23 Mobile Things - Thing 23 : Evaluate

Thing 23 is all about evaluation of this online learning program.

I've participated in all 3 of the "Things" offerings over the years. I think they are great learning experiences and they help to keep me updated with tools/resources that I can use related to work or personal life.

An extra benefit is their cost-- free! Who doesn't like free-99? Especially with tightly squeezed budgets.  

graphic source: http://www.autourdelihssane.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/evaluation.jpg 

A B-I-G thank you to the MN multitype library systems for providing these opportunities! I'll be waiting and watching for the next Things to come! 

23 Mobile Things - Thing 22 : Discovering Apps

Thing 22 is about finding new apps that we might enjoy.

Often times how I discover apps is that a friend or colleague recommends an app. Or I think of something that I figure there might be an app for and I use the iPhone app store search feature. I also see apps mentioned via Twitter, or Facebook, or blogs, or just news articles. And then apps are often suggested by paid-vendors hoping to grab my attention.

I just now did a quick Google search "iphone apps free today only" to see what would pop up. Often times great apps are pricey and this is a way to find a great free-99 deal. A Huffington Post Tech article pointed me to the AppShopper page and I found these free deals. Here's a snip-- note the refinement tools (highlighted) available to use:

Another result offered up iOSnoops with these deals for today, June 9, 2014.  Here's a snip:

I might keep this "app search engine" in mind for the future when I'm app hunting. Quixey. It looks promising & easy to use plus offers options to customize your search. Here's a snip:

Apps. What's life without lots of apps? I tend to have way too many-- many I download because they sound great and I think I'll use them. In reality I don't. So I occasionally go through and delete. Sometimes that's tough to do though because I still think I *might* yet use it. Hmm, this makes me think/wonder-- is there an app to clean up unused apps? Similar to the Windows platform when it informs you of all the unused desktop icons on your PC? Maybe I need to create an app to do this? Or hope somebody else has or will. 

23 Mobile Things - Thing 21 : Free-for-all

Thing 21 is all about sharing our favorite app(s)!

An app that I've been using quite a bit lately is Photofy. 

I love the quick & easy ways to a make a photo pop with a bit of pizzazz. Lots of features that I've not checked out yet & I might never do so but you don't need to always go to that level-- it's still possible to just add an element or two and get a great looking photo.

Here are a few photos that I've done using Photofy:

^^ This one above I added a border and my own text

^^ These two above I only added borders-- as quick and simple as that!

Another favorite app of mine is SlideShark. I talked about this in this blog post.

And another app that I think I'll like (downloaded a bit ago but have yet to try) is Happify. 

^^ Happify explained and how to get started.

^^ A few questions so they get to know you = customize your Happify experience.

^^ And a snip of options "tracks" to try. 

So who doesn't want to be happy? Or have a chance to increase your happiness? I hope nobody says no!

23 Mobile Things - Thing 20 : Games

Thing 20 is all about games! 

Oh, my now do you really think there are any mobile apps for games? Let's guess how many? As many as the stars in the sky? Possibly.

I'm not a huge gamer. Way back when I did love Tetris on Gameboy. Yup, dating myself aren't I? 

Awhile back I tried Words With Friends. I did maybe 3 games? Not for me. But then I never really liked Scrabble either. I like words, just not those types of games.

I prefer games that I play individually. Not that I'm anti-social or that I don't want to go up against anyone I just like a game app that isn't a lot of pressure because I usually play them for leisure.

I played 4 Pics 1 Word for awhile-- I was getting up there in stats and I'd never used a "help" of any kind. Then my grandson played it on my iPhone without asking me and he used up almost all of my helps. So I gave up on that game. I had liked my perfect record. 

My favorite and only game app that I play these days is Dots. I really do like this game. I like the strategy. I play the timed version so it's a bit of a challenge against the clock. But I don't get too dismayed if I screw up or don't have a great score. I bomb sometimes and I do well other times. Mostly it's a game of chance as to how the dots show up. I've not discovered any secret that makes the game give you better odds or chances at connecting more dots. Maybe it does & I'm oblivious? I don't care. I like it as it is.

