23 Mobile Things - Thing 19 - Hobbies

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

~ Proverb

The older I get, the more I enjoy my free-time.  My problem is not having too few hobbies to fill my free-time, but too many!  Thing 19 explores mobile apps related to hobbies.  I chose two apps to explore.  First up is Road Ninja because it will be useful when my husband and I go on road trips.  And, since I already use Spotify, I decided to learn more about this app.

Road Ninja
Summertime is fun time and we love road trips!  For most of the 23 Mobile Things apps, I place them in a "23 Things" folder on my phone.  I will then see which apps I actually use and move those to permanent folders and delete those I do not need.  Road Ninja bypassed the "23 Things" folder and went straight into my "Travel" folder.

As expected, food, gas and lodging are all searchable in this app.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the pharmacy locator option.  Speaking from experience, you don't know how important being able to find medical clinics and pharmacies are when traveling, until you need one.  Last summer we traveled to the Oregon coast.  I contracted whooping cough, my first symptoms showed up in Custer, South Dakota.  By the time we reached Oregon, I was really sick and miserable.  Not being familiar with the area, it wasn't easy finding an urgent care facility and then a pharmacy to fill my prescriptions.  This app would have helped!

The Oregon coast is beautiful!

Spotify
This app was already on my phone, but I hadn't used it much.  I have several playlists built, for example, Jazzercise Jams of my favorite workout songs, and already follow other playlists, like CBS This Morning.  I have also connected with friends on Spotify.

One thing I learned is that you can listen to BOOKS on Spotify!  How cool is that!  Most of the books I found are "classics."  I am going to tell our French teachers about listening to the French version of Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac!

Speaking of "classics," there was a challenge listed for Spotify in Thing 19.  It is:

I accepted this challenge and then had to come up with a playlist idea for the Elk River High School Media Center.  Since we recently changed our Fiction section to shelving by genre, I decided to create genre playlists.  I started with Classics.  It was fun to find so many of our classic titles, that have been on screen or stage, that have music affiliated with them.  I also started a Popular/Edgy playlist.  After a quick internet search, I found it very easy to copy the embed code for each playlist.  I plan on adding to the Popular/Edgy playlist and also creating other genre playlists, as time permits.  Here are my playlists:

How does a classic sound?  Find out by listening to the ERHS Media Center - Classics Playlist!



ERHS Media Center - Popular/Edgy Playlist:


We have also placed my playlists on the Media Center's website.  Here's the link: Elk River High School Media Center

23 Mobile Things - Thing 18 - Education

For Thing 18, several mobile apps that could be used in education, were highlighted.  The list of apps to explore covered a nice variety of topics.  I chose to try out six of the apps.

colAR Mix
Wow, wow, wow!  I know I am easily impressed, but WOW!  The colAR Mix app is fun, fun, fun!  Basically, this app turns a coloring page into 3D!  First you need to go to the website (http://colarapp.com) and print one of their coloring pages.  Then, using any coloring device (crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint), you color the page.  I used colored pencils because I had them available.

I printed out this coloring page.

I'm ready to color!

My finished artwork!

Next, you download the colAR Mix app onto your mobile device (phone or tablet).  I used my iPhone.


Now, the fun begins!  When you open the app, you highlight your colored image.  When the image overlay turns blue, the app has captured your image and turns it into a 3D movable image.  The background changes on a rotating basis.  Although the app is pretty basic, it is completely amazing that you can do this on your mobile device!

When the pink shaded area turns blue, your image will turn into 3D!

Landscape Changed to Desert

Now my balloon is over the ocean!

My balloon is flying over a city!

Notice my desk in the background.  The 3D effect is awesome!

I have showed the colAR app to several people and the consensus is that this will be a fun Easter activity for kids.  You need to try this app.  It is fun!

Eat This Not That
This game asks you to pick which food item of two that would be a healthier choice.  It is a rapid fire game and moves very quickly.  I was surprised at how many choices I got WRONG!

Fooducate
I have been a Weight Watchers member in the past and paid for their online resources and app.  I now use the free app, Lose It.  Fooducate is very similar to these apps.  When I was trying out Fooducate, I scanned an item that was not in their database and followed the steps for submission to the site.  I then got an email thanking me for the submission.  Although I probably will not continue to use this app, since I currently use Lose It, it is good to know it is available.

