1 . Thanks to artificial intelligence, education is more accessible and efficient than ever. To give you an overview of the industry, we round up some AI technology applied in education.

Duolingo

Duolingo provides listening, reading and speaking exercises in dozens of global languages, all the while providing aspects of gamification to keep users coming back. By applying AI, Duolingo’s lessons are paced and leveled specifically for each student according to their performance. It also uses data and machine learning to make course improvements, taking into consideration the differences of various languages.

Amira Learning

Amira Learning is a virtual learning application created to accelerate young students’ reading comprehension. Using AI technology, Amira has students read stories aloud and can assess oral reading fluency as well as identify areas for improvement. For teachers and parents, Amira also provides services such as student progress reports and dyslexia (阅读障碍) risk screening.

Blippar

Blippar’s products combine computer vision intelligence technology and augmented reality to enhance the way students learn in the classroom. The interactive materials bring subjects like geography, biology and physics to a visual space. For example, instead of reading about a volcanic eruption, the system shows students a virtual 3D model of the eruption process.

Nuance

Nuance makes speech-to-text software used by students and faculty to transcribe (转成) up to 160 words per minute. The technology is especially helpful for students who struggle with writing or have limited mobility. It also enhances spelling ability and word identification. Instructors use the software to dictate lectures for later use or quicken repetitive tasks like document and email creation.

2 . Plan a day-trip to Little Switzerland for some wintertime fun

Jim Thorpe, about 30 miles from Allentown, will hold its annual Winter Fest from Thursday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 18. The celebration will feature ice carvings, live entertainment, train rides, horse-drawn carriage rides and a luminaria walk through its downtown area.

In honor of an Olympic gold medalist, who is buried in a grave on North Street, the mountain town changed its name to Jim Thorpe in 1954. Whichever side you land on, Jim Thorpe — known for whitewater rafting, cycling and music festivals — is a unique destination any time of year, with winter bringing its own unique pleasures.

The festival features concerts, yoga and horse and buggy rides. Mauch Chunk Opera House, 14 W. Broadway, will hold a Rush Experience tribute concert at 8 p. m. Friday. Tickets cost $ 24. On Saturday, an ELO and Jeff Lynne tribute concert will begin at 8 p. m. Tickets cost $ 37.

You can check out the yoga class at 10 a. m. Saturday with Stacey Valdez of Fairy Moon Yoga at 41 W. Broadway. Admission is $ 20. The class, suitable for all levels, is one hour and bring your own mat.

Also Saturday: various bands performing in Josiah White Park along with a live ice carving at 5 W. Broadway. The Jim Thorpe Trolley Company will offer trolley rides (weather permitting) on Saturday and Sunday. Or you can horse around on a carriage ride by Crystal View Carriage Company on Friday through Sunday. No reservations are being taken, so arrive early.

For something more scenic, catch a train ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Thursday-Monday. Advanced tickets are highly recommended.

Karl was Fred’s son. When his son was little, Fred’s wife passed away, so a mountainous responsibility landed on Fred’s shoulders. Fred was fond of and cared about his son so much that he raised his son with all his heart and soul. He taught him to walk, talk, read and write. He also taught him how to be a true and moral man. When Karl came home with an injury due to falling off his bike or something else, it would hurt Fred’s heart more than it would hurt the boy. Whenever Karl went down with a fever, Fred would sit beside him day and night, barely sleeping a wink (合眼). He always supported Karl in every aspect. Gradually, Karl grew up to become an adult.

How deeply Fred loved his son! However, Fred was unprepared for the day when his beloved son Karl told him he would leave and start his own business in a new city.

“But, Karl, you are too young to start a business,” Fred warned his son. “You still have a long way to go. I think you can help me manage the cafe my grandma left to me first. This way, I’d be able to teach you more about business.” But Karl was stubborn and wouldn’t follow Fred’s advice. “Dad, I am not a kid anymore, so allow me to determine my life. OK?” said Karl. One week later, Karl packed his things and left for the new city, leaving the sad and worried father behind.

Three months passed. One night, Fred got a call from his son. It was strange because Karl seldom called him up after he left for the new city. “Dad, I should have followed your suggestions and stayed at home. I went bankrupt (破产的) and I am in debt now,” Karl said. “I knew this would happen someday,” Fred painfully thought. He planned to help his son and made one of his most difficult choices. “Don’t worry, my son. Luckily, you will succeed to (继承) a huge amount of money from your uncle, soon,” Fred told Karl.

“Oh, I am so fortunate,” said Kurl.   

On his way back home, Kar l was wondering how his father was.          

4 . Lamar Giles is the author of several praised novels and short stories for young adults. His most recent novel is called The Getaway (Scholastic Press, 2022).

I recently spoke with Giles via video. Born and raised in Virginia, he has had a passion for writing, he told me, since he was a child. “It was just amusing to me,” he said.

Growing up in Hopewell, Giles experienced poverty and racism. He recalled a frightening moment when he and his friends were stopped by police officers. “They were pulling out really big, scary weapons,” Giles recalled, “threatening us for no reason, other than the fact that we were young, Black children.”

When Giles was in his early 20s, he met professional authors who showed him that he could make a living doing what he loved. At age 21, he saw one of his stories published in a little-known magazine. It took another decade for Giles to write and publish his first novel.

The challenges Giles met with when growing up proved to be a catalyst (催化剂) for his writing. “When something scares me, I’ll write about it,” he said. “If I write a story around it, it makes me feel better about the fear and anxiety.”

The author’s thriller (惊险小说) for young adults, Fake ID (Amistad Books for Young Readers, 2015), tells the story of Nick Pearson. The character, who is Black, faces racial profiling in his hometown, as Giles did. Nick is suspected of committing a crime because of his race and his “shady” neighborhood. In one scene, he is held at the county jail after being falsely accused by a governor of a state.

Giles is also a co-founder of We Need Diverse Books. The nonprofit organization promotes diversity initiatives in the publishing industry, supporting authors whose stories are often ignored. The goal, Giles said, is to enable all kids to see themselves in the books they read.

8 . The glass armonica (玻璃琴), also known as a glass harmonica or simply armonica, is a musical instrument that produces sound by rubbing glass with wet fingers. It was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.

The instrument consists of a series of glass bowls of varying sizes, fixed straight on a spindle (轴). The glass bowls are arranged in order of size, with the largest bowl on one end and the smallest on the other.

Franklin came up with the idea after attending a concert in Cambridge. The performer was rubbing wine glasses to produce musical notes. Franklin thought that was not efficient. He decided to invent a set of musical instruments made of glass.

So, he hired a London glassmaker to construct 36 bowls to specific thicknesses and sizes. He fixed the bowls horizontally on a spindle with the largest bowl on one end and the smallest on the other. In this way the musician can play the glass bowls like a keyboard.

The glass armonica became prevalent during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Mozart and Beethoven both composed chamber pieces for it.

But by the 1820s, it was nearly a forgotten instrument in fears that it had the power to drive the listener mad. Some armonica players became ill and had to stop playing the instrument. They complained of muscle spasms (痉挛), nervousness, cramps, and dizziness. A few listeners were also affected. The instrument was actually banned in a few towns. “The armonica too inspires the nerves, drives the player into a troublesome depression and later into a dark and sad mood that is a method for slow self-destroying.”

However, no explanation or proof was ever really given to any of these claims. Franklin himself ignored all of the argument and continued to play the instrument until the end of his life.