), Ixchel said. Every class follows the same program of 26 postures and two breathing exercises, presented in the same order every time, no matter who the teacher is or where the studio is. On paper, every class is exactly the same.

The repetition is the point, partly, Ixchel said. The more you commit to it, you start integrating the sequence. You know what to expect. You can work with it and get better and better. Youre fine-tuning these postures.

What changes is what the student brings to it each time, Ixchel said: how much sleep they got that night, what stressors they might be dealing with, how they feel about the weather that day.

So youll never have two classes that are the same, even though every single class sequence is the same, she said.

And then theres the magic the brilliance of how these postures were laid out, she said. One thing leads you to another thing leads you to another thing. So youre moving systematically through your body in a healthy, safe way.

The results are apparently hard to put a finger on. Ixchels students, getting ready for a class on Tuesday morning taking off snow boots, hanging up coats, figuring out the yoga mat situation talk about it in superlative terms: its rejuvenating, its a full-body cleanse, theres nothing like it.

Its the one time in my life, when Im in here, that in my mind Im present, said Faith Diemand, one of the owners of Diemand Farm in Wendell. Work isnt running around, the kids, the car broken down, blah blah blah. Tapping her head, she added, Its hard for me to quiet whats up here.

The magic of the 26+2 sequence is what it does for the spine, Ixchel said. Most of us go through our day-to-day lives chronically abusing our backs in little ways leaning over a desk, bending to pick things up, not paying attention to posture. What people love about hot yoga, she said, is that it takes away those little pains that distract us even when we may not realize it.

Once your body starts feeling good, which this practice does, it ripples out to every aspect of life, she said. You can focus on the things you want to focus on because youre not in pain. You have more patience in your relationships because youre not in pain.

She emphasizes that anyone can do hot yoga, regardless of age or physical fitness. You dont need to be especially strong or flexible. And because every class is the same, its easy for beginners to get going.

Classes at Fire+Embers Hot Yoga are 90 minutes long, Monday to Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., with more times to be added later. For new students, there is an introductory rate of $40 for two weeks unlimited access, or $111 for 30 days. A full list of prices and membership options can be found at fireandembers.com.

Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.

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Going through the motions for better health: Fire+Embers Hot Yoga opens in Turners Falls - The Recorder

theconsumer electronics show is one of the biggest tech events of the year. since 1967, thousands of people have travelled to las vegas, where the show is held annually, to observe the latest in tech trends, all shaping the year ahead.companies from around the world gather to tease future possibilities, like concept cars and smart home gadgets, whilst others announce new products that reveal our more immediate reality within the tech industry.

fiat chrysler recently unveiled its airflow vision concept carfor the consumer electronics show (CES 2020) with an all-digital six-screen interior cabin (read more)

from january 7 january 10, CES 2o20 is set to unveil the next generation of transformative innovation, encompassing 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, smart cities and resilience, sports, robotics and more.heres what not to miss

image courtesy of holste centre

there looks set to be a host of technology that responds to the wellness tech consumers increasing desire for products that promote wellbeing. among them, research and development center holst centre will present several human-centric wearables including a relax shirt, which reminds its wearer of taking regular breaks, and an infrared headband that reduces stress. by integrating electronics in textiles, holst centre wants to build on the intimacy of clothing whilst offering support of healthcare and wellbeing.

image courtesy of yogifi

also coming to CES 2020 is a smart yoga assistant called yogifi from wellnesys that is powered by artificial intelligence and comes equipped with a companion mobile app. the AI is used to recommend personalized wellness programs by yoga professionals and the embedded yoga mat tracks postures using pressure sensors that respond to touch and gives visual and haptic feedback to correct positions. the mat also correlates vitals and breathing patterns by pairing with devices such as an apple watch.

image courtesy of samsung

the mercedes-benz show stand invites visitors to experience the highlights of the product and technology brand EQ the all-electric EQC 400 4matic, the vision EQS and also a new, futuristic concept vehicle. the 2020 show stand will give visitors the opportunity to dive into an adventure world, underscoring the consistent enhancement of the mercedes-benz trade show concept. the focal point comprises the brand world as well as its products, services and innovations.

image courtesy samsung / 4kfilme

images appear to show a new frameless samsung 8k QLED TV, predicted to launch at CES 2020. the new TV will feature a panel welded to the tv body to create a display thats free of edges. this new series of TVs will only be available in sizes of 65-inch and above. details on the display panel technology and price have not yet been revealed but its likely samsung will pair the new model with its QLED 8k panel with this premium bezel-less tv series.