I scanned my Diet Coke can

I tried to scan a WholeMe WakeMe Bar

Success in adding this snack

Email I received as a result of submitting the WakeMe Bar

iTranslate
Since my husband and I like to travel, this app may be useful.  It was easy to use and there were lots of languages to choose from.  I chose to try "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" and translate it into Irish.

Khan Academy
The Khan Academy app has interesting information.  I did an Art History search for Da Vinci and then decided to learn more about his "Virgin of the Rocks" painting.  I discovered an interesting story about why there are two of these paintings.  You will have to check out the app to get the story for yourself!

Khan Academy Search Results

Today's Document
We have a white board at the entrance to the ERHS Media Center and we try to change the greeting every day.  The Today's Document app may be a good source for daily reading prompts to put on the board.

Document for March 16, 2014

Zoomed in for close up of George Washington's handwriting

Document for March 19

Searched for My Birth Date

23 Mobile Things - Thing 17 - Connecting to Community

So many apps, so little time!  Thing 17 provided a super list of regional apps.  I have wondered how you find out about local apps and am still not sure the best way to find them.  Doing a little research on my own for this "thing," I did a couple of regional app searches in the iTunes store.  Here are my results:

Searched for: Elk River, Minnesota - 0 results found

Searched for: Sherburne County, Minnesota - 0 results found

Searched for: Minneapolis, Minnesota - 29 results found

Searched for: Hennepin County, Minnesota - 0 results found

Search for: Minnesota - 371 results found

Although I am in the CMLE region, the apps listed under the Arrowhead Library System were of the most interest to me.  Of all of those listed, these are the apps I chose to try out: Highlights of the Superior Hiking Trail, UpNorthExplorer, Minneapolis by Open Places, Going Out, Minnesota 511, Explore Minnesota and MN Museums.  I was already using the Minnesota State Fair and MPR Radio apps.

Highlights of the Superior Hiking Trail

My husband and I enjoy being outdoors and the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is on our to-do list.  We took our first hike on the SHT in 2008.  This first hike took us on the Kadunce River section, which is Hike #11 on the app.  I really like how the app breaks down the SHT into hiking sections.  I am looking forward to hiking Carlton Peak (Hike #7) and the Oberg Mountain Loop (Hike #8) this Fall, and the Bean and Bear Lakes Loop (Hike #4) looks like a must do, too!

Our 1st Hike on the Superior Hiking Trail (2008)

UpNorthExplorer

Since we love to go on road trips, this app may be useful. Using the Explore and Events features in the app could help find destinations to explore and activities to do.  I was surprised to find a recipe section in the app.

Minnesota State Fair

Photo Credit: Zoma Olson

I have used this app for several years and it has become a valuable asset to our Minnesota State Fair adventures.  I use the Food Finder and the Fun (Entertainment) Finder the most.  The map also comes in handy.

Our daughter's boyfriend is a member of the vocal band, Six Appeal.  Six Appeal tours around the country, and for the last couple of years have performed at the Minnesota State Fair.  This year (2014), Six Appeal will be performing at the Minnesota State Fair on the Leinie Lodge Bandshell on August 27 and 28 (2014).  Be sure to find them on the Minnesota State Fair App and check them out!  You will not be disappointed!

Six Appeal performed on the International Bazaar Stage in 2013

Six Appeal at the 2013 Minnesota State Fair

Six Appeal's cute "merch" girls.  My daughter is on the left.

I use a few local apps that were not listed in Thing 17 which might be of interest.


Coborn's (grocery store)
Coborn's is a regional grocery store chain and we have a store in Elk River.  This is where I do most of my grocery shopping.  The Coborn's mobile app syncs with their website.  After you create an account, you can create shopping lists, find coupons and also search recipes.  I like that I can pull up my current grocery list on my phone when at the store...no more post-it notes!

Building a Grocery List on the Coborn's Website (http://www.coborns.com)

Grocery List Built on Website, Synchs with App

Recipes on Coborn's App

Coborn's App Homepage

RefillRx Mobile
I use Goodrich Pharmacy in Elk River for my prescriptions.  Goodrich uses the RefillRx Mobile app for prescription refill requests.  I don't know what other pharmacies use this app, but it is quick and convenient.

RefillRx Mobile App

23 Mobile Things - Thing 16 - Audio

Hear ye, Hear ye!  Thing 16 is about all things audio.  I confess that this thing is outside my comfort zone.  I hate, I mean really hate, how my voice sounds when recorded.  Thus, I am going to make this short and, hopefully, sweet!

