Beer and Brewing in the Land of Sky Blue Waters

Dave from the Minnesota Historical Society presents much interesting history of brewing in Minnesota.

Thing 23 - Evaluate 23 Mobile Things

I started out this program with little idea of what an app was and I have gained much understanding of all the resources out there for mobile devices.  Some of my favorite apps include instagram, pintarest, spotify and quixey--I like apps that allow me to be creative.  I was able to connect with a couple of other people in my library system who are doing this program by reading their blogs.  One person, Sarah, was a good mentor for me.  She showed me how to take a screenshot.  She has both a phone and tablet and has been using apps for probably a few years.  Even though she is so much younger, she has much more experience and knowledge of the digital world.  I connected with my co-worker Carolyn as a colleague and mentor.  She saw how much fun I was having with my ASUS and she decided to buy one also so she could complete this program, which she did.   Something that surprised me was that apps are really simple web pages.  In contrast with the 23 Things on a Stick, using the apps was more streamlined.  My previous blog had all kinds of widgets, designs, videos--all of which I was encouraged to add by the self-paced program.  For this blog, I didn't have to do much more than write my impressions of what I had seen.  I usually downloaded the icon of the app that I was reviewing, but I didn't have to add much to my blog.  I'm not sure that the program can be improved.  I liked the variety of looking at apps through both a personal and professional lens.  I suppose focusing more on how libraries can use apps would be a suggestion.  I would definitely take another self-paced learning program on new technologies.  Winter is a good time of year to take on this course since it is slower at my library.   My comment:  Taking this course made me feel less like a digital immigrant and more like I can hold a conversation with a digital native.

Thing 22 - Discovering Apps

After downloading both Droid of the Day and Quixey, I have to say that Quixey is the far better app.  I searched for apps in both applications, but came up blank on Droid often.  I never came up blank with Quixey--even when I misspelled a word--it gave me an app in another language.  Quixey has a nice white screen that offsets the app icons well.  The Droid screen is small and dark with a far smaller font.  Some of the topics that I put in included travel, fitness, yoga, poetry, art and recipes.  Many apps came up--most of them free.  When Quixey couldn't find an app--I guess I did search for something that came up blank, I got this message, "We didn't seem to find any apps for your query.  Try another search or see some sample queries!" There were endless sample queries including, find cool wallpaper, chat with friends, track my steps, play word games (word games came up blank with droid).  Quixey has really expanded my view of what apps can do.  I think I will try to get some that I can use for day to day concerns such as creating a calendar, planning recipes and tracking fitness.  I found a few apps for book reviews, including "good reads" which I have used as a website.  A few other ways to discover new apps include going to websites that you like such as Star Tribune--they may have developed an app.  I also have heard ads for apps--one of those was a news app for mpr.  I can see that I may have to start managing my apps as I get more.  There are some I have downloaded and seldom use and there are some that just don't work.  Quixey will be a useful app search, but I think I can abandon Droid of the Day.

Easter Treats

Andy and Emily made delicious gluten-free cupcakes.

Thing 21 - Free for All

The one thing that I have used my tablet for on a regular basis is magazines.  There were some news apps among the 23 Mobile Things that had multiple publications, but no apps for specific magazines.  I use Next Issue and Zinio.  Next issue is for the digital edition of a magazine that I subscribe to.  Zinio is the app that allows me to get free magazines from East Central Regional Library.  These magazines might be hard to read on a phone, but reading magazines on a tablet is great.  You get the complete experience of the magazine--ads and all, without dealing with the paper copy.  Another feature, is that I can get the magazine the day it comes out instead of waiting a few days for the mailed copy.  I often start reading The New Yorker on my ASUS and then finish up on the hard copy.  ECRL subscribes to about 80 magazines.  I can go to my Zinio App and search for a title.  I just put in my library card and password and I have access to those magazines. They can be downloaded when you have wi-fi and then read later--say when you are traveling.  I have an older Kindle and though I could get magazines on it, it was mainly text.  With my ASUS I get the complete color version of a magazine, which depending on the topic, can be a wonderful feature.  I would recommend including some magazine apps.