image courtesy of UBTECH

UBTECH will be showing its newest and most innovative robots, including the latest updates to walker, the intelligent humanoid service robot that wowed audiences at last years CES. it will also show its autonomous indoor monitoring robot aimbot, enterprise service robot cruzr, and award-winning jimu robot kits for kids. this years presentation will demonstrate walkers faster, human-like walking as well as yoga poses with dynamic stability showing its huge improvement in motion control. walker will also demonstrate new abilities such as the ability to push a cart, draw pictures, and write characters, showing improved static balance with full-body compliance control.

image courtesy of picnic

seattle startup picnic is bringing its pizza-assembly robot to the las vegas convention center. the robot can produce up to 300 12-inch personalized pizzas per hour and uses a vision system that allows it to make adjustments if the pie is slightly off-center. perfect to feed a crowd of tech-goers, the machine is linked to the internet and sends data back to picnic so the system can learn from mistakes. specific location details for picnics robot and where to enjoy its pizza will be revealed at hellopicnic.com, prior to the start of CES 2020.

kieron marchese I designboom

jan 03, 2020

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robot pizza makers and AI yoga at CES 2020: here's what you can't miss - Designboom

A recent three-year drop in the number of people enrolled in Arkansas teacher preparation programs appears to have bottomed out, and the number is on the upswing, preliminary data from the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education show.

The number of enrollees in the state's teacher preparation programs for 2018-19 was 4,443.

That is almost 400 more enrollees than the 4,062 enrolled in the 2017-18 year and 854 more than the 3,589 teacher candidates enrolled in 2016-17, according to the state data. The most recent total, however, falls short of the 5,258 program enrollees in 2013-14.

The teacher preparation enrollment data will be included in the state's next annual Educator Preparation Program Report that is released by the state agency in early summer.

Ivy Pfeffer, the state division's deputy commissioner, attributed the higher counts to "really careful focus and attention" in recent years on recruiting individuals to the teaching profession and retaining current teachers.

"Kindergarten through 12th-grade education is the single largest employer in Arkansas with more than 71,000 employees, when you look at certified and classified staff," Pfeffer said.

"As far as the workforce, it is larger than state government and any industry. You think about the impact that the education workforce has in terms of our state, that's why it is really exciting to be able to start seeing the data moving back to the direction of increasing. We hit the bottom in terms of those enrollments. I think there is a renewed interest, a renewed excitement and a renewed importance on teaching as a profession."

[GRADE POINT ARKANSAS: Sign up for the Democrat-Gazette's new education newsletter arkansasonline.com/emails/gpa]

The 2018-19 annual teacher preparation program totals include participants in traditional educator preparation programs -- college and university-degree programs -- and alternative routes to teaching credentials. That includes the Arkansas Professional Pathway to Educator Licensure, or APPEL, that enables a person who has a degree in a field other than education to work as a teacher while meeting requirements to obtain a standard state teaching license.

The enrollment in nontraditional teacher licensure programs is actually showing the steeper and more consistent gains, with 1,860 enrollees in 2018-19, up from 1,425 just the year before.

The traditional programs totaled 2,588 enrollees in 2018-19, down from 2,637 the previous year but up from 2,315 in 2016-17. Overall, traditional program enrollment in 2018-19 remained below the 3,555 count in 2013-14.

Efforts to expand the pool of people preparing to teach include promoting teaching as a profession to middle and high school students through Orientation to Teaching courses or a Teacher Cadet program, Pfeffer said.

As many as 1,800 students in some 100 of the state's 300 high schools are currently in such programs, said Sharlee Crowson, a program adviser in the state agency's teacher recruitment and retention unit.

Crowson and other state education leaders want to see those numbers grow and programs expanded to the point that students graduate from high school with credentials that qualify them to be paraprofessionals or teacher assistants, which could be a source of income and experience as they go through a college degree program to be a teacher.

In addition to building up the pool of people in teacher preparation programs, the state has worked to improve the retention of its teacher force, which already exceeds national averages. For example, Arkansas has a 92% retention rate after one year of work in the classroom, 75% after five years and about 56% after 10 years, Pfeffer said.

Nationally, those percentages are 90% after a year, 60% after five years and less than 90% after 10 years, she said.

Retention efforts include expanding experienced educators' mentoring of new teachers through the state's 15 education service cooperatives. Each of the cooperatives also employs a teacher recruitment and retention specialist who provides guidance on licensure and employment issues, and on high school programming, to cooperatives' member districts.

Another effort is Gov. Asa Hutchinson's and the General Assembly's legislation to increase the minimum starting salaries for bachelor- and master-degreed teachers. The starting salary for a beginning teacher must be at least $36,000 by 2022-23, as a result of the new law.

Also, the state has recently modified its licensure system to include "lead" teacher and "master" teacher certifications for those who have at least three years of teaching experience and want to do more while still teaching.