Audioboo
After downloading the Audioboo app, I signed in with my Twitter account and added a profile photo.  Recording a short audio clip (or "boo" as the site calls them) was very easy.  I was also able to add one of my photos to go along with the audio.  After publishing my "boo," it was easy to share on social media and the website gave me an embed code to add the recording to my blog.  Another nice feature is that you can sync the Audioboo mobile app with their website. Yeah!

P.S. Unbeknownst to me, the app automatically posted my "boo" to Facebook.  I may need to tweek my settings a bit, but friends have already "liked" it!

Photo I used for my "boo."

My Audioboo Homepage

Here's my Audioboo Boo:

listen to ‘Miles to Go Before I Sleep’ on Audioboo

ipadio
The ipadio app is very similar to Audioboo.  It is very easy to use and includes sharing to social media, adding photos and also offers html codes for embedding into blogs and websites.  ipadio also syncs their mobile app with their website.  The website is where I got the embed code.  Here is my ipadio recording.

 

SoundCloud

The SoundCloud app is more than just for audio recording.  After I set up my SoundCloud account, I was able to find friends to follow.  I also picked out music and other audio that appealed to me by genre.  I was pleasantly surprised that SoundCloud has audio books and I am now listening to "Missing You" by Harlan Coben!  Since I did a recording for both Audioboo and ipadio, I chose not to record myself using SoundCloud, but it's nice to know that option is available.

I can see using any one of these apps in the library for student book reviews, interviews with teachers and also for classroom projects.  I will be investigating further whether or not you can save the audio clips and import them into iMovie, which would make these apps even more useful.

23 Mobile Things - Thing 15 - Infographics

Infographics display information visually.  Like a quality presentation, wording is concise and graphics/images are used to enhance the text.  Several teachers at ERHS are having students create infographics for various projects.  Thing 15 had us explore several infographic mobile apps:  Infographics Hub, info.Graphics, i Visual Info Touch Lite (Free), and Visualize Free.  As is the case with most of the apps we have learned about during 23 Mobile Things, in order to be useful at our school, what the app produces (infographics, in this case) needs to be able to be shared easily.  This tends to be a problem since most social media websites are blocked at school.  Also, the ability to print out the finished product is also a must.

I enjoyed trying my hand at creating an infographic.  Here is the result of my attempt.

23 Mobile Things - Thing 14 - Videos

Oh, my goodness! I did not expect to like Thing 14 about videos as much as I do! 23 Mobile Things has opened my eyes to so many fun apps!  Lights, camera, ACTION!

Vine
The Vine app allows you to create very short (6 seconds) video clips.  After downloading the app, I found a couple of friends, who are using Vine, to follow.  I also linked my new Vine account with Facebook and Twitter.  Creating the video was easy and fun.  I like that you just tap the screen to start and stop recording.  The only drawback that I see is that you cannot add music to your video clip unless it is picked up by your device's microphone.  I tried to play music from my phone in the background, but the music shuts off when you open the app.  Thus, I got a lot of background noise on my Vine videos.



Our favorite vocal band, Six Appeal, has a presence on Vine.  Here is one of their sound checks posted by Trey.  He does a much better Vine than me.  Enjoy!



Viddy
I LOVE this app!  Viddy allows you to create 30 second videos and the app has several neat filters to choose from.  You can also add music.  The ability to add hashtags is nice.  I used the #23ThingsMN hashtag on my Viddy, thinking that the hashtag would work when I shared my video to Twitter, but it did not.  I guess the hashtags are only for Viddy searching.  To create my first Viddy, I decided to use an idea I found on Pinterest...Divergent Faction Reading Lists.  I used this idea for my Vine videos, too, but with only 6 seconds, each Faction had to be its own Vine.  With Viddy, I created one video that includes all of the factions.  After searching our library collection and coming up with books for each reading list, I chose the Dewey filter (for obvious reasons...I work in a library) to create my Viddy.  I did run into a problem adding music.  I did not have a Music option on my iPhone when creating a new video.  As a result, I created a video that had lots of background noise and saved it.  Then, I created a new Viddy and selected my previously saved video (the original one).  This allowed me to have the option to select music for my video.  I chose the Teen Fantasy track. I then saved this second video and deleted the first one.  To embed the Viddy into my blog, I used the embed.ly website to get the html code.

