Thing 23: Evaluation of 23 Mobile Things

Bravo to the designers of the challenge. In nearly every segment, there were new, interesting, useful, and fun apps to try. The background information helped decide which apps to investigate more fully and included screen shots of how to start.

I am pleased with my own process in moving through the "things." At the onset, I decided to be more careful with my time and be more selective and focused in my choices of what and how much to delve into each app. In the last 23 things activity, I spent hours and hours on each area and finally just gave up. This time, I finished and am very satisfied with my experience.

Once again, thank you to those who put this together to benefit all of us.

Thing 21: Free-for-all

My favorite app is not exciting, in fact it is useful so that I don't get excited by being stuck in a snowstorm all night, as I have been. I find Weatherbug to be indispensable.

I live on the prairie near the Red River in northwestern Minnesota. We get big winds that blow in all the way from Montana and big snow storms from Canada. A few days ago, we got 20 inches of snow! This doesn't happen very often.

What does happen often is that there is wind (BIG wind) and some snow. This often turns into a white out where the road and the sky blend into an unnavigable sameness.

So, I look at Weatherbug several times a day.

It helps to know if the temperature will be below zero, how much below, what the wind chill will be, and how many layers I will have to wear when I go outside. Maybe I won't go at all.

So there it is. I also have bookmarked places we have been and where we are going to check their temperatures – Paris, Malaga, Barcelona, Munich recently. We also can check the places where we travel the most, since the weather even 15 miles away can be quite different and we have to go 60 to 120 miles for normal activities like going out to eat, grocery shopping, seeing a movie.

Thank you, Weatherbug.

Thing 20: Games

I don't really have much interest in games, but did get into Sudoku a while ago. This was probably because the math teacher thought they were easy and an English teacher friend who is not supposed to be number-inclined also thought they were easy. This was a challenge and I am still trying to work up the levels of difficulty.

Thing 19: Hobbies

Vivino, an app to keep track of favorite wines and to learn about wines from others, is intriguing. I have already connected with others that share my taste in wines.

I tried MyGarden, but found it a bit more complex than I wanted.

So, I moved on to GoodReads. Wellllll....I spent about an hour rating books I have read and clicking on books I want to read. That was fun and easy. But now I have to figure out how to use all of this information. I would love to move from the binder I use to keep track of the books I have read, summaries of each one, and list upon list of books I want to read. We'll see if that goal is feasible.

Thing 18: Education

There are several apps I use for education and could be useful for schools.

When I was working and helping students preparing for research, I allowed them to use Wikipedia to get a background for their topics and to determine key words to use in their searches. They could not cite Wikipedia, but it was an important lead-in to their project.

A small segment of a TED Talk could be used as an introduction to a class topic or as a follow-up.

Duolingo could be suggested as a supplement to a language class. I am using it now to brush up my German. It includes units introducing individual concepts such as verbs, prepositions, noun genders so certain segments could be targeted for extra practice. Since it almost seems like a game, it might appeal to students.

The 3D brain is fantastic! With all of the new discoveries about the brain, I feel the need to understand more about its structure and characteristics. The app isolates different parts of the brain and then provides information about what it does. Beyond that, it provides links to recent research.

Another app I chose was the Advanced English Dictionary & Thesaurus. I do crossword puzzles and have not found a replacement for the old book my mother used to help her solve puzzles - and the internet is not enough! Plus, I write a bit and am always searching for a synonym to keep the text fresh.

I have long wished that there was an app to teach me algebra, a gap in my own education that has eluded me for most of my life. A while ago, I tried a short video from the Khan Academy which helped me make sense of an entry level algebra concept. The problem in eighth grade was that we just memorized formulas, which was easy. The difficulty was knowing which formula to apply when.

Thing 17: Connecting to Community

I tried MN Museums for two reasons: first, I enjoy museums and don't know much about those outside of the cities and second, Northern Lights Library Network is working on a written directory with pictures and basic information about museums in wesr central and northwest Minnesota. Kathy Enger, the director of NLLN, is working with the MN Historical Society to disseminate this information. How great it would be to incorporate this research with into the MN Museums app.

Since many relatives live in the Twin Cities, I tried the Going Out app. It had many good features. If you look for things to do, you are also offered a list of eating venues nearby. Most of the restaurants have range of information including prices, type of menu, specialties, even food reviews.

This app is particularly helpful for someone who lives out of town (like 380 northwest).

Thing 16: Sounds

I chose to investigate Soundcloud because I was interested in recording sounds and finding interesting music and podcasts.

