Thing #16

For the audio app, I decided to let my daughters play around with it and see what they could do with the different audio equipment that was available on the thing list. 

Audioboo: Audioboo was very simple to use and allowed the user to record up to three minutes of audio. For my children this was not enough time because they like to sing and they could sing for hours. It was fun to use never the less but I don't see much use for it myself. I don't find myself needing to record anything that would only be three minutes long. If the app allowed for more recording time, I could see students using it to record a lecture or something of that manner. 

iPatio: This app is an absolute keeper. You are able to record up to 60 minutes of audio which really makes it worth the download. This app has provided endless hours of non-stop entertainment for my kids as they keep singing songs and will re-playing them over and over again. If I was more technology smart I would download one on here but I'm not that good. 

Thing #23 The last thing.....

• Go back to your thoughts/ideas about  mobile devices and apps. Has anything changed as a result of this experience?

I think I have opened my mind to a wide variety of different apps that I would not have otherwise tried. I now realize why people are all about having a smart phone with lots of GBs to use. I had found out while working on this project that my phone is out of date and does not have the necessary room on it to be able to hold and play a wide variety of different apps/games.

• What were your favorite Things and discoveries?

My favorite things involved discovering what I could do with the different photo type apps that are available. I like to take lots of pictures and really enjoyed learning how to crop, edit and even shade some of my photos to give them more appeal. This is something that I will continue to use in the future. 

• How did you connect with others doing the 23 Mobile Things?

I did not really connect with others while doing this project. I did have discussions with my boss on the different apps and what she was working on. I found it interesting to look at different people's blogs to see what they had discovered compared to what I discovered on the different things. It is always nice to know that you aren't the only one out there that doesn't know about some of the apps that are available. 

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I was surprised that this program had so many different apps that you could try out. You could really tell that someone did their homework when it came to putting this project together. I was also surprised by the amount of time that I had to put into it but was glad to learn alot of different things about a wide variety of apps. 

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or content?

I think the format and content was very good. Everything was easy to understand and any information was easy to find. 

• If we offered a another 23 Things program like this in the future would you participate?

If another program like this was offered, I would definitely do it again. It gives my brain something to think about 

• How would you describe your learning experience in one word or in one sentence, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities to others?

 Interesting

Thing #22 Discovering Apps

When it comes to discovering different apps, I have never been one to cruise through the app store and see what is available, my daughters do that way too much as it is. If I go to the app store, I go there with a purpose. This thing is all about discovering apps that are out there so here we go......

Apps Gone Free: So on my free issue today we have Fairway Solitaire, Game of War, Worm Run, aremaC, Spendee, Toca Mini, Neon Thrust, Photo Transfer Pro, DOOO, StillShot and TopNotes Pro. Decisions, decisions. I think I'm going to try Worm Run as my four year old loves worms. They are her "friends" as she puts it. Here goes nothing...

Worm Run: This game is all about staying away from the worm. You have to collect different items as you pass through the game and complete each mission. Sounds easy enough. That worm is fast and before you know it.... it attacks!!! This is a fun game to play if you are looking to waste time. It is very easy to play and just requires a swipe of a finder to keep the game going. 

I think I have had all the fun on this app for the day............

Thing #19 Hobbies

When looking at the apps listed on this particular thing, I have to admit that none of them really stick out to me but I'll give one of them a chance before I try to find my own hobby app in which I will actually use. 

Sibley eGuide to Birds of North America LITE: I decided to try this particular app because we have recently noticed a bunch of different birds coming to our bird feeder that stands in our backyard. My daughters are very interested in what kind of birds they are and why they come to our feeder. 

The first bird that we were able to identify was the "American Goldfinch". This bird is absolutely gorgeous with it's range of bright yellow coloring. 

Another very common bird that we see pecking around our feeding is the "American Robin". I think most people are familiar with this type of bird in Northern Minnesota because when they start appearing it usually means spring is on it's way. ( Three more snows as I have heard. ) 

 This was the extent of what we see in our feeder that is listed in this LITE version of Sibley's Bird eGuide. We do see a lot of pretty Blue Jays but unfortunately they are not listed on this guide. We will have to do research another way to find out about these magnificent creatures. 

Since this thing is all about hobbies, I decided to go ahead and try out a hobby app that I would enjoy. I downloaded Daily Knitting. This app is a great place to look at different people's blogs and videos and acquire new patterns to work on. I think this app is a great way to find new and creative ideas when you are stuck in a rut. As a beginning knitter, I enjoy the videos more than anything. I am a visual learner and learn better from watching than just reading. 