"We kept hearing, over and over, that teachers wanted to find ways to lead from the classroom without leaving the classroom," said Joan Luneau, program coordinator in the state's educator preparation unit. "This is a way they can provide leadership without giving up the classroom."

Districts are still exploring ways to provide compensation to those lead and master teachers, Pfeffer said. State education leaders are planning in the coming weeks to roll out some options and pilot programs to support efforts by districts to alter the traditional teacher salary schedules that are built around teacher education levels and years of teaching experience.

Also in regard to licensure, the state pays for the test fees for teachers who agree to add to their licenses a certification to teach a subject in which there is a shortage of teachers. Teacher shortage areas, announced every year, have typically been special education, math and science, among others. One of those -- library/media -- has recently been removed from the list as the result of awarding "ancillary" state licenses. Those licenses qualify people to work in schools if they have master's degrees in the fields but do not have education degrees.

Still other efforts by state education leaders to meet goals to recruit teachers and encourage longevity include a recently completed Teach Arkansas lecture series directed at teachers around the state, and a campaign to appeal to people to return to work if they have left teaching or otherwise allowed their licenses to expire.

The state-set goals include:

Increase the number of candidates entering Arkansas educator preparation programs by 20% in five years.

Increase the number of beginning teachers in Arkansas public schools by 10% in five years.

Decrease the Arkansas teacher attrition rate by 15% in five years.

Increase the number of teachers reentering the teaching profession in Arkansas by 5% in five years.

Increase the number of minority-group teachers in public schools by 25% in five years.

Pfeffer said she believes the state can eventually eliminate teacher shortages by operating more strategically.

"To realize our goal of having equitable access -- where every student has an effective teacher every day -- we have to create that talent pipeline," she said. "That takes in recruiting to the profession, getting them through high-quality programs, providing support as they enter the profession and giving them opportunities that make them want to stay."

Metro on 01/05/2020

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More people taking teacher prep courses - Arkansas Online

ALEXANDRIA - Grace Brown's schedule at West Potomac High School in northern Virginia is filled with all the usual academics, and she's packed in Latin, chorus and piano as extras.

What she can't cram into the 8:10 a.m. - 2:55 p.m. school day is gym class.

So she's taking that one minus the gym, and on her own time.

The 14-year-old freshman is getting school credit for virtual physical education, a concept that, as strange as it may sound, is being helped along by the availability of wearable fitness trackers.

For students whose tests and textbooks have migrated to screens, technology as gym equipment may have been only a matter of time.

Grace, who lives in Alexandria, wears a school-issued Fitbit on her wrist while getting in at least three 30-minute workouts a week outside of school hours. She has an app on her computer that screenshots her activity so she can turn it in for credit.

While online physical education classes have been around for well over a decade, often as part of virtual or online schools, the technology has made possible a new level of accountability, its users say.

"We're asking kids to wear this while they do an activity of their choice, and they can change the activity as they desire, as long as it's something that they understand is probably going to get their heart rate up," said Elizabeth Edwards, department head for online physical education at Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes Grace's high school.

Though a physical education instructor isn't shouting from the sidelines, teachers do guide assignments by setting goals such as fat burn, cardio or peak, relying on the technology to be their eyes and ears. Students also are required to sign in for a weekly 60-minute to 90-minute classroom session with the teacher.

Teenagers who play soccer, swim or dance all year may satisfy the workout requirements without doing anything extra. Grace has been adding bike rides and jogs to her days.

For her, online PE freed her up to take three elective courses, instead of two in school. For others, it's a welcome way to take a required class that students otherwise may find socially or physically challenging.

"We definitely exercise more in online PE," Grace said. "There's a lot of standing around in regular PE. Online, I do much harder workouts."

A survey of more than 3,000 fitness professionals by the American College of Sports Medicine named wearable technology the top trend in fitness for 2020.

It's not clear how many schools are embracing the trend. It comes with some cautions.

Technology and the collection of any student data always raises the specter of student privacy concerns. And some worry that students exercising on their own may miss out on important social concepts such as teamwork.

"There is a difference between physical activity and physical education," said Chris Hersl, former vice president for programs and professional development at SHAPE America, which wrote national standards for K-12 physical education.

Joliet Township schools in Illinois uses fitness trackers as part of a blended learning conditioning program that has students who sign up for it work out two to three times a week in the gym with an instructor and the other days on their own.

"It's a flexible schedule where they still have in-person physical education classes and there's still instruction happening, but they're able to use the Fitbit to monitor how students are working outside the classroom," said Karla Guseman, the district's associate superintendent for educational services.