Thing 20 - Games

I've heard about Candy Crush, but this was my chance to try it out.  It is kind of a mindless way to pass the time, but it reminds me that I spent one summer playing the computer game, Krystal Krazy.  It involved using your mouse to grab different objects and getting out before your time is up.  Although it was pretty much a waste of time, I did learn much better control of the mouse.  Perhaps with Candy Crush, I'll learn more control of the "swiping" feature of tablets.  I also have a scrabble app on my device.  I like to just play against the computer, but I know people who really like "words with friends".  Games can be a good way to spend a break, but they also may help keep reflexes and brain sharp.

Thing 19 - Hobbies

I have been making great use of the Spotify app.  I took the challenge of making a play list for the library.  I tailored it toward music I prefer, but also music that is easy to listen to without being too distracting.  I like jazz, so I downloaded about 10 jazz classics--including Take the A Train--one of my favorites.  My co-worker is from the big band era, so I downloaded some Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey.  My other co-worker was a teenager in the 80's so I downloaded some popular hits from that era.  I was listening to it today, but no one was here because of a raging spring snowstorm outside.  Spotify seems to be better at current music, which I like also and need to explore more.  I had to browse the "Decades" section to find the 40s, 80s and 70s music.  Making a play list for myself was very easy--just tap to add.  I also like the feature that I didn't have to listen to the whole song--just enough to know what it is.  I haven't tried, but I like the radio feature, where I can listen to a certain type of music.  I don't quite understand the "following" feature. I'm not really into the interactive aspects of some of my apps.  I also downloaded the garden app and the sibley lite app.  I think the $19.99 version might be kind of nice to take out in the field, but for now, I use the hard copy of Sibleys.  I'll explore the Sibleys app when I get home since it takes forever to download programs at the library.

Happy National Library Week

Thing 18 - Education

I have downloaded three education apps.  The first is a dictionary, which I can see can come in handy--nice to be able to check a word meaning or spelling.  The Thesaurus will be useful when I'm writing--like now and trying to avoid redundancy.   I tried to download NOAH which is a program for identifying plants and animals.  That didn't seem to open.  The final app that I downloaded was Google Earth.  I've used this on the computer, but enjoyed using it as an app.  You just type in a place or address and then it shows an aerial picture.  I was able to look at my husband's trailer court in Arizona, my brother's house in southern Minnesota and some sights in San Diego that we may see on a trip there next month.  I like that you can use your fingers to get in closer.  The feature of the walking man is nice if you want to look at the front of a house or building.  I was able to look up my daughter's house in LaCrosse.  My friend Joan was over for dinner last night and she showed me her childhood home and her boyfriend's cabin.  It is interesting to see the type of landscape each area has--urban and rural are very different, but dessert is much different from the swamps around Onamia.  My brother lives in southern Minnesota which has rolling hills with many cultivated fields.  This would be a great tool for teaching children different types of environments.

Thing 17 - Connecting to Community

I have downloaded several of the local apps and I think I could use several more.  The one that I have been using all winter is the 511 on Road Conditions.  I have been using the website on my computer so it is handy to get a snapshot of road conditions on my Android device.  The Superior Hiking Trail App is also handy, although I do have a book that describes the trail in more detail.  (I was super excited about hiking this trail last summer.  My brother and sister-in-law came for a visit and we went up to the north shore to try the hike from Split Rock to Beaver Bay--well we got lost and ended up hiking two hours longer than we expected.  I was completely exhausted and lost a couple of toenails in the process.  My brother and sister in law were fine--they hike in real mountains on a regular basis, but I learned that my enthusiasm doesn't always match my skill level.)  I have also downloaded the Explore Minnesota App.  My husband and I like to bird watch and there were several ideas of places close by that we haven't explored yet, so this will be a great app for us this spring.  I also like MPR and listen on a regular basis.  This App provides me another way to access my favorite shows and music.  The road conditions app has been the most helpful professionally.  When I was unsure of whether to open the library after a particularly icy and cold storm, the road conditions that recommended "no travel" on the roads that lead to the library was confirmation.  It's always good to have some strong evidence when you have to make a decision not to open.

