Thing 11, or Library and Reference!

As I sit looking at my various devices, I am, as usual, amazed at little tricks that seem so darned simple once someone shows them to you.  Remember the first time you ever did a screen shot on your computer?  Didn't you think, "Wow!  How much easier could that be???"  Well, I feel kind of like that looking at ELM on my phone.  I rarely use my iphone for doing research, but the high school kids I teach do, and, bingo - there it is, right on my little screen.  Thanks for the concise tour, Minitex.  Again, here is a little gem I will probably show kids how to use . . . tomorrow!

Also, clicking on the SPPL app on my phone is something I never do.  But there it is, and, again, something worthy to pass on to teens. 

Although my district and my own webpage do have Mackin VIA available as well as instructions on downloading the app, not a lot of our students tend to read our ebooks, it seems.  Doing research via ELM is more likely the mobile app of choice for them.

Thing 10 - Sharing Photos

I have a Snapchat account (with a horrible user name that I can't change . . . ), but this gave me an opportunity to reuse it. My sons are probably doing some eye rolling right now at the shots I've sent them.  The biggest eye opener here is the bevy of screen capture apps!  Wow!  SnapRoll, SnapBox, SnapCapture, and SnapChat Save Pics.  Professional use?  Those 4 babies right there!  All I heard the last few years was, "It's private," and "No one else can see my SnapChats."  No reason at all to be leery or cautious or modest or concerned at all, right?  Thank you for giving me those splendid teaching tools! 

And, oh yeah, I love this tongue-twister of a label.  Had to put it here just for kicks.  See how fast you can say it.  Hee, hee.  From the iTunes store:

SnapBox - a snaphack for snapchat to save all your snap chats and screenshot

Thing 9 - Jazzing Up Photos

I was, and still am, so excited about using Color Splurge!  My professional photographer friend does stuff like this all the time, but WTH (heck)?  I downloaded and subsequently deleted the app so many times trying to get rid of the ads on the bottom and on the top and in the corner, etc.  I finally gave up.  The app IDEA reminds me of many years ago when I took a class where we learned to hand tint black and white photos, which I did very little of and spent very much money on.  So I thought this was going to be IT! 

Alas, I went on to Line Camera and had a much more pleasant experience.  I did a few personal photos, and they looked classy, unlike those cheesy frames so many of the Kodak machines at Walgreens add to your photos.  I can definitely see myself using this personally for many reasons.  I take gobs of pictures, most of them with people in them and mostly those people are my family.  Hence, I am preserving memories, and I can see taking a treasured shot and playing with it to make it more than just another photograph.  Professionally, it looks like it will be really fun to play with.  I can see myself making posters of kids reading, using technology, doing research . . . and all without having to invest in one of those fancy poster-making machines (or scrounge around looking for one to borrow) and probably end up with a better product.  Can't wait to try it.  One thing I don't care for is that I can't share via messaging.  That would be good for me.

Thing 8 - What We All Need!

Okey doke!  I have officially changed an unused Twitter account that was a hodge-podge of things into TWO Twitter accounts.  One is the "official" library/school account, and the other one is personal.  I'm glad I finally did that.  It's just like having a work and a personal email account.  Why did it take me so long?  I hope to utilize the Twitter account with students, as well as for tapping into feeds from Shannon Miller, AASL, MEMO (or ITEM), and  MNMultitypes.  Finally, finally school districts are allowing Tweets and other social media.  We're out of the '80's!

Thing 7 - Saving and Sharing Content

So many things I haven't taken the time to even look at!  One that I've only browsed through when it pops during a search is the ever present Pinterest.  To be honest, I thought it was largely for those people with lots of time on their hands who spend that time decorating their homes, decorating their parties, decorating their nails, and so on.  Gosh, I was wrong!  Thank you for forcing me to not be so full of assumptions and to look at something pretty useful and cool.  I've picked up some cool ideas for my school library by looking at the library links provided, as well as gotten a few laughs from "Awful Library Books" (which I did bookmark, of course)!