Divergent Faction Reading Lists #ERHS #23ThingsMN @mnmultitypes

Socialcam
The Socialcam app does not have a time limit for the videos you create and there are filters and music that you can choose to enhance your video.  For my Socialcam video, I selected the 1970's filter (I like the static marks), a Classic title and the Cinematic music track and videotaped a display of famous authors.  Again, I used the embed.ly website to get the html code to embed the Socialcam video into my blog.

Famous Authors #ERHS #23ThingsMN @mnmultitypes

Magistro
Magistro is a little different from Vine, Viddy and Socialcam.  It is more of a video-mashup generator and is very similar to Animoto, which I learned about in 23 Things on a Stick.  You can create new content for your Magistro video or use photos and videos from your library.  For my Magistro video, I selected photos from my library to create a 2014 Minnesota Mineral Club Field Trips video.  With the free version of the app, you can use up to 10 photos.  I chose to use the Traveler theme and uploaded by own music, "Mud on the Tires" by Brad Paisley.



Here is an Animoto video I created using the same photos that are in the Magistro video.  As you can see, they are very similar.


2014 MMC Field Trips

23 Mobile Things - Thing 13 - Presentations

For Thing 13 of 23 Mobile Things, several presentation apps were highlighted.  Students at Elk River High School use several sites to create presentations: PowerPoint, Google Docs and Prezi.  It is nice to have several more options to choose from.

Deck Slideshow
The Deck Slideshow app was easy to use.  After you enter in your slide text, there is a fun assortment of themes to choose from.  I decided to create a Deck Slideshow for the 2014 Minnesota Mineral Club Field Trips.  After adding the text for each field trip, I attempted to add a photo.  The photos from my iPhone were too large and I didn't want to take the time to resize them, so I left the pictures out.  Then, my iPhone completely locked up when I tried to save my newly created Deck.  This could be due to our school's filtering software, but I am not sure.  After several tries, I was able to email the Deck to myself.  For the email, I chose the Deck format because I wanted to retain the flow of the Deck presentation.  When I tried to open the Deck in my email, it would not open, since Deck Slideshow is not on my computer.  I could have chosen to email the Deck in a PDF or PowerPoint format, but that doesn't make sense to me since the neat feature of the Deck is a flowing, non-slide-like, presentation.  And, after some research, it does not appear that Deck Slideshows can be embedded into blogs or websites, so I will just post some screenshots.  It also appears that you cannot link to a Deck Slideshow.  That is a bummer.  I think the sharing capability of Deck Slideshow is a little too limited.  Also, it would be hard to recommend this app to teachers, since frequently the students are asked to print their presentations.  I doubt this would be possible with Deck Slideshow.

Haiku Deck
Since creating slideshows on iPhone's is not currently available for Haiku Deck (it is coming), I created another 2014 Minnesota Mineral Club Field Trip slideshow using the Haiku Deck website on my computer.  I like that you can sync Haiku Deck with your computer and devices.  This capability is an definite advantage over Deck Slideshow. Creating a Haiku Deck is easy.  Another nice feature of Haiku Deck is the Creative Commons library of photographs you can use.  You can also upload your own images.  And, after syncing your iPhone and iPad, it is completely awesome that you can use your iPhone to control your iPad.  I can see teacher's using this with their iPads and whiteboards.  Very cool!  Another bonus...you can embed Haiku Decks into blogs and websites!  Here is my Haiku Deck.


Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app

23 Mobile Things - Thing 12 - Books, Books & More Books!

We all have our happy places, and I have found another of mine in Thing 12!  What's not to love about books?

My Buddy, Quincy

When I first started 23 Mobile Things, I created a 23 Mobile Things folder on my iPhone for all of the apps we learn about.  My thought was, that after I had finished all 23 Mobile Things, I would choose which apps I was going to keep.  Well, for Thing 12, I went ahead and placed the apps directly into my Books & Research folder.  I will be keeping them all!

Wattpad

At first glance, Wattpad's book selection appeared to be mediocre.  It seemed like a lot of writing group submissions.  I thought I might have to really dig for a diamond-in-the-rough.  However, without too much searching, I found a title I would like to read...Deadly Stillwater by Roger Stelljes.  This title appeals to me because it is a Mystery/Thriller, it is set in Minnesota and it is written by a Minnesota author.

After adding this book to my library, I found the app to be very easy to use.  To read the book, you flip the pages just like a real book.  The app allows you to select specific chapters and also bookmark your current location.  Wattpad also allows you to share what you are reading on Facebook and Twitter.