Here are a few snips of Dots:

23 Mobile Things - Thing 19 : Hobbies

Thing 19 is all about discovering mobile apps for our hobbies. 

Boy, it seems I've probably already covered some of my hobbies/interests in other posts re: these 23 Mobile Things. So I'll just list a few and why:

Pinterest -- This one took me awhile to accept. Yes, I dissed it a bit awhile ago. But I've overcome my dislike and opted to use it in a fashion that works for me-- mainly photo tags of ideas.

Meetup -- A great way to find like-minded people in my area to do stuff with. Almost never at a loss for ideas and people.

Goodreads -- I've recently transitioned to this since they have an app and LibraryThing doesn't. This feeds my need for organization & at my fingertips info. I have kind of a brain-soak memory but I realize that I can't recall everything!

FindAGrave -- Yay, is this a tad morbid? Not so because I do like cemeteries and genealogy.

MapMyHike -- I like to walk! I've gotten out of my grove but I used to walk 4-6 miles per day, every day, all year round. Yup, that included our freezing cold, blustery days of winter! Maybe I am a bit crazy?

23 Mobile Things - Thing 17 : Connecting to Community

Thing 17 is about using local apps to connect with our communities. 

One app that I use, although admittedly not too often, is for one of our local TV news stations. NNC-Now from our Northlands News Center. It's easy to pop up on my phone when I'm looking for a quick update or a current news story. I do hate that 1st up is an advertisement but I understand it pays their bills.  

Here are a few snips:

Another "local app" that I use  is 511MN from our MN Dept of Transportation. This app provides details on road conditions, road construction/detours, and crashes that might affect traffic movement. I use this often during the winter to check road conditions. I travel about 1/2 hour each way to & from work so this is handy for determining my best route of travel during bad weather. 

Here are some snips:

You can zoom in to view closer details. 

The icons depict various conditions. 

You can click on the icons for more details. 

Another app that I love that isn't a "local app" but you can use to find local restaurants is OpenTable. I simply love this app! Locate, reserve and you're ready to go!

23 Mobile Things - Thing 16 : Audio

Thing 16 is all about using the microphones on our mobile devices to make recordings. But I'm not sure that I have a need for doing this? Other than possibly a talk-to-text option. So instead I checked out the social platform SoundCloud. SoundCloud can be used via iPhone, iPad, Android, or PC. It's social media so you can follow people, share with friends, family & fans, find communities, and upload your own audio content. 

I tried the explore area and selected one of the music genres. It was a mix of unknown artists (to me at least) as well as known artists. I opted to just let it stream through the lineup & overall it was pretty great. Plus I loved the sound quality-- super for just cheap computer speakers (I happened to be on my office PC). 

Here's a snip of a playlist as it was playing. 

Because it is a social platform, you can "like", repost, and share. Other options are to add to your own playlist and some you can download or buy. I did run into one song that really wasn't my style-- wish there was a ratings button or a skip option. 

Here's a song that I enjoyed-- it was the 1st song I listened to on SoundCloud. Andrew Bird's "Three White Horses" 

https://soundcloud.com/andrewbird/three-white-horses 

I'm definitely going to revisit SoundCloud and explore some more-- I think it'll be a great option for in my office when I get tired of the same old stuff & need a refreshing alternative. 

23 Mobile Things - Thing 13 : Presentations

Thing 13 "We've all seen PowerPoint presentations throughout the years, but with mobile devices there are many other types of presentations you can create. … Use at least one of these apps and create a presentation (real or fake doesn't matter, just play with the tool)."

I've been using PowerPoint (PPT) for a long. I used to teach Intro to PPT some years back and I still help students when they run into problems when using it for their coursework presentations.  So for me, looking at yet another "software" or app wasn't really an option. Yet I wanted the mobility that apps offer. But taking PPT mobile? How can I do this? 

I found the answer a number of months back when I searched for an app to use with my Info Lit/Library Intro/BI sessions. I happened upon SlideShark (free version) and it is awesome! I am convinced the stars were aligned that day & it was kismet. 

