Joining the Mold theatre and arts centre in 2015, Tamara Harvey had previously directed extensively around the UK and internationally, including in the West End. And she's looking forward to opening the theatre's doors to creative talent and the public once again.

Whats your role at the theatre?

Im the artistic director. I oversee all of the arts in our building - theatre, film, visual arts, dance, music - working with our teams to put together a programme that has something for everyone. Lots of my time is spent talking with artists - actors, directors, writers, designers, composers - developing shows, discussing new ideas and shaping projects. With each project, we think about who its for, why its an important story to be telling right now and how we can make sure it reaches out into our community.

What inspired you to work in theatre?

Pouring orange squash for the actors in West Side Story at my high school when I was 11. I was too young to be allowed in the show, so that was the closest I could get to the action and I was completely starstruck. Rarely has orange squash been poured into plastic cups with such reverence and care.

Whats your best moment at Theatr Clwyd so far?

This morning. Walking into the building past the long grasses and weeds growing up around it, I felt such despair at its closure. Then, as I walked up the stairs, I heard music coming from the Anthony Hopkins Theatre. I crept into the back of the auditorium and on stage was George - a local boy who got a place to study with the Royal Ballet in September but had nowhere to practise during lockdown, so asked to use our empty stage. As I stood there watching him dance, I thought maybe were going to be ok. Because even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, creativity still finds a way - there is still music in the empty theatre. We are still finding a way to serve our community and we will keep finding a way to bring people up our hill to share stories, and to laugh, cry and dream together.

What challenges is Covid-19 bringing the theatre?

When I became artistic director I never imagined wed have to find a way to run the theatre with its doors closed and its stages empty. The immediate challenge is how we stay afloat with no income and no certainty as to when we can reopen. But there is a quieter challenge thats harder to meet head on - the challenge of how we make sure that all of us - our staff, our audiences, our freelance artists, our whole community - stay strong in mind and spirit so that were all ready to come together again as soon as the world allows.

How has the theatre responded to Covid-19?

Weve focussed on all the ways we can help our communities through this - with weekly challenges and fun online content via our Theatr Clwyd Together programme, with Zoom workshops for our regular companies, young and old, and with physical deliveries - food from our stores to local foodbanks, creative packs to vulnerable individuals, rainbow shoe boxes to children most in need. Weve also been doing all that we can to continue developing work with freelance artists, so that they can survive through the crisis and we have wonderful shows to share once we can open our doors again.

What do you do to relax/in your spare time?

Ive got two small children, so most of my spare time is spent with them - and its sometimes relaxing, sometimes not! If I have any time apart from that, watching cricket is my main source of joy, preferably with my dad. And Ive just got into running (in the sense of jogging very slowly with lengthy walking intervals), which Im finding really clears my head.

Which actor have been your favourite to work with?

My favourites tend to be the ones Im working with at any given moment - being in a rehearsal room is such an intense and all-consuming experience. But if I have to choose right now I love Victoria John, who I just worked with on Pavilion. And I would happily direct anything, anywhere with Jamie Ballard in it (who was Uncle Vanya with me and who Ive worked with a number of times).

Whats been your favourite show?

It will sound like a cop out but again - each and every one, when Im making them. Orpheus Descending was a particular highlight because Id wanted to do the play for 20 years. And Im of course massively excited about directing panto this year.

If you could ask people to do one thing to support the theatre and its work what that would be?

As soon as we throw open our doors again, come up the hill and see us - we miss you.

You can keep up to date with events at Theatr Clwyd at theatrclwyd.com

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Theatr Clwyd in Mold ready to open doors 'once the world allows' - LeaderLive

Mental Health is still a taboo topic in many countries, including India. It is stupid, seeing how our ancestors heavily focused on the mental aspects of our life through Yoga and meditation. While we give special care to people with physical illness, a mental problem is stigmatized. I dont know what it will take for us as a society to recognize it as a problem, but I want to convey that its not wrong to talk about it. And if anyone in your life is making fun of you, you are better off cutting those people from your life. You should talk, and seek out professional help as early as possible.

That said, I understand that talking and asking for help is not as easy as it sounds. And I am no medical professional that can advise you on the subject. But I do know that meditation can help you with your thoughts, at least until you are ready to seek professional help. In an article published in Psychology Today, they write that mindful meditation can help you with mental problems like anxiety and depression. I urge you to read that article. As for my part, in this article, I have listed the best mediation apps that you can use on your Android and iOS device.

I have dabbled with meditation on and off for years. And although it has helped me, I know first hand that forming a habit is not easy. I have fallen off the wagon many times. I only started it again after the pandemic hit, and I have been closed inside my house. So the most I can ask you is to give these apps a try, and see if they can help you out.

Meditation is for everyone. Whether you are a student, a productivity genius, a professional, or anyone else, it will be beneficial for you. Meditation can help you sleep better, focus, clear your mind, and live in the present moment. So, whoever is reading this article, whether you use these apps or not, I urge you to give meditation a try. With that said, lets get to the apps themselves.

I have tried many meditation apps and techniques, and I feel that guided meditation is the best one for me. In a guided meditation, instead of listening to soothing music, you are guided through the steps by a voice. Headspace is one such app that provides guided meditation. I love how the app started me with just a few minutes a day and then moved me onto longer mediation sessions.

Headspace is co-founded by Andy Puddicombe, who spent years in monasteries in Himalaya, learning meditation. You can hear his Talk on YouTube. Its will give you a better sense of his story and teaching philosophies. His voice is soothing and helps you meditate.

Meditation on the surface sounds a heavy subject and Headspaces simple explanation takes that expectation off you:

Meditation isnt about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. Its about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. Youre not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. Youre learning to observe them without judgment.

You get the first two weeks for free and then theres a subscription. They are also offering a 1-year free plan for anyone who has lost their job in the current pandemic. I found this app to be really helpful. This is one of the best meditation apps and a good place to start your journey.

Price: Free trial, $12.99/month, $69.99/year

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Calm is a popular meditation app for people who want to reduce stress and anxiety, sleep better, and increase their overall inner happiness. The app comes with calming exercises and breathing techniques that can help you relax. When you start the app, first you get a simple explanation of meditation that explains the basics. I found this very helpful for beginners.

I like that Calm has different mediation courses for different goals. It will suggest different lessons depending on what you want to achieve. You can choose between guided meditation and meditation based on calming music. The app also features guided meditation from popular celebrities like Matthew McConaughey, LeBron James, and more.

I dont care for the celebrity voices, but if its an incentive that can keep someone meditating, I am all for it. Calm is popular and thousands of users have reported getting good results. It has a very high rating on both Play Store and App Store, and remember those ratings are from paid users as it only offers a free trial. If Headspace doesnt make sense to you, you should try it.

Price: 7-day free trial, $12.99/month, $69.99/year

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Meditation doesnt have to be only for people who can afford it. It should be for everyone. And if you cannot afford to use Headspace or Calm, you should try Insight Timer. The app gives you a free library of more than 45,000 free guided meditation.

Like Calm and Headspace, it starts with a 7-day course that will help you understand the concept of meditation. After you are done with the course, you can create your own modules for meditation. You can select how long you want to meditate every day. The free library consists of guided meditation from meditation experts to monks to sadhus to popular actors and actresses.

Insight Timer also offers a paid plan to support its free-tier users. If you can afford it, you can pay $60/year to get premium meditation classes. The money is split between the app and the course creators so you are also supporting your teachers. Theres also a generous 30-day trial you can use it check it out.