Free Books

Free (Audio) Books App

I was not able to find the Free Books (read-only) app in the iTunes store, but I did find their Free Audio Books app, so I downloaded the audio app.  The book selection for this app seems to be primarily "classics," from pre-1923.  Because of this, the titles were more familiar to me than those on Wattpad.  Searching through the Free Audio Books titles, I wondered again what/who determines which titles are deemed "classics." The app is easy to use and a great resource.

Audiobooks
My husband and I have fallen in love with audio books.  We listen to books when we travel and I listen to books when I walk the dog.  We get our audio books from Audible and have been very happy with that source.  We pay for our books from Audible.  For a free app, Audiobooks is a nice option.  The free books can only be streamed to your device, not downloaded.  Downloads are cheap...99 cents for one book or all 263 of the sites Plus titles for $7.99.  This seems like a great deal!  I really like the "preview" option.  I won't be giving up Audible for this app, but it is nice to have a back-up plan for our road trips!

Audiobooks App

YALSA Teen Book Finder
I guess I am a little confused about the YALSA Teen Book Finder app.  You can search by author and title and add books to your favorites, but I fail to see a purpose in doing this.  I would have liked to see a "if you liked this book, you should try this one" option.  I think that would be more useful.

Photo Credit: Me (Zoma Olson)

Warm Day Walk

After a weekend devoted entirely to the Rock Rustler's News, the alarm went off way too early Monday morning.  Before I got to work, I had spilled my coffee, not once, but twice...first on a brand new book and second on the dash of the mini-van.  Tired and crabby, I got to work and felt like I needed a "do-over."  The day didn't get much better.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a wonderfully warm March day, reaching a high of 60*F.  After school, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home.  While waiting in line to check out, my friend Jean saw me stopped to chat.  She is involved with a mom's group who prays for students and staff in our local schools.  It turns out that I had been selected as someone to pray for this week.  I told her that after Monday, I could use all the prayer I could get.  Anyway, I think it is awesome that I am being prayed for this week.  I really appreciate it!

Since it was so nice out, I raced home so that Quincy and I could go for the walk I promised him earlier in the day.  As Quincy and I enjoyed the beautiful day, I had time to think and take some pictures.  Here are some random thoughts and shots from our excursion.

Could these be robins?

Not far from our house, some birds caught my attention.  Each year, I am thrilled to see the first robins return to Minnesota in the Spring.  Steve and Signe always beat me at seeing a robin first every year, so I was hoping these were robins.  They were too far away to be sure, but I'm telling Steve and Signe that they were.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Snow, Leaf and Red

Near the sledding hill at Orange Park, we found a leaf resting on red.  I have no idea what the red paint was for, but I liked finding something unexpected on the sidewalk.  The snow kind of reminds me of a car.  (use your imagination)

Hurry up, Mom

It's fun to play around with Instagram.  The tilt-shift option was used for this picture of Quincy.  I like that you can see his shadow on the wet sidewalk.

Ice Melting on Pond

I tried to capture the glow of the sunset over the trees, but it was a little too early.  I like the reflection of the grass in the water of the pond.

Quincy was Here

I love everything about Quincy...right down to his paw prints.  He brings me such joy everyday.  Except when he pees on the snowman I made last week.

Lord "Tennis"on

The upper Midwest has been dubbed "fly-over" land.  I couldn't help but notice several criss-crossing contrails in the sky, even a lacy one.

Lacy Contrail

Since the weather was so unseasonably warm, many people were out enjoying the weather.  Quincy got to greet several other dogs, but by far his favorite was his cousin, Buddy.

Quincy's buddy, Buddy

Detroit Lakes hosts the "We Fest" every summer.  Quincy and Buddy have their own version...  I think deeply while walking...

"Wee" Fest

Thneedville is the city in Dr. Seuss' book, The Lorax.  This city is made of plastic and has no trees.  Even though Steve works in the plastics industry, I am glad we have trees (and I'm pretty sure he is, too).  We are looking forward to seeing the upcoming Lorax movie.  I was surprised to see Elk River has Lorax trees!

 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better.  It's not."

~Dr. Seuss from The Lorax

 

It's nice to have a few greeters to welcome us home from our walk.

 

I was tired when we got home, Quincy was not.

C'mon, Mom.  Let's play ball!

I love this dog!