Thing #21

Thing #21 is all about an app that you love. For starters I am not a big game player and don't like to waste my time with these apps so if I had to pick a favorite app I would have to chose........ Netflix. 

 
The reason I really like this app is because it is easy to use and convenient when I'm looking for something to watch while I knit. I'm been working very hard on infant hats and an currently working on a child's hat so I find it entertaining to listen/watch some tv shows from my mobile device.

Another app that I use on a frequent basis is Google Calendar. This app is a great way for my to check my work schedule or even schedule appointments. It is very convenient when you are on the go and want to make plans with people because you can check at the click of a button. 

 

Thing #18

 For thing #18, I have never chose to use any of these apps previously so I decided to go with a few that sounded fun for my whole family to enjoy and learn from.

Eat this not that: This game is all about picking the food that you think is the healthier choice. The more you guess correctly, the more points that you score. You can play in a casual mode where you go through the pictures slowly or the speed mode where you are playing against the clock. This game is pretty fun if you are looking to waste time. I don't think you are going to learn a whole lot while doing the speed mode because you are just picking fast so you can get a high score. Great options and lots of choices for a free game. 

MyScript Calculator: This is an app that I was able to use on an iPad. It is really neat how it enables you to write your own math problems and then solves them for you as like a calculator. The only problem that I had with this app is it's inability to read some of the stuff that I had written. It can't always distinguish what I have written so it guesses what it could be. Other than that a great app if you are looking to use a calculator do complex problems. 

Little Learner's Play n' Learn: This looked like a very fun app for my kids to play with but unfortunately I was unable to get this to download the two times that I tried it. :(

 

Thing #17

For thing #17 I decided to give the app NNC Now a chance because the news is always good to know and with the weather we have had lately it's not a bad idea to know what is going on there either. I found this app extremely user friendly. It was easy to download and very easy to navigate. I was able to view everything from the top news to sports and everything in-between. I think this app is a great one to have on your phone because it is like having a newscaster at the palm of your hands. I think this app also is a great way to have a conversation starter. Many of the people that go into the library are of the older generation and the news and weather is a great topic to bring up when you don't know what else to say ( besides talking about books that is ). I'm glad that I gave this app a good try and will definitely be keeping it on my phone.

I looked at a wide variety of the other apps and have decided to for-go those apps as most of them have to do with stuff down in the southern part of the state. I am way up in Northern Minnesota and have no use for a lot of the information. I'm sure they are great apps for people that live in that area or who plan on visiting that area frequently.

Thing #14

Thing #14 is all about videos and making videos. I'm not a big fan of the whole "selfie" thing so in order to get this one done I'm going to let my kids experiment with it and see how it goes. 

 Vine: I have to say one of the first things that surprised me about this app was the fact that it made you confirm that you are over the age of 17 due to the material of Vine. I thought this was a little odd but any who... Here was my experience with this app. First off I was really surprised that this was a feed type app. It allows lots of people to view your videos. I don't think I will be posting anything virally due to this. Another thing I noticed is that it only allows you to find friends via Twitter or email and for someone like me that uses Facebook more than the other two options, I'm tough out of luck finding friends. 

Thing #15

InfoGraphics.... Never heard of the term before. Apparently Infographics is a hot new buzz word that allows you to display information visually. This sounds interesting so let's give it a try...

 
info.Graphics: At first glance after downloading the app, it reminded me of a variety of different flyers showing off what was going on or information that they had collected. I must say that they are very neatly done. After multiply tries to get this app to open and run, I have given up. It would let me do anything. So much for learning.....

(Throughout this process, I did have trouble with the app as it kept on closing on me and freezing up :( Not something that you want with an app that you are using. It could just be my device?? I don't know for sure.) 

If the app worked it seems like a great resource that you can use to advertise different programs that are going on at the library. It is creative and very colorful. It provides a great opportunity to get the word out there via virtual network sites. This would be a great tool to use when posting new information on a library Facebook page!

**Note** I was unable to find the apps, Visualize Free and Infographics Hub. They must not have these apps available anymore.

Thing #13

For thing #13, it is all focused on presentations. I have never done anything like this on my phone but think it is an interesting concept. I have done many presentations on my computer at home and I find this extremely fun and easy to do. It is a great way to make a presentation and get your point across. 

Deck Slideshow Presentations:  At first glance, I find this extremely confusing to use. So I decided to watch the introduction video which explains what "deck" is all about.After watching the introduction video, I have to admit that I'm still a little confused. After messing around with it for a little bit, I got the concept of how to make a presentation. I have to say that this is a neat little app but it's not something that I will probably use in the future. I find power point presentations on the computer so much easier to use and more user friendly. 