The only thing that I dont like about the app is the constant presence of upgrade your plan reminder. Its present on every homepage as shown above. Its counter-intuitive to the ethos of making you stress-free. If you can ignore this, you should try it out.

Price: Free, $60/year

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Serenity is a meditation app that uses a minimalist design language and I love its approach. Even the apps UI feels calming. Like other apps, it offers guided meditation lessons. You get to learn a variety of meditation and mindfulness techniques that aim to bring a sense of peace, calm, and happiness to your life.

The basics are taught in a free 7-day course. You dont need to subscribe to a free trial to access it. You can download the app and use the free material without creating an account. There are guided meditation lessons for sleep, stress relief, mindfulness, daily meditations, self-awareness, and more.

I also like that it offers several pricing plans. You can get a monthly subscription for $6.99 or unlock courses-based on levels by purchasing this. My favorite plan is the one-time purchase of $74.99 that unlocks everything and every future update. While its cheaper, do note that the content quantity is lower than what you can find on the likes of Headspace and Calm.

If you want celebrity guided meditation or thousands of hours of meditation content, this is not for you. On the other hand, this is great for people who feel overwhelmed by the amount of content on other apps and want something streamlined and effective for a one-time payment.

Price: Free, $6.99/month, $19.99/6 month, $74.99/forever

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Aura is mindful meditation apps for people who are in a hurry. You can start meditation sessions with tracks as small as 3 minutes. A good feature of Aura is that you can select meditation based on your current feelings. It suggests different meditation routines depending on your current mental state.

Select whether you are sad, stressed, okay, or feeling great, and it will suggest the meditation routine. You can get guided meditations, listen to stories, and even just relax listening to ambient and natural sounds. Theres also a catalog for relaxing music, life coaching advice, and more.

The app helps you reduce stress & anxiety, improve focus, and sleep better using daily mindfulness meditations. It also sends you personalized recommendations at a set time every day so you dont forget to meditate. I also like that you can use the free version without creating an account.

The meditation lessons on this app are produced by top life coaches and therapists. The free version offers a generous selection of content. If you want more you can get the paid version for $4.99.month.

Price: Free, $4.99/month, $59.99/year

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Meditation Studio is another good guided mindful meditation apps for iOS and Android devices. With this app, you get over 500 guided meditations featuring different teachers and styles. There are also different collections targeting different improvements in life.

Whether you want a healthy attitude, become more grateful and generous, sleep better, reduce anxiety & stress, or be kind and curious, you can find mediation lessons for the same here. I enjoyed taking the basic courses. They do a great job of getting you started on the path of meditation. One thing I love about this app is that it lets me subscribe to teachers.

You can follow those teachers who have the best effect on your mediation habits. You can also sort courses by teachers, duration, type, collection, and more. Other features include the ability to create playlists, take unguided meditations, and more. The app offers a great UI, and I love its minimalist approach. Theres an ample selection of content for the free version.

Note that the Android version of the app is still on the legacy addition. That means you need to pay $3.99 to buy the app. The drawback is that you dont get new content and new features (such as playlist). You get everything thats on Android and more for free on iOS. You will need to pay a subscription if you want new monthly content and pro features.

Price: $3.99 on Android Free, $7.99/month, $49.99/year on iOS

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Inscape is an actual mediation studio in NYC. According to their website, the studio blend ancient techniques across time and cultures into meditations that are accessible and relevant for everyone. Well, the studio realized that not everyone can afford to physically visit a studio, so they created a mediation app.

The app features techniques form old-school meditation and combines them with modern findings and research to give you the best mediation experience. There are guided meditations that can help you reduce stress, anxiety, depression, aggression, and more. Like other apps, it also focuses on improving your sleep quality.

The guided meditations are for everyone including beginners, intermediates, and advanced meditators. You can start with 5-minute meditations, and as you improve, aim for a longer duration (up to 85 minutes). There are also habit-building exercises that can help you keep your mediation life alive.

I love that it automatically shows different meditation lessons depending on the time of the day. For example, if you open it at night, it will show you meditation lessons for better sleep. When it comes to pricing, the monthly subscription price is a bit high, but the yearly plan falls in line with other apps.

Price: Free, $9.99/month, $58.99/year on iOS

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

If you cant find even five minutes of quiet time to practice meditation, then you should try using Buddhify. Buddhify is an app that lets you meditate anywhere, anytime. Whether you are traveling, waiting in line at Starbucks, or waiting for your food in a restaurant.

Buddhify focusses on mobile or on-the-go meditation, which you can do no matter where you are and what youre doing. The good thing about Buddhify is that its a family run business. So you are not being upsold all the time. Theres up-front pricing, and you unlock all the mediation classes. There is a yearly membership if you want to achieve more and need more fun features, but its entirely optional.

And the yearly membership is half the cost of other apps. So, yeah, the app is affordable and has good lessons. It has raving reviews on both the App Store and Play Store, and many users recommend it. If you dont want to pay a subscription and love the concept of on-the-go meditation, you should try it.

Price: $2.99 on Android, $4.99 on iOS, $30/year for membership

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Sattva is another great meditation app. It brings features like guided meditations, ancient chants, Vedic mantras, meditation timer, time tracker, and more. If you want a traditional mediation experience, this is the app for you. You even get to learn mediation Mudras (hand positions or gestures that facilitate the flow of energy).

I love the time tracking feature in this app. It displays your mediation journey in a rich calendar view. Seeing your progress is a good way to keep the streak going. Theres also a community of meditators. You can join groups, follow their playlists, and even invite your friends and take them with you on this journey.

You can find lessons to reduce stress, increase focus, energy, and clarity, manage emotions, and even tackle higher-level questions such as the purpose of your life. I dont know how helpful this will be with the last one as thats an esoteric subject, but I can tell you that the mediation sessions are good.

Pricing is where this app falters a bit. There is no free version and the subscription is quite costly if paid monthly. You can buy a lifetime pass for $399 but I dont think many can afford it. Thankfully, from time to time they offer heavy discounts on their website and you can get it for as low as $108. If you want to go back to the ancient roots of meditation, you should try it.

Price: 3-day free trial, $12.99/month, $49.99/year, $399.99/lifetime

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

Our final selection of apps for this list is The Mindfulness App. It brings professional guided meditations, with a variety of lessons that suits all kinds of meditators from beginners to pros.

You will enjoy the 5-day guided meditation lessons that will introduce you to mediation. The lessons can be as small as 3 minutes so anyone can start with it. If you dont like guided meditations, you can opt for silent meditations. The library is full of premium meditation classes taught by professionals.

Whether you want to relax, calm your mind, improve focus, or sleep better, this app can help you achieve those aims. One feature of this app that I love is the ability to add background ambient sounds to guided meditations. You can add sounds from forests, rivers, beaches, and more.

The app is built well and offers a good user interface. You can connect it to Google fit to aggregate your health data and set friendly reminders that will remind you to meditate. Theres ample content offering in the free tier. If you want more, you can buy the subscription which has a generous 31-day free trial.

Price: Free, $9.99/month, $54.99/year

Links: Website, iOS App, Android App

That ends our article on the best meditation apps for Android and iPhone. I use Headspace and recommend it to everyone. That said, all the apps on this list offer a good selection of mediation lessons. They are all good at getting you started on your mediation journey and keeping you on track.