The program allowed me to classical and folkways music plus science and technology podcasts. I listened to several and enjoyed them. I am following 37 people.

Then I recorded myself singing a nonsense song I learned as a child. It took quite some time to save it, but other than being a better singer, this turned quite well and was very easy.

This could be an audio booktalk that a student could play on an iPad sitting next to a book display. It would be very cool and unexpected.

Thing 15: Infographics

I would make infographics on Photoshop or InDesign, but I did try i Visual Info Touch Lite. So I measured my German Shepherd and my tiny cat, Peanut, discovering that Louie the GS is three time longer and taller than Peanut, but weights 50 times more. This could be a really great infographic.

First I was not able to find a cat or dog shape to use (I was in the free version). I chose a box and attempted to make one red and one blue. While trying to resize them to make one three time taller than the other, I went crazy trying to use my finger to grab the handles. After 10 minutes, I gave up and deleted the program.

Next I moved on to Info.Graphic. At first is would not open - ahhhh, I waited about a minute and the main page finally showed up. Next I tapped on a category - 33 seconds later the main page for that category opened. Tapping on a graphic I liked, I waited another 40 seconds for it to show up. It was fast to save it to my camera roll/photos file. To go back to choose another graphic, it only took 28 seconds. Not sure if I would use this much, considering how slow it is. On the other hand, the graphics are pretty cool.

Thing 14:Videos

I have used Final Cut Pro for years. It is pretty hard to give up the bells and whistles and the ability to edit with total control, but I found Vinny interesting for simple videos such as a promo, a birthday party, etc.

First I  recorded a few seconds of one of my dogs and one cat, cropped, added music. Fun! Then I used two pieces of videos saved on my iPad. The first one looked good, so I posted it on my Facebook page. It took a little while to upload, but worked well. The second one was shorter. I added to this one. The upload failed. I shortened it; failed again, and again. Feeling a lot less enthusiastic about this app.

Socialcam wins my vote. Using the video that failed in Vinny, I added music and uploaded it to Facebook. A few seconds later it was up. I then spent way too much time looking at videos of German Shepherds - so cute, just like our Louie.

In a library, I would make short booktalks and public service messages about events and activities to post on the library web site.

Thing 13: Presentations

Deck slideshows is easy and quick, but I don't know where you could use it. It would need to be for 1-on-1 or projected on a wireless network. Not exactly what the promo suggested. Also, there are just a few presentation designs that are free. I get quite frustrated when programs or apps tease you and try to almost blackmail a user into purchasing features that are not free.

Skip Deck and use Haiku Deck. Easier to add pictures, make backgrounds, add text. A great bonus is that you can type in a word and the app will find a copyright free picture(s) that meet your criteria. Then you can share the presentation multiple ways.

Lensoo - fantastic. A mini lecture with diagrams, pictures, text, colors, backgrounds. Not as many options in each category as I would like, but with the option to record/animate actions and to record description, it can be used by teachers to set up stations or mini-lessons and for students to show what they know. I wish my school had iPads!

Thing 12: Books, Books & More Books

The Wattpad is interesting and I found a short novel that I might read. The program is easy, although I am not sure that, with the books I own and the books I am downloading from Classicly, I will want to read many books from amateurs.

Classicly is wonderful. I have used Project Gutenberg, but this is more robust and has everything I looked for - autobiography by Goethe, Faust, and Divine Comedy. Aristotle was the pick of the day! This is my kind of literature.

The directions for Audiobooks baffled me for a time, but after getting the app downloaded, the number of item available whetted my appetite. I downloaded many titles that will be perfect for those 5 1/2 hr. drives to Victoria or Farmington or St. Paul.

Finally, the YALSA's Teen Book Finder will be a valuable asset for the English teacher that I am working with at school.

The apps in this category should be publicized to everyone who loves to read. Thank you, 23 Things planners!

Thing 11: Library & Reference

It has take quite a while to explore ELM and other library search apps. I am doing some training and needed to do a great deal of exploration to be able to train others to use them.

ELM has expanded greatly since I retired four years ago and the tutorials for grades K-8 are amazing. A friend who is a kindergarten teacher had a great time with her students researching animals, based on ideas from the tutorials.

The web site I created for the school where I used to work has not kept the media center page updated. I was asked to do the necessary revisions and took that opportunity to create a new personalized ELM page. It was not without challenges, but is finally up will offer new functionality for teachers and students.