Thing 16 - Audio

This thing has been kind of fun.  Again, I didn't have as many choices for programs as was suggested.  I couldn't get either Audioboo or ipadio for my device, so I went with SoundCloud.  It had the same feature as the other app, allowing me to record and share as well as follow and listen to other people's sounds.  Soundcloud has mainly music, so my little radio-type announcement of a poetry contest may not be the typical sound cloud.  I just recorded a few lines of poetry about spring (T.S. Elliot, Robert Frost and William Carlos Williams) and then announced the contest.  I took a picture of some melting snow near my house and posted that as the image.  As with other things I did, I had trouble posting.  I tried to post to Tublr and my blog, but it sort of froze up my device.  I even tried turning it off and back on again, but I still get a "working on it" circle when I try to open my blog from my device.  I am posting this from my laptop, which I find much more efficient for typing.  I will keep trying to post the stuff I'm doing, but I guess you'll just have to take my word for it for now.  I'm not sure if it is slow wi-fi or what, but posting has been the most challenging task for me on these apps.

Thing 15 - Infographics

I downloaded Infographics Hub which seemed the only app that was compatible with my device.  Although it had many fun graphics to looks at, I'm not sure how I would use these.  I looked at one on Antibiotics and how their overuse is causing super resistant bugs.  The bugs looked like a cross between superman and an alien.  The poster was laid out well with different sections such as History, The First Signs, MRSA, and Trust Your Immune System.  I also looked at another one comparing health in 1950 vs. today.  Two sides, Then and Now with lifespan, dying, health costs etc. compared.  I can "share" the app on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.  I kind of hate to clutter up my personal Facebook account just trying out an app, so I just posted one of them on Twitter.  From Twitter it was a link, so the nice graphic has to be clicked on to be revealed.  Maybe I will try one on facebook to see if the graphic shows up on the page.  I thought maybe there would be some instruction on how to make an infographic--that might be useful for library education.

Thing 14 - Videos

I downloaded viddy and have found it to be very easy to use.  I took a very boring video of my daughter's dog--sleeping, but I was able to add music and spruce up the color to make it look more interesting.  I found a video on my machine that I had taken a month or so ago and I was able to make a "viddy" with it.  I find it to be fun.  I hope that I can make a short video that can be shown to classrooms about the summer reading program.  I tried to do one earlier this week, but the sound was not very good.  I think I need to have it be more visual--maybe I will do a puppet show.  Anyway, videos are like photos that can be posted on the website.  I like the idea of doing training videos to show people how to place holds or order ebooks.  I will try to attach the viddy that I made.  Well--I couldn't get it done--the most I managed was to post it to my Twitter Account (Katherine Morrow@ islelibrary).  I will try to post a thumbnail of the video from my tablet.

April Display

We are having a poetry writing contest at Mille Lacs Community Library this month.

Thing 13 Presentations

Thing 13 involves presentations.  I downloaded the deck app and was able to make a presentation regarding summer reading.  I found it a little frustrating to figure out how to get my titles typed in, so I was kind of surprised when it actually worked.  I was able to view my slide show in two different styles.  Both I found very appealing.  The only trouble was that it can't be easily exported to another application.  I would have liked to add it to my blog, but I didn't see a way to do it.  I can show someone my slideshow, but I can't email it to anyone unless they have the deck application to open it.  I am typing this information on my work computer, but I will try to save a copy of the image of the first slide and then copy it on to my blog from my device.