If you feel that life is stressful, and you dont have enough focus or energy to complete the things that need to be done, you should try meditation. No matter which app you use, this simple practice can help you a lot. I know it has helped me, even when I do it intermittently. So, give this a try.

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10 Best Meditation Apps for Android and iPhone - Beebom

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Opportunity of a lifetime! This 238 acre farm features a 7 bdrm, 3 bath home with hardwood flooring, custom Amish built cabinetry & an open living concept. The spacious kitchen/dining room offers Corian & Quartz countertops, pantry, an island & walk-in cooler. Unfinished walk-up attic for storage or could easily be finished for added space. Exposed walk-out lower level with commercial kitchen, family room, office, bath w/tiled walk-in shower & root cellar. 60'x200' steel commercial building w/shop, office, break room, loading docks, blacktop driveway & more. Other outbuildings include a 3-car detached garage w/3 levels that consist of shop/storage areas, 40'x130' shed, barn/shed w/lean-to & open front shed livestock. Beautifully landscaped yard w/an oversized garden & orchard area.

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Beautiful, bright & sunny dutch colonial in Shorewood Hills. Main level boasts hardwood floors, large living room w/gas fireplace, den that leads to bright 4-season porch that opens into beautiful, private backyard. formal dining room, & updated kitchen w/ granite countertops & pantry. Vast master suite on 2nd level w/ walk-in closet + dressing room or office space + bath w/ steam shower & heated floors. Add 3 bedrooms and another full bath. 1-car extra deep garage for lots of storage. Move into a great location mins from shopping/schools/hospitals.

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Great opportunity in Maple Bluff! Privately situated at the end of a cul-de-sac on over a 1/2 acre lot. Over 5,000 sqft, two fireplaces, lots of sunlight, vaulted ceilings, main floor master suite, hardwood floors, and even a cedar sauna in the master bathroom! Some new siding, windows & gutters plus new flat roof in 2019. Water softener also 2019. UHP Home Warranty included. Measurements are approx. Come make this beautiful home yours!

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Sprawling new custom 3-story home in Quarry Vista on a quiet cul-de-sac w/woods to the back of lot. High-end finishes: Kitchen includes quartz countertops, tiled backsplash, stainless appliances, walk-in pantry, large breakfast bar/island, walkout to screen porch overlooking woods or relax in large living area w/fireplace. Escape to your spa like master w/tiled shower, private commode area, his/her sinks, custom walk-in closet. Convenient main flr laundry/mudroom w/quartz counter, custom bench/hooks. Exposed lower level w/2 addl bedrooms & full bath, room for a theater room & wet bar. 2nd walkout deck. 3rd level is perfect for business/woodworkers dream area, kids retreat with a walkout to bricked patio. Kohler, Hans Grohe fixtures, zoned heating, led lighting & quartz counters.

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Welcome to your Castle! This astonishing home is nestled on a picturesque setting in the middle of 15 acres! As you begin to drive up the paved and tree lined driveway, you feel as if you have entered a new world. On your right you have 3 separated pastures and an 30'x45' outbuilding w/water+elec, 2 horse stalls with plenty of room for storage and to add more stalls. The main house boasts 5BR, 2.5BA , DR, updated kitchen, large living room with vaulted ceilings and loft study/office and family room. The guest cottage provides an additional 1500sqft, 2 BR, 1 BA and full kitchen. Spancrete ceilings beneath guest house for potential additional garage, currently used as storage area/shed. The views and property are breathtaking. House needs some TLC and is priced accordingly and under FMV.

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Beautiful all brick ranch home in Sauk Creek Estates. This sprawling 4 bedroom 3.5 bath home nestled in on over a half acre private and professionally landscaped lot. Walk into your spacious front foyer and beautiful open staircase to the LL. Welcoming great room with fireplace and tray ceiling.Wonderful master suite with double vanities, whirlpool tub, & 15x13 walk in closet. Screen porch off master and main floor office. This home is perfect for entertaining with formal dining and butlers pantry, large kitchen with tons of work space, island with cooktop, two ovens. Main floor laundry & den. Exposed LL is bright, with wet bar, exercise area, rec room, 2 more bedrooms and bath and loads of storage. Very large 3 car garage. Enjoy your summer days on your deck or patio. Sprinkler system.

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Showings begin June 13. Middleton Schools. Bridle Ridge. Superb quality, obvious attention to detail & loads of natural light describe this gorgeous executive ranch. Entertain on private 1.52 acre lot from the deck, the cedar 3 season room or the patio in the walk out LL. High end materials inc 4 Fireplaces, 10-12' main floor ceilings, granite counters, maple trim, doors & floors, cherry and maple cabinets, tile & huge closets. Gourmet kitchen w/Wolf & Sub-Zero, oversized island & butler pantry w/wet bar. Giant main level office w/builtlt-ins and FP. Incredible master, generous his & hers walk-ins & spa bath. Second master suite in LL plus two beds w jack n Jill bath & den. Full kitchen/bar/game area in walk out LL perfect for teens! Extra space in garage for workshop, stairs to LL.

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Impeccably maintained 1-owner home in Oregons gorgeous countryside. The spacious & bright main level welcomes you to the vaulted living room featuring a cozy wood fireplace that opens to the stunning kitchen complete w/ a sizable island, SS appliances (Bosch dishwasher), granite countertops, beautiful backsplash & a breakfast nook. Off the entry is a flex room/office, formal dining room & master bed featuring beautiful french doors to the deck, walk in closet & ensuite w/ in-floor heating, dv, walk in shower & sep tub. Upstairs showcases 3 bedrms & full bath. Exposed unfinished LL is a clean slate to make your own complete w/ a walkout to the backyard, cellar & tons of storage space. Highlights incl tankless water heater & integrated audio system. Main floor laundry!

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No show til Sat 6/13. Welcome to Norway Rd Estates where this 5 bed, 3 bath ranch sits on 3/4 of an acre! Enter to your bright great room w/wall of windows & tall ceilings as natural light flows through the open layout. Kitchen w/elegant finishes offers breakfast bar, solid surface counters, tiled backsplash, and access to huge screen porch for ideal indoor/outdoor entertaining. Master suite inc jetted tub, walk-in closet, tray ceiling. Escape from those warm summer days to the walkout lower complete with gas FP in family room, full bar, and game room for space to spread out. 1st flr laundry off the 3 car garage w/extra storage and basement access. Private neighborhood offers low traffic, conveniently located just a short drive from Sun Prairie. Renew-Aire Exchanger, new HVAC.

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Tranquility abounds on this 2+ acre lot with additional 2 acre vacant buildable lot included! Custom home with natural light, stunning views, new upgrades include sustainable white oak floors and freshly painted throughout. Beautiful landscaping, perennial gardens, wrap around porch, 3 car attached and 2 car detached garages with potting shed. Gourmet kitchen with granite counters and high-end appliances with amazing view of yard and woods. Grand great room, dining room and French doors to office. Upstairs 4 BR, 3 baths including master, all with treetop views. Recently finished bonus room is spacious 6th BR, guest suite or studio. Finished full view out LL, radiant floor heating, new cork flooring, 5th BR, bath with steam shower. Retreat feel with peaceful private park setting! (See Docs)

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Spectacular spacious former parade home in Middletons popular Blackhawk neighborhood. This home boasts an elegant foyer with a prestigious home office, formal dining room and a large great room with bright windows that open up to a chefs kitchen with large island. Sunroom/music room adds to the open feel. 2nd level has a spacious Master suite with fireplace, private spa like bath and huge closet. 3 large bedrooms, one with its own bath and a laundry room. Lower level family room with bar, exercise/dance room, wine closet and cozy fireplace walks out to a fenced private yard. 3 car garage with a separate stall for the perfect shop set up. Too many extras to list.