Two other search apps I have used are Overdrive and Zinio to access our public library resources. Overdrive is pretty easy and works well, even though the number of materials are not extensive due to the NW Regional budget and the high cost of electronic books.

Zinio, on the other hand, is a nightmare, even following the Zinio tutorial. I was able to set it up after several attempts. Having to set up two accounts is confusing. Searching works well, but downloading/saving and pulling up the magazine is not straightforward. As the public librarian and I looked at Zinio, we both kind of gave up on Zinio. It is too much work to set up and use. 

Thing 10: Sharing Photos

I have heard so much about Instagram, I decided to check it out. My husband is the family photographer, taking at least 1000 pictures during a 2 week trip. I thought it might be good for him to have a place to store photos where others could have access.

It turns out that Instagram is less a personal album and more a picture search. Somewhat like Pinterest, pictures can be searched and posters can be followed. In Instagram, posters who want to share photos with others are encouraged to label them with hashtags.

I tried topic searches several times for cities in Germany, where we will travel in May. It delivered many pictures, even for obscure, tiny towns. But, the pictures were quite random: what caught the eye of someone, with little consistency of intent. Was it to highlight architecture, catch the crowds, the fog, concentrating on tourist venues, food, businesses? Captions in most cases did not help to define the picture and on my iPad mini I had to scroll down to see the comments - really annoying.

Another feature is that the poster can place pictures on a map. How cool. In practice, though, when I looked for Munich, as I zoomed in on the map, many pictures would open at once and covered the map, so I could only get a vague idea of where a picture was taken. Plus, in this feature, there were no captions.

My conclusion is that Instagram is useful for casual pictures. It would not help organize travel pictures. It would not make a good fit for an album of pictures for a class project.

After this disappointment, I searched for a different photo storage app and found Adobe Revel. It looked like it might work well and it was Adobe! What a disappointment it was to discover after trying a few features that the app was free for 31 days, and then would cost $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

Not much luck in this category.

Thing 9: Taking & Editing Photos

Since I do my photo editing with Photoshop, I didn't want to duplicate that format. Therefore, I tried Color Splurge. It is as easy as the creator on the video said. I took a picture of trees in my back yard and then highlighted the sky, which was bright blue. I was pleased with the effect - and I did it with my finger.

The effect is quick and easy. This could be used for library promotional materials. Highlight one color on a book jacket or the title or the author.

Thing 8: Social Media Management Tools

Well, my husband is addicted to Twitter, especially to Wild hockey and headline news. Watching him sit and scroll through Twitter for hours at a time made me not want to even look at the app. On the other hand, I just couldn't dismiss something that has allowed dissidents demonstrating for freedom connect. So, I set up Twitter.

I tried to find people to follow and came up with a couple of authors. But I would be able to get a lot more information from an author's web site.

I am sorry to say that having other people feed me their spontaneous thoughts doesn't interest me. I want to focus my inquiries to save time, just like I use an advanced search in ELM so I don't get more than ten or so results.

So, Twitter is not for me.

Thing 7: Content Saving & Sharing

Pinterest and I became acquainted with the help of a couple of high school girls. Some younger friends had shown me their boards, which looked very cool. So I sat down on my own to figure it out. Did not work! I have most often been able to just play and figure out programs. I was embarrassed, so gave up.

One night when I was visiting the girls' family, they were showing their mom their Pinterest pages. I asked a couple of questions and they promptly sat me down for a "flashbulb" lesson. I got the basics and there has been no going back.

Right now, I am setting up a board for my next family trip to Germany. And away we go....

I can see this used to promote books and/or authors, link to activities, make a series of activity links on a topic such as The Flapper Era or Romantic Poetry or Ibsen's Dramas. We are visual learners and Pinterest would be a new way to grab the interest of students.

Thing 6: Creating & Editing Docs

I tried both CloudOn and Quickoffice. The reviews for Quickoffice were dreadful. Google bought it and gutted it, according to most of the reviewers.

First I checked out the presentation piece in CloudOn. It was slow, had minimal help, and just seemed too hard to use. What was particularly annoying was that the program wanted you to upgrade and pay monthly or yearly fees to use almost any but the most basic features.

In Quickoffice, I was looking for a way to take the minutes for an organization I belong to. It was simple and looked just like Word. It responded quickly and gave me all the options I needed. I still don't like typing on the iPad keyboard, but when taking minutes I just get down the essentials and finish them at home on my iMac.

I have been using Textedit to take the minutes on my husband's laptop. This did not work well, but was, I thought, my only option. The iPad hopefully will work better and be easier to take to my meetings.