So I can still do my PPT creating/setup/editing via my PC (usually easier this way I think) yet use my iPad &/or iPhone during my actual presentation-- in live, real-time. 

Here's a snip of my Home with a few PPTs I have downloaded (via my iPhone):

From the 1st snip I had one PPT not yet downloaded so I hit the download option & here it was working on downloading to my iPhone:

This snip is the view of an individual slide. A swipe to the right or tap on the screen advances the slide & a swipe to the left returns you to the previous slide: 

These snips show a menu of options I can use while on an individual slide. I can annotate anything displayed on the slide:

I can also hold my finger on the screen and a red pointer option appears that I can move across the slide to highlight content:

This snip shows other options available including Auto Play and Loop:

This app makes presentations & the presenter mobile. So depending on the configuration of a classroom or lecture hall I can work from a PC, my iPad, or my iPhone-- all via SlideShark. No longer am I tethered to a podium that's in an awkward position with my back to my audience. I can be mobile and free to walk around as I need with only my small iPhone in hand yet in full operation of my presentation. jd+Points overall for SlideShark

Here's their short SlideShark promo video. 

23 Mobile Things - Thing 11 : Library & Reference (mobile app that is)

Thing 11 "Does your library or a library in your area have its own app? Apps where you can check your account, search the library catalog, ask a librarian, find library events, and much more?"

It had been awhile since I'd checked out our resources so I looked at them now to see how mobile we are or aren't. Not too bad I'd say.  For our main databases we're 2 out of 3:

EBSCO goes directly to it's mobile version. This is nice -- no need to download an app or go elsewhere. Plus the interface looks clean & simple. jd+Points

JSTOR auto-fits to my iPhone screen and it also popped up the option to download their app. This way I can choose which I'd like to use. Nice because if I'm there just once or not often I might not want the app. But if I'm going to be searching more often via mobile then maybe the app would be a good idea to have. jd+Points

ProQuest I guess you could say auto-fits to my screen but yet it's very small so this will take lots of finger-thumb re-sizing -- 1st off to search & then to work through the results. Not the best yet I see no mobile option or app available. Not mobile friendly.  jd-Points.

Our catalog, MPlus, does have a mobile option and I have this as a link option on our library page. But if you do happen to select our regular catalog link when you're on a mobile device it does redirect automatically to the mobile version. jd+Points

Another often used resource for us is AskMN (a 24/7 librarian chat). I gave this the mobile test and I was sorry to see that it does not re-direct or offer an app. It does auto-fit but then its the whole fingers & thumbs re-sizing thing. I think I'll inquire with them as to any future considerations they may have for becoming mobile-friendly. I just sent off an email! UPDATE: I've already heard back (before this was even published) the reply was an estimated guess of maybe a year-- it's in the hands of the underlying QuestionPoint software. 

And lastly, I'm sad to report, is our library webpage and overall college website. We are not mobile-friendly. But not for lack of my requesting & asking. I've just been up against a CIO and Marketing Director (our website lords) who don't see the need for spending time and money on this. In some ways I do understand -- after all there is the concept of Responsive Web Design (RWD) that should take care of everybody's needs by being flexible without having to code multiple versions. (read this Smashing Magazine article from 1/11 for more info). But this might still be a bit in the future. And in the meantime, our users are mobile now-- so they need & want this capability now. So do I.

Build Your Own App options? Back in March, 2013 I attended the Library Technology Conference at Macalester College, St. Paul. One session was The Mobile Revolution with presenters Aimee Clark & Susan Pratt of the Milford Memorial Library (Iowa). These gals gave many great tips for taking libraries into the mobile frontier-- especially awesome for a small public library in a town with a population of less than 3,000. Part of their presentation covered inexpensive or free ways to make our library websites/webpages mobile-- they covered Mobile, AppsGeyser, and Infinite Monkeys. I have often considered trying one of their options for our library website but I work at a small place so I can't afford to step on the toes of the website lords-- well not beyond assuming either of them will ever read this post.