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Do not miss this beautiful Craftsman home with all of the 1916 charm and updated where it counts. Beautiful built-ins in living and dining rooms, enjoy time in the sun room , screen porch or large deck overlooking the backyard. Relax in the master with adjacent office/dressing room/sitting room. Two more bedrooms on the second floor and a large bonus room upstairs. There is also a large rec room downstairs. Newer boiler, windows, updated kitchen and baths.

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SHOWINGS START FRI, JUNE 12TH AT 3:00 P.M. Monona home w/gorgeous views & natural light + BONUS: a 640 Sq ft NEW Lakeside Cottage w/full kitchen (granite/SS Appliances), breakfast bar for up to 8, 3/4 tiled bath, large living area overlooking lake & capital with its own AC/Heat source. Perfect in-law quarters! The main level of the home features a lg family room w/fireplace & deck, 2 bedrooms, nicely updated laundry room, full bath + addtl living room, ofc, kitchen & dining area. Upstairs is a master suite w/full bath, huge closets & potential for expansion. LL has 3rd full bath, den/office, large drop zone off garage entrance & exterior door entrance. Oversized 2 car garage. See Docs for extensive list of all the updates that have been done to this phenomenal home.

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This secluded farm style home has great west views looking over Wisconsin farm land. You will enjoy relaxing on your deck or front porch while enjoying the sunset, wild life and night sky. This home is a great get away or a perfect year round home. There has been some updating and the old wood floors are exposed. The main floor bedroom has a huge walk in closet, the laundry is also found on the main floor along with the bathroom. The 2nd floor has another bedroom with a closet in the landing area. the landing could be used as an office, large closet or another living space. The land is beautiful with lots of flowers, paths and trees. The oversize 2 car garage provides plenty of room for your vehicles and toys. The big barn offers another space to use as you wish. Take a look!

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This secluded farm style home has great west views looking over Wisconsin farm land. You will enjoy relaxing on your deck or front porch while enjoying the sunset, wild life and night sky. This home is a great get away or a perfect year round home. There has been some updating and the old wood floors are exposed. The main floor bedroom has a huge walk in closet, the laundry is also found on the main floor along with the bathroom. The 2nd floor has another bedroom with a closet in the landing area. the landing could be used as an office, large closet or another living space. The land is beautiful with lots of flowers, paths and trees. The oversize 2 car garage provides plenty of room for your vehicles and toys. The big barn offers another space to use as you wish. Take a look!

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ROLLING ACRES FARM! Seller's have owned this property for the last 26 years, and have done many upgrades including Anderson windows, vinyl siding, new roof, 200 amp electrical, high efficiency furnace, 50 gallon water heater, home addition, and more. Over 36 acres of land, including 17 acres of crop land or pasture for horses, and large wooded area with black walnut, hickory trees, morels, and black cap berries. Garden and flower beds throughout, fantastic views, bird watching, and a hunters paradise, with frequent deer and turkey sightings! Plenty of room to add a bathroom on 2nd floor and basement is stubbed in for a 1/2 bath as well! Large main level 4-season addition. More Pictures and Virtual Tour to come.

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Charming Vilas home overlooking peaceful & picturesque Bear Mound Park. Dreamy location with the City of Madison and nearby parks as your backyard playground! From this Vilas Gem you can hop on your bike for an easy commute to downtown Madison, nearby parks, hospitals, lakes... or walk to Monroe Street shops & Wingra Park. Updated chefs kitchen (Viking/Subzero), custom cherry cabinets, vaulted ceilings/skylights in the master. Delightful screen porch, windows galore, sunrm and a separate den/office makes the new normal of working from home a breeze (upstairs den/office has closet). Knob and Tube removed and insulation recently added. LL bedroom suite with separate entrance- great for visitors! Embrace color again or painting's easy. Youll fall in love with this one.

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All Brick ranch home on nearly 4 Acres! Home needs some TLC but is a solid home. Outside features include 3 out buildings, spacious yard and mature trees. Inside features include a spacious kitchen with stainless steel appliances, 3 large bedrooms, hardwood floors, and an open living room. The garage has basement access.

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Showings start 6/12. Well designed use of space to maximize light and connections to private and public spaces of the home. Please take a look at the virtual 3-D tour and floor plan to get a feel for this home's design and layout. Beautiful open concept first floor with high end appliances (Sub Zero, Viking and Wolf) in kitchen. This home has additional amenities such as a mud room off the garage with abundant storage, flex room with fireplace off main living area, home office, workout room and sauna. Large family room with wet bar. Great storage options in the garage and basement. Radiant in floor heat in basement. This is a well maintained clean and updated home. Great connection to outdoor space with screen porch and deck. See all the updates in Assoc Docs. Middleton Schools.

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Straight out of Cape Cod, this classic lake home is ready to be yours! Gorgeous chef's kitchen with hickory cabinetry & Viking appliances open to vaulted living room & dining area with fireplace & floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on patio and 55' of lake level frontage. Large, main level master suite features walk-in closet and en-suite full bath with extra large walk-in tile shower. Upstairs you'll find 3 additional bedrooms, 2nd full bath and large family/rec room with balcony overlooking the main floor (and the lake!). New wood shake roof 2019 per Seller, stone & brick detail, iron gate, and portico between the 2-car garage and the front porch complete the classic details of the exterior. Welcome to summer on the lake! All sq.ft./dimensions approx. Buyer to verify.

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Available for a quick closing and occupancy. Parade Home by Encore Builders. The details are the precision work of designers and craftsman. Rarely do we see a home this affordable with such impressive finishes and dramatic character. Granite counter tops. Wood floors. Custom cabinets. Natural light fills the rooms throughout the day. The screened porch and patio are shaded from the afternoon summer sun. The owner had the lower level finished by a skilled contractor and it's built to the same high quality as the rest of the house. The space was built intentionally for the comfort of extended stay guests. Ample room to play and entertain inside and out. Located in the DeForest school district. Walk to the park and Windsor Elementary. Schedule your private showing today!

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Dreaming of the perfect custom built home? Look no further! This home is in a desirable Verona School District and is STEPS away from bike trail, elementary and middle schools. Gourmet kitchen- Knotty Alder cabinets by Bella Domicile, large granite island. Everything a family could want- plenty of living space, nanny's quarters, in-law suite, exercise room, craft/art room, movie room, two built in offices. California closets throughout. The gorgeous home boosts newly refinished wood floors, new carpet/vinyl, and new paint. This spectacular home is ideal for entertaining- enormous and open two story great room with multiple french doors leading out to covered porch and deck that spans entire home. Built in speakers throughout home. This well designed home is move in ready.