If your school does not invest in Word, Quickoffice might be enough for notes. I would not want to write an essay or composition using the one-finger keyboard. I didn't check to see if you can use the microphone instead of typing. That would be cool.

Thing 5: Notetaking

I was sure that Remember the Milk would be just the thing for me. I make lists for everything and carry them around, hand them out to others, circle urgent tasks, check off completed ones, and usually have four or five going at once. I also misplace them and lose them.

I downloaded the app on my iPhone, iPad, and iPad mini, added tasks and even a grocery list. So easy!

Then I went to the web site to see why the iPhone showed a syncing bar that wasn't moving. The free version only syncs once in 24 hours and on the forum there seemed to be quite a few problems with syncing. I decided to wait until tomorrow to see if this will really happen, because if it doesn't, the app won't help me much. It will be like any of my misplaced or lost lists.

Then I learned about Smart Lists, which have to be created on the web version of the program. Before making Smart Lists out of the long weekly or daily list of tasks, you will want to assign labels, priorities, tags and other types of definition to each task.

So on my Personal list, I assigned tags for house, project, call, etc. On my Work list, I used the titles of the different activities I am involved in. In the advanced search, I chose the list and tag, then saved the list created by the search. Hopefully these will show up in the apps on my devices tomorrow. 

Simple became a lot more complicated, but may be worth it in the long run. Or not.

If I was still in the library, this would be more valuable to keep track of multiple projects and collaborations with staff members, plus staff development, and community activities. If you are a list maker, beware. This could become a compulsion. Making lists and more deliciously, checking things off.

Thing 4: Keeping Up

I updated my Flipboard and Tumblr accounts, reducing the number of blogs and news feeds I follow. These resources are interesting, but my priorities for learning change often and Pinterest is an easier way to visually organize information I want at hand. It is good to try different apps but I am always ready to eliminate those that no longer make my life easier.

I tried to find focused sites and blogs to choose, but the resources I found were much too broad with too much information. They are an almost irresistible temptation to spend the day just browsing around. Not what I want.

Thing 3: Utilities

Not a lot new here. I should download the StandApp, but I know that if I were in the middle of something, I would just ignore it.

On the other hand, using Google Search/Goggles to take a picture and then use it to search looks like it might help in comparison shopping. I just took a picture of Neuschwanstein Castle on the front of a guidebook and the app told me it was the guidebook and gave me prices through several different venues.

I tried it with pictures from Barcelona, but it returned no information, even though the pictures were of significant buildings, such as Sagrada Familia.

Thing 2: Mobile Device Tips

Since I have an iPhone, iPad, and iPad mini, I was very interested in learning more about organizing them. So far, I have merely set up what I needed on each (used for different purposes) and just ignored the rest. Today, I decided that was not good enough. So it took me quite a while to go through all the relevant tutorials.

On my iPhone 4s (I always inherit my husband's hand-me-downs), I can now take a panorama picture. My husband has been able to do this for a while, but then he is the photographer in the family. Also, I don't ask for his help very often because he can do everything well and it makes me crazy.

I can also add a picture into an email rather than attaching it to a message. Maybe this isn't worth it, but knowing two ways to do something is always better than one, IMO.

It seems that it is difficult to navigate to some sites - like 23 Mobile Things. So....now the site of that and my blog are on the home screen of my iPad and iPad mini. Instead of typing in the name in Google search, then choosing the correct result, and then seeing the site, now I click on the icon. Saving time and effort is exciting.

Finally, I have a handle on iCloud, primarily because I now have my own account rather than my husband's. His was set up in both the iPhone when he passed it on and the iPad that he set up because I was too busy. It didn't seem important to change, but then all of the devices started constantly asking me to sign in with his iCloud password. Of course, I didn't know what it was and neither did he! Today I spent about an hour to find out how to delete his account and set up my own. It feels like my devices have been scrubbed and polished. What a joy.

Hope I don't get quite so involved in all of the 21 Things left. That's what happened on the previous 23's and I never did finish.

I find that when I want to look at email, do a search, check the weather, etc., I grab the mini. The screen on the phone is to small, the iPad is heavy to hold on my lap. If I need to do  extensive typing, I go to the laptop for a keyboard. But the mini is my go-to.

Thing 1: Blogging & Registering

I didn't finish 23 Things on a Stick or 23 More Things because, I told myself, I was working full time. Now I am retired. Maybe I can do it this time.