Thing 13 Presentation

Thing 12 Books Books, & More Books

Book apps are a natural for libraries.  I downloaded the istorybook app.  It had several children's stories.  The first two that I read were both about planting things.  One talked about the process of how the seed becomes a plant.  The other was about the different parts of the flower.  These books might be fun for children to look at--actually the stories were a little dull--but I couldn't really use the device for storytime.  The story of Helen Keller was very nice, but when I wanted to read Chicken Little, it said, "premium content" which means I would have to pay for that book.  I'm guessing that colorful, clever children's books may cost more than the dull didactic ones.
I also downloaded the Kindle app because I couldn't find "Free Books" at Google Play Store.  I found "This side of Paradise" on my device already--guess I must have downloaded it through amazon at one point.  When I shopped in the Kindle store to find another book, I saw many books that were similar to what I have bought from amazon and borrowed from Overdrive over the past year or so.  It is a little eerie when your device knows who you are right away and can recommend books that you would like.  I did search for classics for free from Kindle and I found a book called "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." by Linda Brent. The ability to get classics immediately on a device might be a real game changer for libraries.  People will be able to obtain these books easily on their devices so the physical copy may not be used as often.  For many people, buying best sellers from amazon or barnes and noble is easier than going to the library.  Libraries may end up being for those of less means who are willing to wait for the best seller or for those who don't have these costly devices to obtain books upon.

Thing 11 Library & Reference

East Central Regional Library has a couple of digital resources that I have been using for the past few years. Overdrive gives access to ebooks and eaudio.  Using my home computer and downloading to Kindle through Overdrive, I have been able to get many popular nonfiction titles right away.   I have downloaded eaudio books to listen to on my ipod--right now I am listening to 12 years a slave.  I'm pretty sure there is a long waiting list for the book.  I am glad that I have access to these devices so that when patrons have questions about how these programs work, I can help them to troubleshoot.
Zinio is our newest digital addition.  It is an app for looking at magazines.  We can get free access to about 80 magazines by typing in our library card.  This is a really fun site.  It's like browsing a magazine, but with an electronic version.  I also get a free digital subscription to the New Yorker because I have a paper subscription.  I must confess that I like the digital version better than the paper because I get it the day it comes out instead of in a week.  Reading magazines is probably how I use my tablet the most.
I was able to use my tablet to do some searches on ELM.  I was disappointed that I couldn't get the whole article in some cases.  I think I'll probably stick with the laptop or desk top version to do actual research.  I downloaded the St.Paul Public Library App.  It makes the screen easier to read.  I like how the site is organized and how easy it is to back and forth between locations, programs and searching the catalog.  It looks like it would be very fast to place holds and check your account.  It would be nice if ECRL had this feature--maybe in a few years.

We had a patron in yesterday and he said that he went shopping for a cell phone.  The clerk asked him what his previous cell phone was.  He replied that he had never had a cell phone.  The clerk then referred to something that could be done "on-line."  The patron said that he didn't have a computer.  This is typical of the patrons that we have at our rural library.  In the future we may have more cell phones, tablets and computers, but right now many of us manage to live our lives without these things.  He stopped in on Tuesday and asked us for a book and then stopped back on Thursday to see if it had come in (it had).

Thing 10 - Sharing Photos

Instagram

I have been seeing the "instagram" label on pictures on Facebook so it was fun to try out this app.  One thing I really like about it is that you can edit the picture before it gets posted.  You can add frames, brighten up the shot, make it black and white and overall make it a more interesting picture.  My daughters use this site. Having said that, I think I might be the wrong demographic for this app for a variety of reasons.  First of all, I don't have a smart phone.  I would have to lug my tablet around if I wanted to take pictures while socializing, which I am not inclined to do.    Secondly, I'm a little old for the selfies.  Finally, my on-line presence isn't that rich.  My daughters have been on facebook starting with college and going through many important life changes, so looking back on 2010 is a big difference for them (throwback Thursday).  I probably look about the same and have the same job, friends, home, hobbies etc.   But, just because I don't use it personally, doesn't mean I can't use it at the library.  We have storytimes, book discussions, visiting artists and other things that it is nice to advertise.  I was able to take some instagram shots of a glass sculptor named Tony Michaud-Scorza when he came for an art showing last Saturday.

Artist at the library.

Tony

Asus camera app

Thing 9 - Taking & Editing Photos

I downloaded the Line Camera App.  I've had some fun sprucing up pictures.  There's a design and a beauty feature.  I haven't quite figured out the beauty--maybe if I took a portrait of someone, I could manipulate the picture better to enlarge and brighten eyes.  The picture I took had such small children's eyes, that I couldn't see the difference.  The design feature was fun--I was able to put some snow on Carolyn's picture, a flowered frame, a star and her name.  