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No showings until June 13th. Amazing Middleton home w/lake access! Enjoy Lake Mendota and a vibrant HOA w/ pier availability for owners. This immaculate, well kept beauty has an open floor plan, updated kitchen w/top of the line appliances, living rm w/ 2 story windows and see- through gas fireplace. Generous owners suite has a gas fireplace, walk in closet, bath w/jetted tub. Three bedrooms up w/ jack and jill bathroom and amazing views of the lake! Plenty of living space. Adorable yard area with wonderful landscaping in a wooded paradise. 2 car garage w/ huge extra storage area that could be finished for yet another living area! On demand hot water heater. ($300/year HOA fee)

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Showings 6/13 Stunning Nantucket-style home on Lake Waubesa! Filled with natural light, maple floors and fantastic views from all three levels of the home. Gourmet kitchen, great room with cozy, wood-burning fireplace and large mudroom opening up to flex workspace and potential laundry room. First floor bedroom and full bath. Gorgeous master suite complete with dual walk-in closets, in-floor heat, newly updated bath and a lovely private deck.Fully finished basement with exercise space, family room, custom laundry room and guest suite all with in-floor heat! Walk out to patio area, hot tub, expansive yard and personal pier. Plenty of storage with 2 car garage up and storage area below.

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No showings until Saturday June 13th. Beautiful brick Tudor in historic Nakoma. Lots of great room in this house for being together. Walking distance to schools and easy access to the bike path make this an exceptional location. This wonderful home features large windows in the kitchen overlooking the back yard, enjoy fireplaces in the living & family rooms. crown molding and hdwd floors in many rooms. Large master bedroom, a fenced back yard and a 2-Car garage!

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Elegant Spacious Executive Seminole Forest two-story with room to entertain! Cooks kitchen, granite, SS, walk-in pantry/closet, formal & informal dining w/wet serving bar area, grand limestone two-sided fireplace in family room/dinette, great room, all season sunroom, office/den, plus 2 half baths on main. Gorgeous wood floors & new carpet on main. 4 BR up, Owners suite w/fireplace, huge walk-in closet, rm for king bed, updated spa bath, spacious bedrooms for family & guests. Main bath w/oversized tub shower. Retreat to the LL w/new carpet in the theater room, kids play space, a workout room, generous storage & room to expand. Large private yard convenient to park, pool, school walking path. Easy access to all Fitchburg has to offer. Verona Schools. Per seller, some rooms freshly painted.

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Tucked away on a quiet street just North of Goodland Park on the shores of Lake Waubesa this brand new home is sure to impress! Tons of custom cabinetry, expansive open floor plan with fabulous porch with bluetooth speakers and heated floors, two decks and LL rec room with guest quarters. Upstairs boasts 4 bedrooms and laundry! Master suite open up to a private covered deck, wet bar, large walk in closet, soaking tub, double vanities and a custom tile shower with a lake view. A rare find-a boat house perfect for storage & entertaining. Great Waubesa Beach Community, close to boat launch and Christy's Landing. Interior photos available 6/18

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Truly the premier lakefront development on beautiful Lake Waubesa! This private paradise is located on the perfect two acre parcel and 341 ft of lake frontage. (part of Madison's chain of lakes). Enjoy beautiful sunsets from the lakeside hot tub & pool or from your private power screened balcony. Other amenities include a fitness center, community room, 2 lounge/patio areas with a fire pit and a convenient dog wash station. Boat slips, separate storage and heated underground parking. Interior finishes features 10ft ceilings, crown, quartz and granite, Kohler throughout, high end SS appliances. Top floor unit!

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PLEASE COMPLETE VIRTUAL TOUR BEFORE REQUESTING SHOWING DUE TO COVID Enjoy some of the most amazing sunset views from this custom built lake front home sitting on 78 feet of shoreline overlooking Lake Waubesa! This Home features a beautiful gourmet kitchen with custom cabinetry, 8x4 foot island, dry bar, hickory hardwood floors, and a beautiful stone and gas fireplace in the main living area. It features a 20x20 deck off of the kitchen and a Sonos sound stystem wired throughout. Main floor also boasts 2nd den/family room along with bedroom and full bath. Beautiful master suite with huge walk in shower, Kohler VibrAcoustic soaking tub and heated floors along with walk in closet. Finished LL for additional space and full bathroom. Home also features a 4 car heated garage.

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Fantastic, move in ready two story! Home has been updated with all new Andersen windows, furnace, water softener, lighting, kitchen backsplash, countertops and stainless steel appliances! Great layout with an open concept great room, formal dining room and a spacious main level master suite plus a newly reimagined laundry room with all new Amish cabinetry and built-ins, subway tile, sink and Electrolux washer and dryer! Three spacious bedrooms upstairs with great closet space. Exposed lower level rec room plus a large den/office and a full bath. The backyard features privacy landscaping and a new brick paver patio! Middleton schools and a great West Side location!

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Autumn Manor estate sits on 60 pastoral acres in Sauk County.Rolling hills, spacious views, pristine pastures, 1.5 acre fishing pond, terraced by the Baraboo River sets the stage for this spectacular home.The perfect blend of country charm and elegance. This impressive home boasts large sun filled rooms with views of the beautiful grounds, vaulted ceilings, fabulous island kitchen with dreamy main floor master suite. Large deck and patio with attached indoor pool is the perfect place for entertaining and relaxing with family & friends.The property spotted with bronze Remington statues accentuate the long tree lined drive to paradise. Let your horses or animals enjoy the split rail fenced pastures, or let them run in the 90 x 110 stable with indoor riding arena. Time to make new memories.

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Autumn Manor estate sits on 60 pastoral acres in Sauk County.Rolling hills, spacious views, pristine pastures, 1.5 acre fishing pond, terraced by the Baraboo River sets the stage for this spectacular home.The perfect blend of country charm and elegance.This impressive home boasts large sun filled rooms with views of the beautiful grounds, vaulted ceilings, fabulous island kitchen with dreamy main floor master suite. Large deck and patio with attached indoor pool is the perfect place for entertaining and relaxing with family & friends.The property spotted with bronze Remington statues accentuate the long tree lined drive to paradise. Let your horses or animals enjoy the split rail fenced pastures, or let them run in the 90 x 110 stable with indoor riding arena. Time to make new memories

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50 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the Madison Area - Rapid City Journal

By Katie Lannan

The University of Massachusetts will partner with a California-based university system to scale up its online educational programs with the goal of serving more adult learners, the schools announced Tuesday.

The partnership between UMass Online and Brandman University is expected to be finalized later this year. UMass officials said they are still working through its details.

The move comes amid the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and UMass officials said millions of adults in Massachusetts and across the country will need flexible, high-quality and affordable online education alternatives as they seek to recover from economic dislocation.

The COVID crisis has actually put quite an emphasis on the need for this, UMass Online CEO Don Kilburn told the News Service. During the recession in 2008, 2009, programs for working adults fully online programs went up significantly, because people were trying to get those skills to get back in a competitive workforce. Now you have the double whammy of people not really wanting to get in their car and head to a campus necessarily.

Kilburn said the partnership will present adult learners both in Massachusetts and across the country with an ability "to actually get a degree in a program that was built for if you're a working adult," accommodating their needs and schedules.

Brandman is based in Irvine, California, and it was established by Chapman University in 1958 to educate active-service military personnel. Kilburn described it as one of the best, if not the best, colleges that is actually geared toward working adults.

Chapman University President Daniele Struppa described the partnership with UMass as "an ideal fit for Brandman's next step."

"Brandman is destined for national prominence as a leader in education for working adults, but it is increasingly clear that Chapman has taken it as far as we can," Struppa said in a statement. "The time has come for Brandman to expand its reach."

The arrangement will strengthen UMass Online's technology platform and support services, according to the university. Kilburn said the partnership does not carry a cost for UMass or the state.