Here is a good website that I came upon to help explain what deck is all about and how to use it more effectively: http://deck.in/

Educreations: I tried to find this app because it looked like it might be interesting. Unfortunately, I could not find it in the app store on my iPhone. Boo :(

Thing #20

I need to get back on track.... so I'm skipping to Thing #20, The Games.

 Despicable Me: Minion Rush- This game is a family favorite for us. My daughters, which are 6 and 4, love this game. It is easy to play (especially when my 6 year old does better than me). Pretty much you get control of the minion by moving your finger over the minion and leading him on the path. You have to watch out for the obstacles that are in the way though because once you run into something and get hit, game over. There are many games out there like this but this one is our favorite. 

 Candy Crush: I think everyone that has some sort of device has played this game at one time or another. It is very addicting at first but I found that it gets very frustrating at times when you run into the problem of not being able to beat a level. Than you play the game of waiting for more lives or until the time re-energizes. I have to admit that I have given up on this game completely as I don't need this little frustration in my life. Good luck to all that are still going strong. 

Thing #12.... I feel like we are Dr. Suess lol

iStorybooks: On the particular thing, I had never heard of any of the apps so I decided to start with one that sounded interesting to me. This app caught my eye because I have two daughters at home that love to read different stories and we come into problems sometimes when we run out of books to read over the long weekend. I thought this app would be wonderful as it has books on hand for that time of need. When opening this app I was surprised that you only got a few free books to read unless you wanted to purchase more. The books were also more educational than I was looking for but enjoyable non-the-less.

Pros: 1. Great pictures

2. Educational 

3. Great story lines

Cons: 1. Small text to read

2. Few books to choose from

3. All educational books for the most part. 

Thing #11

Library Apps:

Unfortunately our little library does not have a library app available for download so I decided to try out one of the other libraries apps listed on the mobile page. 

Anoka County Library: Upon opening this app I was surprised by the amount of options that you are given. You are able to search the library catalog, look at your accoutn, booklook by ISPN number, download ebooks, look at their event calendar, locate their library and even ask the librarian a question. I decided to search the library catalog to see what kinds of things that I could find. I searched for the author Jodi Picoult and was given a list of various titles that were available in there system. Overall I think this is a great app that serves a wide variety of different purposes.... now if only we could get something like this for our library..... 

Ebooks: We do have ebooks at the library!! I, myself, use the overdrive app to access books that are in the library system. This is an easy and convenient app to use and it gets more and more popular everyday. The only downfall of downloading books on overdrive is sometimes they are not available for quite awhile. The other problem that I have seen patron's have is the inability to get the book to open and stay on the page that they left off on. On my phone I also use the Kindle app alot and find that I can open books from Overdrive in that app and it works better for me. I enjoy reading books on these apps when I'm on the go or in a stop where I'm not going to take a huge book with me. The only downfall is when looking at a little screen to read a book, you end up with headaches or your eyes start to hurt.

 Some ebooks that I recommend: 
- The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen
- Hopeless by Colleen Hoover 
- Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan 
- Slammed by Colleen Hoover 
- Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

And finally my new badge:  

 

Thing #10

Snapchat: Snapchat is an app that allows you to take a photo and than send it to your friends but the catch is, they can only view it for 10 seconds and than it's gone forever. My sister introduced me to this app months ago. I downloaded it, used it for a week and really decided that I didn't see the point in it so away it went. I know a lot of people use it but I'm not a fan. The webpage below is a great article on how not to embarrass yourself on snapchat that was posted in the 23 mobile things twitter feed. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/how-not-to-embarrass-yourself-on-snapchat-the-millennial-guide-for-olds/283329/ 

Instagram: This app was really neat and gives you a new way at uploading your photos to the web. I have seen other people use this app through Facebook but had never before tried it myself. During the weekend I took some photos on Instagram and played around with them a little bit to get the feel of it. 

There is different filters you can use to change the way that your photo looks too which is something I really like. This is a great app and I will definitely be keeping it on my phone.

Thing #9 AGAIN!!!

At this point I am not a happy camper... I just deleted my post on accident so here I go again starting over.....

Color Splurge: This app is designed for you to color in areas of the picture of your choosing to make certain areas stand out. (see pics below) My experience with this app is that is very easy to use but seems be a tad difficult to do on an iPhone due to the fact that the screen is so small and you have to use your finger to do the shading. On a bigger device this app may be more enjoyable and easier to use. It was fun to try it out and it does really make a picture stand out. 