She said it's one of numerous blending learning options that Joliet Township High School offers to give students both more control over the pace and time of their work, and more responsibility to get it done.

"We're trying to give them an opportunity to see what post-secondary might look like," Guseman said, "when you don't meet every day but you're still expected to do work for a course or preparation between class periods."

A virtual school that is part of the Springfield, Missouri, public school district started with a single class -- physical education, said Nichole Lemmon, the creator of the program, called Launch, which uses Garmin fitness trackers.

"Eight years ago, it was the very first online class by our developers to meet a really niche student who could not fit PE courses into their schedule," Lemmon said. "Maybe they wanted to take more honors level courses, or advanced placement, or international baccalaureate classes and PE was hard to fit in, so we allowed them to do it outside of the school day."

A telling illustration of the technology-driven 24/7 school day is the peak log-in time on the school's portal system: 10:03 p.m.

"They may not be working out at 10 p.m., but that's when they're turning in their workout. The notion that education now runs 7:30-4, 8-3, is really antiquated," Lemmon said, "and our students are begging to be able to have more flexibility in the time of day they learn."

During the past summer session, there were 22,600 students enrolled, and the most popular courses were PE, she said.

Teachers help students set up their fitness devices, entering the student's height, weight and age, and coming up with a target heart rate. As an added layer of instruction and accountability, Launch students are required to send video back to the teacher, who checks their technique as they stretch or lift weights, for example.

"They work with their PE instructor to set a fitness goal and then they get their workout however they want to," Lemmon said. t really does promote lifelong fitness because it's about working out the way they want to, not they're required to do a particular activity in gym."

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Gym class without the gym? With technology, it's catching on - Richmond.com

Technology will continue to disrupt education in K12 schools in 2020. Source: Shutterstock

The education landscape is transforming before our very eyes, where teaching approaches are becoming more student-centered and classroom designs are becoming more flexible in schools to allow for more collaborative learning.

With the rapid growth of the educational technology industry, teaching methods today are also relying more and more on technologies like artificial intelligence and even robots.

In this era of disruptive technologies, whats in store for your school in 2020? Heres a look at some key education trends that will shape and influence schools in the coming year.

The role of the teacher in schools is slowly changing. Instead of feeding information to students and lecturing from the front of the room, teachers are playing a facilitating role instead guiding students towards thinking for themselves and carrying out projects and activities for students to work on in groups.

Assisting teachers in this new role is artificial intelligence (AI). According to Online Education for Higher Ed, AI use in US classrooms will grow by 47.5 percent in the next three years.

The technology is predicted to allow teachers more time to focus on more human-specific teaching skills like emotional intelligence and creativity. AI will take over the time-consuming and monotonous tasks like checking papers for plagiarism or tests.

Parents who choose to homeschool their kids have plenty of support nowadays thanks to technology. If they have gaps in their knowledge or are unable to teach a subject effectively, they can use online modules or face-to-face classes in a more traditional schooling environment to supplement their education.

This is known as hybrid homeschooling, and its predicted to become more popular in years to come. It allows for more flexibility, particularly for parents who want to homeschool their children but are unable in one way or another to do so.

Mike McShane, director of national research at US education reform organisation EdChoice wrote inForbes: For many families, the costs and obligations related to homeschooling are simply too burdensome. Some parents dont have the confidence in their own abilities to teach every subject to their children. Others cannot devote themselves to homeschooling full-time. Perhaps most of all, many homeschooling families want their children to socialise with other children to learn how to share, cooperate and get along with others.

Enter hybrid homeschooling, a model where children split their time between homeschool and a more traditional schooling environment. This could be three days at home and two days at school, two days at home and three days at school, part of the day at home and part of the day at schools, or a variety of other options.

AR is becoming popular in schools, allowing more three-dimensional experiences that bring abstract concepts to life for students.

This interactive experience adds digital elements by using a camera on a smartphone to a live view, such as Snapchat filters.

In classrooms, AR animated content could be a tool to motivate children to study. They can understand topics better if extra data such as fun facts, historical information or visual 3D models are added to classroom lessons. Or when they can scan parts of their books, there are texts, audio snippets or videos from teachers that pop up.

Compared to AR, VR is more immersive, where students can be transported to different worlds with the use of VR goggles such as Google Lens.

It is also becoming more widely used in schools, as the industry is seeing major growth with heavy investment around the world, leading to a bigger market and more affordable products in the edtech sector.

With VR, students can experience what they read beyond word descriptions and book illustrations. Tricking the body into thinking its a new place, VR tools like Google Expeditions allow students to visit cultural sites around the world without ever leaving the classroom or even go back in time to a historical setting such as the land of the dinosaurs.

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4 major education trends that will influence schools in 2020 - Study International News