Adults in underserved communities will be a key target group for the new partnership, according to a press release from UMass. The university cited a Strada Network survey that found most American adults 62% are concerned about unemployment, but that percentage is higher among African Americans (68%) and Latinos and Asian Americans (72%).

University of Massachusetts system president Marty Meehan used his 2019 state of the university address to announce plans to create a new online college focused on adult learners.

Quality, affordability and flexibility in higher education are needed more than ever to address the troubling lack of economic mobility, Meehan said in a statement Tuesday. Through this partnership, we will deliver for the citizens of the Commonwealth and for learners across the nation. Given the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and the vivid impact of racial inequality, a venture that previously seemed important to us is now nothing less than essential.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing requirements forced colleges and universities to move their traditional, in-person classes online to finish the spring semester, and many schools are now looking ahead to incorporate more online and remote learning into their fall plans.

All of us in higher education discovered how important distance learning is when the pandemic made on-campus classes impossible, Katherine Newman, the UMass systems chancellor of academic programs, said in a statement. But to scale up online education, we are going to need to do much more than translate our current curriculum to Zoom. We need to grow an affordable, flexible form of online education.

Read more from the original source:
University of Massachusetts scaling up online learning, partners with Californias Brandman University on adu - MassLive.com

BOSTON The University of Massachusetts and Chapman University System announced their intent to form an exclusive strategic partnership between UMass Online and Brandman University to expand educational opportunities for adult learners in Massachusetts and across the nation.

This partnership, expected to be finalized later this year, will be launched as millions of adults in Massachusetts and across the U.S. need flexible, high-quality, and affordable online-education alternatives now and as they recover from the economic dislocation caused by COVID-19, which has disproportionately impacted communities of color.

Based in Irvine, Calif., Brandman was established in 1958 by Chapman University, a 159-year-old private institution in Orange, Calif. Originally founded to deliver high-quality education to active-service military, Brandman has evolved into a widely recognized leader in online education, with a strong record of serving veterans and a diverse range of adult learners.

The partnership will augment UMass Online, which now supports more than 25,000 students, strengthening its technology platform and student-support services tailored to adult learners.

As our state and national economies are rapidly shifting, we need to do more for adults who are already in the workplace and those who have been displaced to enhance their current skills and develop new ones, said UMass President Marty Meehan, who first announced plans to scale up online programs for adult learners last year. Quality, affordability, and flexibility in higher education are needed more than ever to address the troubling lack of economic mobility. Through this partnership, we will deliver for the citizens of the Commonwealth and for learners across the nation. Given the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and the vivid impact of racial inequality, a venture that previously seemed important to us is now nothing less than essential.

Meehan recently cited dramatic declines in the number of high-school graduates and employers need for a highly skilled workforce in announcing plans to scale up online programming at UMass. He also cited the troubling lack of economic mobility among African-Americans and Hispanics. The economic disruption caused by COVID-19 has accelerated these challenges, and the need for new online education programs that remove the obstacles adult learners often face is now even more urgent.

A key target group for the partnership will be adult learners in underserved communities. According to a Strada Network survey of 4,000 adults, most Americans (62%) are concerned about unemployment, but African-Americans are moreso (68%), and their Latinx and Asian counterparts are even more worried (72%). The same study indicated that 53% of adult learners prefer online education opportunities.

It is not a simple matter to accommodate adults who have to juggle children, jobs, elder care, and college attendance when the classes we offer are largely available during the work day, said Katherine Newman, chancellor of Academic Programs fior the UMass system. By far the best solution is to be found in rigorous, creative online education. All of us in higher education discovered how important distance learning is when the pandemic made on-campus classes impossible. But to scale up online education, we are going to need to do much more than translate our current curriculum to Zoom. We need to grow an affordable, flexible form of online education.

The rest is here:
UMass to Expand Online Educational Opportunities for Adults - Business West

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Singapore-based HeyHi, an interactive online educational platform, has chosen Vonage (Nasdaq: VG), a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, to power outstanding online classroom learning experiences to schools, learning centers, tuition centers and private tutors in Asia and North America.

HeyHis platform offers a fully interactive whiteboard with unlimited writing space and multiple screens, designed for interactive real-time, online learning. With an easy-to-use interface that simplifies the learning process using video, screen sharing, and instant messaging, it is compatible with any device and suitable for students of all ages.

Vonages Video APIs are embedded within HeyHis web application to facilitate and support its one-to-one online math tutoring platform - iMath as well as other one-to-many online classroom sessions. HeyHi has 10,000 customers, with 100,000 engagements over the last three months.

For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, HeyHi is offering its online education solutions for free to support teachers, parents and students. With schools and educational institutions closed in most nations, teachers, tutors and students need a robust online educational platform to provide an effective learning environment.

Vonages Communications Services Platform allows developers to easily build innovative communication experiences - from SMS to voice to video and beyond - directly into their existing applications and devices. Embedding the Vonage Video APIs within HeyHis solutions enables enhanced communications between teachers and students.

In light of COVID-19, online educational platforms are more essential than ever. HeyHi provides flexible and uninterrupted educational services for continued learning; high-quality video and screen sharing services are critical to that. Vonages Video APIs can be easily integrated with our web application to deliver enhanced communications among our users, said Yueh Mei, Founder/CEO of HeyHi.

HeyHi is used by teachers in schools, learning centers, tuition centers and private tutors. This includes Singapore-based ProLearn Tuition Centers and KidsExcel, teachers from Ai Tong School and Paya Lebar Methodist Girls School, as well as tutors of Seriously Addictive Mathematics (S.A.M) in Thailand, New Zealand and Canada.

The World Economic Forum says over 1.2 billion children in 186 countries1 have been adversely impacted by school closures during COVID-19. At the same time there has been a significant rise in online learning tools and applications.

The EdTech industry is booming in Asia. Market Research reported that APAC will be the fastest growing region for the Learning Management System market with a CAGR of over 19.75% from 2019-2027.2

"Vonage has been a worldwide leader in webRTC video solutions since the webRTC standard was established in 2012 and Vonages Communications Services Platform is powering the solutions of many of the world's leading educational services, like HeyHi," said Sunny Rao, Vonage Vice President and General Manager for the Asia Pacific region. We are delighted to support HeyHis educational services across Singapore, United States, Canada, Vietnam and Thailand. We recognize the immediate need for agile online educational platforms such as HeyHi that support home-based learning, benefiting both students and teachers.

Vonages Communications Services Platform has more than one million registered developers and offers a full suite of programmable voice, video, messaging, and email services to forward-thinking businesses throughout the Asia-Pacific market and worldwide. Through its partners, Vonages platform is at the center of many notable transformational projects in the region, and a de facto for startups.

To find out more about Vonage, visit http://www.vonage.com.

###

About Vonage

Vonage, (Nasdaq: VG) a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage's Communications Services Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. Vonage's fully programmable unified communications and contact center applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or anywhere, providing enormous flexibility and ensuring business continuity.

Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, Australia and Asia. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit http://www.twitter.com/vonage. To become a fan on Facebook, go to facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit youtube.com/vonage.

About HeyHi

HeyHi empowers online teaching with video conferencing for live communications and a powerful interactive whiteboard for collaboration. Communication and collaboration bring about engaged and meaningful learning in a live online environment. It is designed with deep pedagogy in mind by a team who collectively has more than 25 years of experience in teaching, curriculum planning, assessment and educational policy, and supported by a highly-skilled and rigorous tech team. Together, their passion to bring affordable and accessible education through live-online teaching propels the team to continuously iterate and make HeyHi better each day.