I can see using this app both personally and professionally.  It is a fun way to work with pictures that end up being posted on facebook or a blog.  Blogs are becoming more popular at our library and the ones with nice graphics are probably more appealing than just text--especially a picture about what you are blogging about. I hope to use some of these features when I write another blog post.  I looked at the Google app store and there appear to be numerous photography apps that range in price from $.99 to about $4.99.  That also seems like an inexpensive price for enhanced photos.  I also looked at the camera app that is already installed on my ASUS memo pad.  Although I couldn't find frames or stamps, I was able to try some different effects.  I'll try to post a picture from the camera app.  These features have been lots of fun and I look forward to using them more in the future.

Using Line to edit photos

These children are happy with their new library cards.

Thing 8 - Social Media Management Tools

Cloze

I have downloaded the app for Cloze onto my device.  I do like the icon--very jazzy, but I'm not sure that I will use the App.  I've entered my facebook and email information.  Perhaps if I also used my Twitter and Linked-in accounts more, I would appreciate this app.  I have found that I can go to one place for both email and Facebook.  When I checked Cloze this morning, it had some facebook updates of people that I have been emailing so it did give me info about my close friends as promised.  Of course I still have to go to facebook to get the pictures and gmail to answer the email.  I will keep this on my device for awhile, but not sure I'll use it.

ISAIAH

Thing 7 Pinterest

Having twenty something daughters means that I have been introduced to Pinterest.  They and their friends love this website.  I think it started with the weddings.  It was a good place to get ideas, then of course these young women moved on to homes and recipes and now they are pinning baby things.  I have stumbled upon it while looking for crafting ideas.  My co-worker, Carolyn and I were looking for things to do with some Reader's Digest Condensed books besides dump them in the trash, and this site offered many ideas from making journals, to purses to secret boxes.  I now have an account and am following some libraries and book sites.  I also  have knitting and recipe sites for hobbies.  I have to say that Pinterest is fun--it is like visual bookmarks.  I know that it is being used with the summer reading program to get ideas--might also be useful for storytime.  I plan to use it when I start planning summer reading.

Thing 6 - Making a document

I downloaded the Cloud App for my device to try to use the making document feature.  I like that the app looks a lot like microsoft Word which I use quite a lot, but I also was a little frustrated because it wasn't exactly the same.  I couldn't find a highlight feature so that I could change the size of the font after I had typed something.  I also forgot to name my document initially, so I didn't have a good way to retrieve it and keep working on it.  I did figure that one out on my second document.  I also could not cut and paste--that feature was greyed out.  Despite this, I can see the usefulness of this app if you need to generate a document. When I was teaching, I constantly had to make up quizzes, syllabuses, assignment sheets etc.  You would be able to work on those on the small device and then open them up later to print.  I'll bet students use these for homework also.  

I was also impressed that Google had a few of my other documents on file--mostly attachments from email.  My daughter's resume was among the documents that came up along with an old Christmas letter that wouldn't open up.  Maybe this feature can also be used for viewing documents that are sent via email.  Although, I probably will use my regular-sized computer to generate documents, it is nice to know that I can use my tablet for this purpose also.

Thing 5 Notetaking

I have downloaded "Remember the Milk" onto my device and I can see where this may be handy.  You can just click on the app (after you have entered some tasks) and it gives you a list of things not to forget.  The calendar isn't that specific--just gives the day, no times, but my calendar isn't that full anyway.  I have a notetaking app on my device and that is okay also--you can write with your finger or type.  Right now, I have note pads at both home and work so if I want to make a grocery list or jot an address down (or at work write down a book to order for someone), I just use the real thing.  Perhaps in a paperless society, I'll have to resort to a screen.  I do not have a smart phone, but I imagine this app would be nice for that.  Many people just carry their cell phone around in their pocket, so they could just use it to jot down those miscellaneous notes.  Some of the apps seem like they would be good for students who need to take notes for a class--maybe they can organize them by courses and units.  I do not have that situation.