 LINE Camera: I love this app!!! This app is designed to allow you to edit you photos by changing the color of the picture, adding frames and even text. You can also get technical with it and make changes to peoples faces if you so desire. The pictures below are examples of what I did with the app. I mostly used the color enhancer, frame and text designs. This app is a lot of fun that can take a lot of time if you want to go through the hundreds of designs that they have for you to choose from. I'm definitely keeping this app on my phone for future use.

Thing #8

Social Media....  where to begin?? 

Facebook: I have to say that I don't know that many people who don't have an account through Facebook. I started mine years ago when it was first launched. At that time I had MySpace and that was the coolest thing (I think I was 18 at the time) When Facebook emerged, all I could think was "What kind of stuff is this" and I was completely turned off from it.... Fast forward a year and that's what I switched over to. Now many of us use it as a great resource to keep in touch with our families all over the world. It's neat how my relatives can see pictures of my girls and their activities by just clicking a button. This app is very easy to use if you already have a Facebook acct. You are able to post, share, etc as if you were on a computer. I like the app because it is easy to check my feed on the run or write a quick message to a friend. 

Twitter: Tweet, tweet.... I have to say that I'm not a fan of the Twitter. It's a app that has a feed that allows you to "tweet" or follow other people's "tweets" throughout the day and so on. As of right now not very many of my friends use this app so it's not too interesting to read about what trouble Justin Beiber got into last night. The only reason that I am keeping this app and using it is because my daughters Kindergarten teacher using this as a way for parents to see what their children are doing throughout the school day. 

For example today she posted: "Painting with cars" 

 The gives us as parents the opportunity to know what our kids are doing throughout the day because I don't know about any of you other parents out there but when I ask my six year old what they did today, she always says "The same thing we did yesterday or we played". Great use of an app!

Now onto a new one that I've never tried:

HootSuite: This app was very easy to install and connected with the social media networks that I use (Twitter & Facebook). This is a convenient app that allows you to check both feeds on the same app. I would recommend this app to anyone that uses a variety of different social networks and likes to have everything all in one easy convenient place!
 

Thing #7

For thing #7 I decided to look more into the app and website Pinterest. This is a great app/site that I have used multiple times over the past year or so. Using this app you are able to find a bunch of ideas on any subject. 

For example: I decided to search Pinterest for "baby blankets knitted" as I am looking for an idea of what kind of baby blanket I want to make for my bun in the oven. After typing in the search, I am directed to tons of different photos of different baby blankets. If I find one I like, I can click on it and get a bigger picture and more information on how to obtain the pattern. 

 

This is a pattern that is similar to what I am starting on. It requires you to make many different squares and sew them together. 

**This app/web page is also very good for finding ideas for bulletin boards and story time crafts. I use many ideas on this site to decorate our walls in our children's area and come up with themes for story time.***

 

Thing #6

Thing #6 is all about creating and editing documents. I have never done with on a mobile device so this is a whole new world to me. I decided to try Cloudon. 

Cloudon is a app that allows you to connect with four different sites, Google Drive, Box, Sky Drive and Hightail and upload work, excel or power point documents to view or edit. I decided that since I don't have any documents available on any of these sites that I would start from scratch and make new documents to view. 

Word: Very easy to get started and use. When the screen comes up it looks like a regular computer screen for word processing. I did find that typing takes a little longer to do and the print is small so it can strain your eyes after awhile. 

Excel: As with word, this program is also very user friendly but you come into the problem with small print. 

PowerPoint: Same as above. Very easy to use and good for when you have an on the go project to do. 

*** With any of the projects, I should mention that they are easy to use IF you are familiar with them. For someone that has never used the programs, they may be lost on how to get started***

Overall I think this is a fabulous app that is convenient for someone that is familiar with these programs. They are easy to use. Five Stars!!!!

Also here is my five goal completion badge:

 

Ah.......

Coming into a problem with doing all of these on my iPhone.... I don't have the memory space for all of these apps. Switching to my iPad for the remainder of this journey. 

 Note to self: It may be time to use my upgrade and get a phone with more memory!

Thing #5

For thing #5 I decided to just start with the top app and try it. This app is Springpad. It's a combination of a number of different things but more importantly it's there to help organize your life. When you open the app you are taken to a home page that helps you get started on working with Springpad. I decided to look and see what all the different features were that this app has to offer. 

When you click on the plus mark you are taken to a new page were you have access to a bunch of different options. You can make a task list, mark down your books that you have read or want to read. You can even scan barcodes! (Red Laser Barcode App)

As you add and play with the different options, they will move to your home page so they are there for you to view easily. I found this out by adding an event today ( My sister's birthday) and it appeared in the first square. You can also change the view and sort your homepage icons to your liking. 