Visit HeyHi at http://www.heyhi.sg or follow HeyHi Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/639168979993925/) for latest updates and features.

1tps://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/

2tps://www.marketresearch.com/Inkwood-Research-v4104/Asia-Pacific-Learning-Management-System-12289424/

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HeyHi Selects Vonage to Power Global Online Education Platform - Business Wire

During the coronavirus pandemic, online learning came to the forefront for students of all ages.

While grammar schools, intermediate schools and high schools wont move to the web platform, colleges across the country realize they have to offer remote classes to stay competitive.

One online learning school called Coursera.org has been specializing in online education for years.

Coursera is a world-wide online learning platform founded in 2012 by Stanford professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller that offers massive open online courses, specializations and degrees.

Its not just another of the worlds run-of-the-mill online colleges. You will specialize in a particular field of your choice and once you graduate you will be ready to take on the world.

Right now, you can sign up for free and see what Coursera has to offer.

Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, specializations, and degrees in a variety of subjects, such as engineering, data science, machine learning, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences and others.

And you can get a certified degree in a lot less time it takes at traditional colleges and universities.

According to Wikipedia, courses last approximately 4 to 10 weeks, with one to two hours of video lectures a week.

These courses provide quizzes, weekly exercises, peer-graded assignments, and sometimes a final project or exam. Courses are also provided on-demand, in which case users can take their time in completing the course with all of the material available at once. As of May 2015, Coursera offered 104 on-demand courses.

As of 2017, Coursera offered full masters degrees.

The cost you might ask? Well, you wont have to break the bank, compared to some traditional colleges and universities.

Coursera offers some free courses, but the cost of individual courses which last 4 to 6 weeks range in price from $29 to $99.

Specialized programs, which can last 4-6 months, are $39-$79 per month.

An online degree, which can take 1-3 years can range from $15,000 to $25,000, a steep discount from what private colleges and universities charge.

Click here to register now for free and explore all Coursera has to offer.

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Online learning is in and Coursera has been doing it for years with affordable college degrees - SILive.com

Few companies have performed as well as Chegg (NYSE:CHGG) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the potential for and necessity of online education became apparent. Its stock didn't fall very far at the outset and shares have more than doubled since, but investors should hold off on jumping into this hot stock.

The pandemic has likely been a transformational event for digital education, but there are variables that still need to be sorted out. Chegg has come very far, very fast and the near term carries downside risk, even if the long-term looks bright.

Image source: Getty Images.

Higher education is in need of an overhaul, not least because of the cost involved in getting a college degree. Student loan debt stands at $1.6 trillion and is second to only mortgage debt in weighing down American consumers, but the sheepskin that graduates receive isn't nearly as valuable as it once was and will take a lifetime for many students to pay off.

The shutting down of educational institutions during the crisis showed how distance learning can change the system, and this might be the first stages of what becomes a structural shift that benefits Chegg, which provides tutoring, work skills, and more.

Many people first learned of Chegg when they rented textbooks to do an end run around another exorbitantly overpriced portion of higher education, but the company is now making its mark with direct-to-student learning.

Chegg's textbook rentals began in 2007, but it has since transitioned to offering a full suite of services mostly for college students, but also high school students, and even a few middle school offerings, too.

Among the services available are online classes, tutoring, video problem-solving, error and and plagiarism check software, as well as study materials on virtually any subject. It also offers career information and job placement assistance for entry-level positions. The online, always available tools provide the one-on-one assistance students need to master writing, math, and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of students at all levels to adapt to a new, alternative way of receiving an education. With in-person, one-on-one assistance shuttered along with school, Chegg was one of those services that enabled students to adapt to this new reality, one that could continue long after this crisis passes.

Chegg reported last month that first-quarter subscriptions to services such as Chegg Study, Chegg Writing, Math Solver, and Tutors surged 35% to 2.9 million students, generating 235 million total views of coursework and boosting revenue by 35% to $131.6 million.

While that's a remarkable increase on its own, the fact is that students were already moving toward virtual learning through Chegg in greater numbers before schools were required to change over to online education.

Chegg said subscriber growth was up 33% for the first two months of the quarter and accelerated from those levels in the middle of March, coinciding with COVID-19 being declared a pandemic and businesses and institutions being forced to shut down. It now expects second-quarter subscriber growth to exceed 45%, with a similar percentage increase in revenue to as much as $137 million.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) is also forecast to leap forward, coming in between $40 million and $48 million, a 50% to 57% increase over the year-ago period.

Like many businesses, it is not comfortable looking too far out into the future because of the pandemic, so it has not provided full-year guidance.

Chegg's stock hit a 52-week low of just under $26 a share in March and has soared 126% since then as investors caught on to the potential for this virtual teaching assistant. While shares have eased back from the highs they hit following its earnings report, they remain elevated. That's why, although Chegg looks like a great long-term pick, it might not be the best investment now.

There remains a lot of uncertainty about how fall semester classes will be held, whether students will be allowed to enroll and return to class in person beginning in September. As much as a transformation is necessary for higher education, it won't happen overnight. The economy's return to normalcy could be signal of a resumption of the established ways for schooling, too.

That doesn't mean Chegg won't still grow. The company continues to expand its offerings to new students at earlier stages of education, such as middle school and even elementary school, while expanding internationally.

Analysts forecast Chegg will grow earnings 25% annually, but the stock trades at over 40 times estimated profits for the coming year. And though free cash flow jumped to $8 million in the first quarter from $3.9 million last year, the stock goes for over 65 times FCF, an exceptionally high valuation.

Chegg remains a good, long-term stock pick that will benefit from changes that are desperately needed to break the cycle of high-cost education, but not at just any price. Chegg doesn't deserve to go to the head of the class just yet.

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This Online Education Stock Has Great Long-Term Potential, but Is It a Buy Right Now? - Motley Fool

Gregg Coccari feels torn. Its early June, and the coronavirus pandemic has thrown tens of millions of people out of work. But the company he runs, online learning platform Udemy, is thriving. Of course were very excited about that, he says. But were also watching people get laid off, and we see them struggling.

A lot of those people are flocking to Udemys selection of 150,000 online classes, most of which sell for from $10 to $20. In May alone, the company logged 25 million new enrollments, compared to 9 million the previous May. Its Udemy for Business division, which sells annual subscriptions for $360 per user to companies including Adidas and Toyota, is booming, too. Among the most popular classes: best practices for Zoom videoconferencing and how to manage a virtual team.

Udemy CEO Gregg Coccari

From March through May, Udemys sales were double the total for the same period in 2019, says Coccari. Surging demand will likely drive revenue above $400 million this year, according to two sources with knowledge of Udemys finances. (Coccari says that number is in the ballpark.) He says Udemy would be profitable if it werent planning to hire 200 people this year and investing in overseas expansion. It already has courses in 65 languages and customers in 190 countries.

Clad in a roomy grey T-shirt, Coccari, 67, is running things from a bedroom in his 1920s Spanish colonial home in Santa Monica, California. Starting in early 2019, when he became CEO, most Mondays he caught a 6:30 am flight to San Francisco, where the ten-year-old company is based, or he headed to one of its branch offices in Denver, Dublin, Ankara, So Paulo or Gurgaon, India. Now his life imitates a Udemy course, and hes not thrilled about it. Yesterday I had ten hours of Zoom meetings, he says. Id like to break my laptop. I prefer human interaction.