And back to poking fun at those people who pin party ideas, I now have my own board entitled, "Grad Party Ideas," for the big day in our house in about 5 weeks.  I'm just not someone who takes a guided tour unless someone makes me.  I'm so glad I did.  I will probably start a board with teen reads on it, as well!

Really being mobile . . . with Thing 6

CloudOn is pretty cool.  It makes "mobile" really mobile.  I'm pretty much a Word, Powerpoint, Excel person, and CloudOn truly makes it possible to use those on a mobile device.  Sometimes apps seem so weak compared to the power and ease of writing and creating on a standard computer of some sort.  When something like Word looks the same on an iPad Mini as it does on my huge Mac monitor, I'm duly impressed . . . and much more apt (apped?!) to use it!  This little course is doing right by me.  (I know I will return to its contents frequently!)

Thing 5 - Another one I like!

Okay, Dragon Dictation is just a slicked up version of Siri.  Maybe they're cousins in a fantasy series!  And they were both educated in a cave by a nomadic grandmotherly type who couldn't spell, either.  I digress . . .  Actually, Dragon Dictation is kind of fun.  Since I like to write, and my aging thoughts are often fleeting, I could see using it on a personal basis. 

But on to another option in Thing 5 - Springpad!  It is fun and useful and easy and efficient, and I'm actually sharing it with coworkers tomorrow.  As a work tool, I think I will utilize a few of the notebooks, especially if I start making it a habit.  Admittedly, I'm still a bit of a pencil and paper gal when it comes to note taking and making, but I see so much merit in shedding my pocketfuls of Post-its and other bits of important papers.  The "Task" notebook would certainly be helpful in the work place.  I've already got quite a few tidbits recorded in the "Quick Notes" section, as well.  It seems to have functionality for collaborating in a nice, informal fashion, too.  On a personal note, I think I could use it for many of the things Springpad suggests (vacation notes, recipes, lists, lists, lists!  I think I am as addicted to lists as I am to pockets!).  I didn't especially like the "Books" part, though.  As with so many apps, they just are a variation of something that another app or site does (i.e. Good Reads, etc.).  Nonetheless, I am thus far enjoying Springpad.

Keeping Up! (with Thing 5)

Wow!  I love Flipboard!  Professionally, I see myriad uses. For starters, I love the Tech News section. So they're adding optical zooms to smartphones and Agency Glass is designing spectacles that help emotionless folks pretend they are "friendlier or less socially awkward" than they really are. Hmmmm.... And reading about the new design of the iPhone 6 is pretty cool, too.  These are things/magazines that I ordinarily wouldn't read but Flipbook makes it easy!  I can totally see sharing this app with high school kids, as well.

Personally, I have added food and travel sites.  I even like the picks selected by Flipboard. Who knew you could find Tabasco or beer flavored jelly beans???  I think this is cool enough to share with friends and colleagues. I am currently borrowing an iPad mini and previously used a loaner iPad (thanks, Tori!). I am currently deciding what to purchase for my personal use.  Although I read ebooks on my Kindle, that is not my favorite method for personal reading. I like to flip (see, this IS on topic!) back to lots of places in a book, the beginning, a certain scene, a descriptive passage that I want to retread, and so on. Hence, for those reasons and others I prefer holding on to a print book. BUT Flipboard has swayed me, lured me, to the convenience and efficiency of reading things of this nature.   There are things here that I only choose to skim or read part of or be wowed by more than just words, so I think I've just been lured deeper into the realm of digital reading. Thanks, Flipboard!

Thing 3 - Utilities

Oh gosh, I did this some time ago, but I am still intrigued by the RedLaser Barcode and QR Scanner.  What a lot of applications this has for a school library!  I like the idea of book reviews being scattered around the library, which costs basically nothing at all.  That price point is oh so appealing to me, as well as it being something innovative and shockingly easy that kids would use.  I can see this being something that snowballs, luring more and more teen readers to try it out.  But I can also see it making kids in my urban environment perhaps being segregated into the "haves" and "have nots."  I'd like to think I'm wrong, but that would be an ugly off-shoot of such a project.  I also think I will try using a QR code that leads to a book trailer.  It also seems like a really cool way to create a "library tour," (and it's about time for something like that!).