I think I would recommend this app to people that like to be organized and keep lists of what they need to do. This app provides a quick and easy access to all of our needs right at the tip of our fingers. By using this one app, you are deleting the need to jump from app to app to do different task. 

**Another awesome feature is that you can log out to SpringPad on your computer when you don't have your mobile device handy**  (https://springpad.com/about)

Thing #4

Flipboard or Zite???? I choose Flipboard. Having never used or heard of either apps I decided to give Flipboard a try. On first glance this app was very easy to use and get set up. You were able to choose what types of information is important to you. When you first open the app you are shown your "cover stories". You can than click on the links to open them and browse thru any recent history. If you flip the page you will see even more information on subjects of your choosing. 

I think this is a fun app that provides you with a central location to go to find out about a bunch of different things that you find interesting. I have facebook on my cover page and I like how it makes looking through my feed easy to navigate. I don't think this is an app that I would use all the time as I'm not a person that particularly likes to keep up with the news but for someone that likes to know what is going on, this might suit their needs. I'm going to look more into this app and hopefully discover more about what this app can and can not do.
 

Thing #3

Starting thing #3 is an all new experience for me as I have never used any of the apps listed. I decided to go with iHome as I thought this would be an app that I would use on a regular basis...

iHome:  This app is designed for sleep routines. It has features to help you fall asleep to calm sounds, wake to music and read overnight news. It also has a sleep log that you can use to monitor and improve your sleep.After downloading this app and getting a peek at it, I was a little confused on how it was supposed to be used. I tested the alarm to make sure that worked correctly as I use my phone as an alarm clock. That passed the test. At this point I'm still a little confused on how to use the app and what purpose it really serves other than the alarm clock. It does have a weather feature which I really like. 

Pros: Alarm clock
Weather 

Cons: Hard to use
No instructions

Overall: I don't think that this is a product that I will continue to use and it really doesn't interest me that much and I really don't get how to use it. I gave it a shot... what can I say?

RedLaser- Barcode Scanner: I love this app!!!! This app is designed for you to scan barcodes and find the best deals around. I decided to give this a little try at work and test this on some of the books and DVDs we owe. It was awesome and fast. I was able to scan the movie "The Lone Ranger" and it could tell me seven different locations were I could get a copy of the movie. What an awesome app! I think many people would find this app convenient during a shopping trip when you are trying to get the best deal around. Due to the weather (lots of blowing and snow) I am not going to the store anytime soon but will definately try it out one day. 

Overall: Great app that is worth trying if you like to find the best deal or don't mind shopping around. It is also just fun to use!!!

Thing #2

I guess that I should have stated in my first blog that I will be using the Iphone 4 as my mobile device and also checking out the apps on my Ipad to compare the two throughout this project.

When going into the video on tips for the Iphone, I thought I was going to know a bunch of them already as I am pretty familiar with a lot of the features. Boy was I wrong. Out of all of the topics that were covered in the YouTube video, I knew ZERO of the tips. Out of all of the tips I found the following the most important to myself and how I use the Iphone:

1. Dynamic wallpapers. This is an awesome function for someone that is trying to get away from the boring standard looking wallpapers. This particular wallpaper moves across the screen. The only problem that I see with this wallpaper is it could affect battery life because it is constantly moving.

2. Siri can browse the web for you. In the video, the guy turns on Siri and asks Siri to find pictures of cats. This process took seconds and before you knew it pictures of cats appeared on the screen. I think by having this feature available, you are making browsing a lot easier and less time consuming. The only down-fall of this particular search is that Siri only searches on Bing and not on Google as many of us prefer. 

3. Unlimited apps in folders. This is a great feature for a mom like me that has kids that like to download games like they are going out of style. This feature enables users to keep all of a particular subject (ex: games) in one area that is easy to find. 

This was a great resource for me and I hope that others think so too! 
 

 

Thing #1

When starting this mobile project, I'm not sure what to expect. The Head Librarian in my library has explained some of what this project could entail and I have also taken the opportunity to look back at "23 Things on a Stick" that was launched about 5 years ago. That program seemed to touch base on a wide variety of things that you can do on the web.

I think that this project will allow me to expand my horizon and learn more about what you can do on your mobile devices. I think this will be a great educational tool to get familiar with apps that are out there that I would not normally use on an every day basis. I'm not a person that usually goes looking at apps as my kids do enough of that for me. I'm hoping I will also get a better understanding of some different programs that are out there that could be beneficial to the library that I work it. 

Well here I go..... off to Thing #2