But Udemy is benefiting from worldwide social isolation. While K-12 schools and colleges struggle to teach online, Udemy is simply opening the spigot on a business model it pioneered. Its platform hosts unaccredited courses taught by instructors who independently create videotaped lessons and answer email questions from students on a Udemy message board. The company collects a share, usually 50%, of the course fees. Users determine which courses get the most traffic by posting star ratings and reviews.

LEFT Udemy Founder Eren Bali. RIGHT Bali in Udemy's first office in 2013.

Founder Eren Bali, 35, who chairs Udemys board, got the idea for the company after growing up in an impoverished village in southeastern Turkey where he pursued his math obsession by researching problems on the Web. He believed that great online instructors didnt need fancy degrees. We wanted to create a marketplace-based education company where any expert in the world could teach their own course, he says. He tried launching a livestreamed version of the site in Turkey in 2007. It flopped but SpeedDate, a live online dating site based in Silicon Valley, recruited him as an engineer.

He and two cofounders bootstrapped Udemys U.S. launch (the name is a portmanteau of you and academy) in 2010 after more than 200 funders turned them down. Edtech investor Daniel Pianko of New York-based University Ventures regrets passing on the opportunity. I thought the idea was too crazy, he says. Online education at the time was dominated by accredited for-profit giants like University of Phoenix. It was a totally revolutionary concept, that someone unaffiliated with a university could teach a course, he says.

While K-12 schools and colleges struggle to teach online, Udemy is simply opening the spigot on a business model it pioneered.

The first Udemy courses included how to make money playing poker online and how to pick up women. But the founders soon realized that coding and business skills like data science and team-building were more in demand. Those courses make up two thirds of Udemys selection. But the platform is still open to anyone who wants to teach. Portrait drawing and Reiki massage courses have been popular during the pandemic.

Competing online education sites including LinkedIn Learning and Coursera work with university professors (Coursera) or they heavily screen would-be instructors (LinkedIn Learning) and reject most applicants. By contrast, Udemy instructors just have to satisfy six items on a checklist of minimum requirements like posting at least 30 minutes of video content per course. All subject matter is welcome aside from a shortlist of no-nos like porn, firearms and hate speech. A handful of top Udemy instructors earn as much as $1 million a year. Read about one here.

Coccari says several hundred instructors make at least six figures annually, and that number will likely double this year. They include Teresa Greenway, 61, who earned $12,400 this May from her bread-baking courses. A high school dropout who married at 21, she had 10 children including a son with autism before she escaped her abusive marriage a decade ago. I had no degree, no work history and I was pretty battered emotionally, she says. In 2015, she stumbled on Udemy and put together a three-hour sourdough course.

After escaping an abusive marriage, Teresa Greenway discovered Udemy, where demand for her sourdough bread baking courses is spiking.

She now has 13 courses, which feed several other income streams, including eight self-published books, which she sells on Amazon. She records all her Udemy videos in advance. Once posted, they run on autopilot. Her only interaction with students is through a Udemy message board where students post questions. She spends 20 minutes a day writing answers. Last year Udemy accounted for the biggest chunk of the $78,000 she earned. This year she expects her income to double.

Bali left as CEO in 2014 and the company churned through two more bosses before Coccari took over last year. (In 2014 Bali cofounded a San Francisco startup, Carbon Health, where he is CEO.) A Wharton grad and serial startup CEO, Coccaris last job was heading Milwaukee-based premium pet food purveyor Stella & Chewys. One of that companys backers, Ken Fox of New York-based venture firm Stripes, is a Udemy investor and board member. He asked Coccari to take the CEO job and manage Udemys expansion.

In February Coccari closed a $50 million investment from Benesse Holdings, the publicly traded Tokyo-based education and senior care conglomerate that owns the Berlitz language schools. The deal brought Udemys total capital invested to more than $200 million and vaulted its valuation from a reported $710 million to $2 billion. Though Japans pandemic lockdowns were less restrictive than other countries, Udemys Japanese revenue in the first five months of 2020 tripled sales for the same period in 2019, according to Benesse CEO Tamotsu Adachi.

Udemy welcomes all subject matter aside from a shortlist of no-nos like porn, firearms and hate speech.

Coccari is cautious about predicting how the pandemic will shape the future of education. But online learning cheerleaders like Chicago edtech investor Deborah Quazzo of GSV Ventures believes the virtual education market will hit $1 trillion in 2026, more than double what she expected before the pandemic. She says Udemy is poised to balloon in size and regrets that she didnt fund the company. I was stupid, she says.

Coccari says hes concentrating on the present. Were just really focused on making sure we can handle these massive spikes in traffic, he says. We dont know what the world is going to look like at the end of all this.

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Anyone Can Teach Anything On This Education SiteAnd Thats Why Its Worth Billions - Forbes

GERMANTOWN, Md., June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the increase in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for online education resources has skyrocketed. In response, Hughes Network Systems, LLC(HUGHES), the company behind America's No. 1 satellite Internet serviceHughesNet,joins with National 4-H Council to empower kids through online access to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

The new 4-H at Home platform, developed with the support of HughesNet,combines innovative resources like the 4-H STEM Lab with curriculum and activities from America's Cooperative Extension System. From February to March, the 4-H STEM Lab saw a 419 percent increase in traffica reflection of the increased need for online educational content. Building on the momentum of the HughesNet-sponsored STEM Lab, this new 4-H at Home online destination helps families discover even more activities in areas such as STEM and healthy living, enhancing their at-home learning experience.

"With so many students learning at home due to COVID-19, there is an urgent need for online access to educational resources," said Peter Gulla, senior vice president of marketing at Hughes. "We are pleased that through our support of 4-H STEM content we are able to help bring quality educational materials to more children and their families during this unprecedented time."

"Across the country, communities are facing unforeseen challenges due to the impact of the coronavirus," said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. "We recognize it can be stressful for parents and families to maintain a sense of normalcy and make sure kids stay on track in their daily development. We are excited to launch the 4-H at Home resource with the support of important partners like HughesNet and the innovation of America's Cooperative Extension System to help ensure young people have the resources to stay connected and engaged during this uncertain time."

Recently, the Peer Awards for Excellencerecognized Hughes for its work with 4-H promoting STEM education. The company was shortlisted for a Peer Award in Corporate Responsibility in Educating Young People and honored with an Award for Innovation in the category. In 2018, Hughes earned a Peer Award in Corporate Responsibilityfor innovative hands-on learning resources developed with 4-H, including STEM Lab. Peer Award recipients undergo a meticulous evaluation process by fellow professionals across criteria such as impact and innovation.

Since 2014, HughesNet has supported 4-H's efforts to bring STEM learning opportunities to young people across the country. For more information, visithttps://www.hughesnet.com/about/4-h-sponsorship

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet, the world's largest satellite network with over 1.5 million residential and business customers across the Americas. For large enterprises and governments, the company's HughesON managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER System is the world's most widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 40 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 7 million terminals of all types to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations. For additional information about Hughes, please visitwww.hughes.comand follow@HughesConnectson Twitter.

About EchoStar

EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit echostar.com. Follow @EchoStaron Twitter.

About 4H

4H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4H programs empower nearly 6 million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4H is the youth development program of our nation's Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3000 local Extension offices. The research-backed 4H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.

2020 Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company. Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks and JUPITER is a trademark of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

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Hughes Joins with 4-H to Champion Online STEM Education amid Increased Demand for Virtual Learning - Herald-Mail Media