tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26272876402238363382024-03-19T03:33:14.568-07:00reading by the waysideshannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-72907005696337428282014-03-17T18:04:00.000-07:002014-03-17T18:04:07.304-07:00thing 23I liked doing this program but found that some of the apps did not work or I could not find them even after doing a search. I would participate in another program though, I liked being able to set my own pace because I have other projects that require a good deal more time. Some of the apps would not work in the library but others would work really well (if the library had more mobile devices and the technology to support it). Our library is trying to keep up with the technology demand but the smaller the community the less resources that a library has. I do have some ideas that I can take back to my supervisor as our library grows and more mobile devices are brought into the library. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-28535628754191400752014-03-17T17:50:00.002-07:002014-03-17T17:50:47.901-07:00thing 22Droid of the day apparently ran into some issues that the developer acknowledges right away, when I installed the app I got a message stating that the app may not run correctly because of some issues. Google play also does some suggestions on the top rated free apps. I like Quixey the best though, i tried searching for museums, travel and restaurants and was successful in all three searches. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-74243328137604353912014-03-17T17:37:00.003-07:002014-03-17T17:37:47.499-07:00thing 21The prezi app for Ipad/Iphone is one app that I would recommend for any business or student. I used Prezi.com for some school projects and was really impressed with how easy it was to use and how easy it was to share the presentation. It is a more user friendly version and modern looking Powerpoint. It allows people to be a little more creative with their presentations then powerpoint which often relies on templates. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-8193822293217240712014-03-17T17:31:00.001-07:002014-03-17T17:31:47.257-07:00thing 20I only wanted two games to try out so I tried out word collapse for awhile and then turned it over to my mom who is now addicted to the game. I also loved Frogger but the app would not work so I had to uninstall it without being able to play it. The Candy Crush Saga would be to addicting and I would spend too much time playing it so I did not even install it, I had to take it off my Facebook page also. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-50518605548601070842014-03-17T17:20:00.002-07:002014-03-17T17:20:17.186-07:00thing 19We already use the WatchESPN app on the phone because we thought we could use it to watch Nascar races on it, only to find out that you had to have a cable account also so we could not watch the races. I installed Road Ninja app for my upcoming road trip in August, it really does not work unless one is actually driving so sitting on the couch and trying to play with it does not work. The Vivino Wine Scanner would be nice for later in the summer when the vineyards in the area are open but the app is a huge download and takes up a lot of space. I thought the Sibley birds app would be fun but there were some errors and files were missing so I had to uninstall it right away. The Spotify app I did not bother installing though I have heard good things about it (most people prefer it over Itunes). I use IHeart radio to listen to music instead. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-9789756508720852832014-03-17T17:10:00.000-07:002014-03-17T17:10:26.893-07:00thing 18I thought the Eat This Not That app would be fun because the book series is so popular, but then I read the reviews before installing and had some doubts about the app. The reviews proved correct the app is not very fun and pretty poorly developed, I uninstalled it right away. The Duolingo app is good though and my mom uses it to learn some simple phrases in spanish to help her in her job as a receptionist. I play around with google Earth on my computer and work with a GIS application for my job, it is impressive the amount of detail one can get when one zooms in. You can literally zoom into the street that you live on, it would be neat to use in a library to provide a tour of the surrounding libraries in a county. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-13814119336605041412014-03-08T18:59:00.000-08:002014-03-08T18:59:48.462-08:00thing 17Minnesota 511 has been very helpful during the past summer with all the road construction in the area, I like how it can narrow in on certain roads to show any slow travel times due to heavy traffic. Eden Prairie recently launched their own app similar to St Paul connect that allows people to report any type of problem such as potholes or lights that are not working. I just installed the UpNorthExplorer app because I will going in that direction for a vacation this summer and will be having fun scrolling through it during the rest of the week. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-88003637656505184202014-03-08T18:49:00.001-08:002014-03-08T18:49:13.461-08:00thing 16I tried Soundcloud and liked some of the setup, I thought it would be more like Iheart radio and I would be able to just listen to some music. I like I Heart radio better because I could at least follow radio stations that I am familiar with instead of trying to chose who to follow from a long list of people that I do not know. It did have a good selection of classical music that I could try out and the sound was okay but not the greatest. I really don't think I have heard of many of my friend using it and I have friends who are in the recording/ band profession. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-5742988414216129332014-03-08T18:35:00.000-08:002014-03-08T18:35:29.257-08:00thing 15I could not get google play to find the app Inforgraphics hub and I visual touch lite free would not install and froze when I tried to hit the install button. So I guess I won't be commenting too much on the apps for this section. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-74196043230058191292014-03-08T18:29:00.000-08:002014-03-08T18:29:04.108-08:00thing 14I thought Viddy was cute but did not sign up for an account, I was able to view some sample videos of cute animals but did not try to use it to create my own videos, with so much hacking into accounts I do not really feel comfortable posting any type of video on the internet because I do not know for sure where it will end up. Socialcam came up with errors and I could not get it to install so I did not try to open the app. I think the vine app would be good for the library, especially for the tails for reading program that we do, with the parents permission we could record their children reading to the dogs and then send the video to their parents. Vine though depends on twitter which I do not use or signing in with my email address which already has a lot of junk mail filtering through it. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-71383553703404805752014-03-08T18:12:00.000-08:002014-03-08T18:12:15.695-08:00thing 13I tried to use Deck Slideshow since I do not have an apple product and found the program froze and would not let me create a presentation. It kept running through demo after demo but would not actually let me create something myself. I gave up and uninstalled the app which was too bad because the demos made doing a presentation look like a lot of fun and something that a library could use at their next staff meeting. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-31627415242385183642014-03-08T18:01:00.002-08:002014-03-08T18:01:33.859-08:00thing 12I tried the IstoryBooks app first but the books that I thought my niece or nephew would like were part of the premium level and I did not feel like having to purchase them. I did find some free books but found the voice of the narrator to be seriously annoying and knew that the kiddos in my life would roll their eyes and go back to the paper versions pretty quickly. I tried Wattpad next and while it was easy to navigate I was unfamilar with many of the books offered and it seemed more geareed to romance and "adult" material, which I would not like the kids in my life to stumble upon if they ever got ahold of the phone. I did like the fact that I could bypass the login if I just wanted to browse through the selection without having to set up an account. The free books app is an interesting app, I liked the fact that the first book I spotted was one of my favorite plays. It took my a couple of seconds on how to download the book that I chose, it is nice that they give an overview of the book before giving the user a choice to download the book. It really does act like a miny version of my Nook with the option to use your finger to scroll through the pages. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-8088126727908569482014-03-01T18:18:00.000-08:002014-03-01T18:18:18.629-08:00thing 11Our library does have an app for smartphones, I used it to renew some books and found it a little easier then having to use my computer, there were fewer steps, I like the way that the app lays out the options, I could find out what apps the library has such as Twitter, Facebook and an app for BookLook which is a ISBN search app. I know that our public library has Zinio, Overdrive and just got 3MCloud, though we are having some tech issues with 3MCloud. I know that my college library had EBSCO database on their computers and they do have EBSCO e-books but that was the only one that I could find. The BookLook app that I found through my public library does not need to be downloaded,a person can use it right from the libraries app. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-28258556797875185042014-03-01T18:03:00.000-08:002014-03-08T17:41:52.140-08:00thing 10I chose Instagram because it is pretty popular, it certainly has a lot of features for a photo app. The one thing that I could not figure out was how to edit a photo or delete one, the photo that I took was blurry and I wanted to see if I could adjust the sharpness. Still I like that I could follow my friends photos and post to facebook without having to use an additional photo program. I could see how this app could be used to promote a children's program at the library by allowing staff to quickly post pictures to their facebook page. I went back and played around with Instagram a little more and found that I do not like the fact that there are no guides on how to use it and I still can not figure out how to delete a photo. I don't like apps that require a person to have to do trial and error in order to wade through the program. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-39027254266873408982014-03-01T17:52:00.000-08:002014-03-01T17:52:00.546-08:00thing 9I tried the Color Splurge app and liked the fact that I had options about where I could get my photos from three different places. I also liked the fact that I did not have to set up another account in order to use the program. I think that this app would be good for a library to use for promotional photos. Also it would fun to use to give some black and white photos a splash of color. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-34085773703403744712014-02-11T17:15:00.000-08:002014-02-11T17:16:20.491-08:00thing 8I have heard of twitter but don't have an account, the library that I work at does have a twitter account which they use to post news about upcoming events. I do have Facebook which I use quite often as it's the only way that I can seem to keep connected with long distant relatives. Our library has a facebook page but there is really nothing on it at the moment. I have heard of google+ but have not used the app at the moment, google is really trying to compete with Facebook but I don't know a lot of people that have heard about google+ outside of being invited to be part of someones circle. I have a linkedIn profile and while I found it interesting to see who I could connect with while searching for a job it really did not help me find a job in my field. This could be a good resource for the library to use if they did a class on people who want to connect with others in the same job field. The Foursquare app according to my brother has become less popular and has changed drastically since it first started. My mom used it a lot when she first got her phone and checked in everywhere. But she did not like the fact that it would post her location to her facebook page, she became worried about her safety and then finally decided to uninstall the app. I don't think that this app would have a lot of use for a library since it basically just tells other people where the user is currently, though maybe it would be useful if a person was telling others about a book sale. GetGlue (now tvtag) is Foursquare for tv lovers, you check in what tv show you are watching and get special points and get to see what your friends are watching. A library could use the app to see waht patrons are watching the most to determine which tv shows to purchase for their collection. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-54186391200907279672014-02-11T16:41:00.001-08:002014-02-11T16:41:05.344-08:00thing 7I recently convinced my mom to put pinterest on her phone and then had to explain why she would want the app on her phone and what pinterest did. I have it on my laptop and know if I put it on my phone I would have a hard time putting the phone down. I currently am helping my mom with some remodeling for our bathroom and was able to find a design that we both liked for our house. Also I have been doing some research on children's library designs for work and found some great ideas for our future library space (since it has been to cold to drive anywhere). I like pinterests because you can find ideas about a wide range of topics. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-61184973804883888852014-02-11T16:35:00.001-08:002014-02-11T16:35:23.751-08:00thing 6I installed CloudOn first but did not like how the app ran and found the documents hard to read on my phone. I then decided to try out Quick Office instead and found it more user friendly though I am not really sure that I like the Google drive function, it tends to resurrect old documents that I thought had been deleted and tried to get me to edit them. Also since I like using my computer over a phone to view and edit documents because the screen is bigger, if I had a ipad though this app would be more helpful.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-70990449980601744122014-01-26T14:52:00.001-08:002014-01-26T14:52:49.925-08:00Thing 5 I tried out Remember the milk because I wanted to see if it would be something that my mom could use when she went grocery shopping. I played around with it for a little bit but then uninstalled it (the same thing with Springpad), I think that paper lists would still work the best for the shopping trips so that she would not have to worry about dropping her phone into the salad bar when she wanted to check off an item. I wanted to try Bamboo but could not find it in the app selection in google play. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-58328910764038389292014-01-26T14:29:00.001-08:002014-01-26T14:29:17.865-08:00Thing 4The Flipboard app is an interesting application but I found it difficult to navigate and if I had to show someone how to use it I would have to tell them to ask someone else. It would be nice to have if I would need to access a newspaper article quickly, also the Flipboard picks was very interesting, I especially liked an article discussing whether coffee or beer made a person more creative. I could see Flipboard being a good app for a computer if a patron wanted to quickly access a newspaper article without having to flip through back issues. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-72265081778075007302014-01-24T17:36:00.001-08:002014-01-24T17:36:23.416-08:00Thing 3I have QR Scanner on the Galaxy and have used it to scan codes for coupons and isbn's on the back of books to find out prices and where I could find a copy of the book. It works okay but sometimes it takes a couple of seconds for the code to be scanned properly. I used it tonight to scan the isbn code on my library book Cobra Slave and it pulled a screen shot of the book cover, seven places to buy the book online and a place to write a review of the book if I wanted too.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-31735849707528413122014-01-24T17:20:00.001-08:002014-01-24T17:20:22.958-08:00Thing 2I use the Samsung Galaxy 4 for pictures when I do not want to lug around all my camera gear. I played around with the speaker function tonight and found not having to touch the screen to take a picture makes for less blurring in the picture. ALso I tried using the two finger swipe to pull down the setting screen easier then trying to use just one finger, it came down right away while when I used one finger I often would have to do the action more then once in order to have success.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-11322555567454942202014-01-24T17:04:00.000-08:002014-01-24T17:04:05.613-08:0023 things 1I would like to get to know my mobile device a little better so that I can answer some of my mom's questions about her phone. We get a more and more seniors coming into the library and placing their device on the counter and pointing at it while saying "my kids bought me this for christmas, how do I download books?" and I would like to be able to help patrons with a better understanding of how mobile devices work. shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-61852987201345642792013-08-28T18:21:00.001-07:002013-08-28T18:21:06.124-07:00shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627287640223836338.post-34130585053797066342013-08-28T18:20:00.003-07:002013-08-28T18:20:35.194-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTl_rbt-tpK84FX8q9rdD_cXXWh0hKpCGTn52tQHJxsDd4wBJwig1fRQ63V9zGkkEMjr_XQUzMezArvaRiHNjQ0KwgkUnHFmjSU8ZAsT0UVF-kZ10_XZK4WP-2R0Es3IOzZUsK09pxmRF/s1600/IMG_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTl_rbt-tpK84FX8q9rdD_cXXWh0hKpCGTn52tQHJxsDd4wBJwig1fRQ63V9zGkkEMjr_XQUzMezArvaRiHNjQ0KwgkUnHFmjSU8ZAsT0UVF-kZ10_XZK4WP-2R0Es3IOzZUsK09pxmRF/s320/IMG_0016.jpg" /></a></div>
Another water lilly from the fountain at the arboretum.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00471235578370165762noreply@blogger.com0