In conclusion, though I may in the future find reasons to use this app, for now I plan to stick with paper and pencil.  For me, it is faster and handier than the device--paper fits into my pocket and I can write faster than I can type on my little device.

Here is the Link to the 100 Books

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/06/living/amazon-100-best-books/

Thing 4 -- Flipboard vs. Zite

Having taken a look at both Flipboard and Zite, I have to say that I prefer Zite.  I like that I can choose some general categories initially.  The feature that allows me to give articles a thumbs up or down is supposed to work to keep giving me similar articles.  The "flip" feature however, is a nice part about that app.  You just flip pages over to see new stories.  The stories I mostly got were celebrities in their underwear--Beyonce and Eddie Murphy's daughters.  Flipboard takes longer to load, although I did find a library article that mentioned the 23 Mobile Things--guess this program is wider than just Minnesota.  The Zite site was even able to connect to my blog--I shared a story about 100 books to read in your lifetime.  I will see if that worked.  I tried to find some blogs on the flip board site, but couldn't find any local ones.  I did find some on the 23 Mobile Things site though and I am now following some other bloggers from ECRL, but I am following them through Blogger, not Flipboard.  One thing that has been nice is to realize that there are so many choices in what apps to use and then if they aren't useful, they can easily be uninstalled.

Thing 3 Utilities

I had some fun this afternoon using my new toy to get information.  I downloaded the scanner code app and the google googles app.  I found and maybe this is not always the case, but that the Red Laser app is mostly for advertisement.  I found two codes--both were ads--mascara in an Avon booklet and gardening products in Mother Earth magazine.  I used Google Goggles to take a picture of a poster and a book.  In both cases, I got immediate accurate information about the items.  I think I may use this feature if I want to know more about a book or movie.  Based on my two experiences, I think the library will have a greater use for Google Goggles since the scanner codes are mostly for ads.  I did a little looking around google + and it seems like it is trying to be another network.  At least I was asked to find people and colleagues with this so I can share things with them.  Right now, I'm thinking that I don't need one more network.  I do use Facebook, but Linked In is just an annoyance since it comes up every time I get on the computer.  I am not looking for a job and it seems like some of these network sites are for career advancement.  I tried to download the ihome sleep app and it was only for mobile phones--mine is a tablet.  I already have an alarm clock on my device (I tried it and it works great)  Anyway, I give a resounding thumbs up for Google Goggles and I like the fact that I can get the information when a scanner code is presented.

Thing 2 Continued

Although I do like my little device, it is nearly impossible to type on.  It takes me much longer to type than on this handy keyboard on my regular computer.  I also have not figured out how to upload pictures to my blog.  I wanted to take a screen shot of the wallpaper that I have installed, but I think I will have to use the old fashioned camera to do it.

I have tried to take a few screenshots, but I have been unable to figure out how to attach them to my blog.  I tried to upload a picture to tumblr, but I was unable to.  I will keep trying, as I know that the camera feature is a big part of mobile devices and it would be nice to be able to post pictures easily.

My device

My memo pad is a handy little device.  I can check email, Facebook, and the weather. There is a camera on the front and back and I can take videos.  I have played a few games with it and used Zinio to look at magazines.  There is a note taking feature that has some potential.  It has a GPS.  I have watched a Utube video on how to save the battery life. I have changed the wallpaper and will try to take a screenshot of that.   Never mind. I can't do that.

Apps?

I realize that I am hopelessly behind the times when it comes to smart phones, but in an effort to keep up, I'm doing this self-paced library program called 23 Mobile Things.  The first thing I'd like to find out is what is an app and how is it different from a regular webpage. I purchased a very inexpensive tablet that works with Android so I'm hoping to use this device to discover what apps are and how to use them.

I should also note that I went through the 23 Things on a Stick 5 years ago and learned a great deal--I can't say I've totally mastered web tools, but I have a much greater understanding of what is out there thanks to this program.  I originally set up a blog called 23 Ways of Looking at a Library for that program so this blog is 23 New Ways of Looking at a Library.  I look forward to re-acquainting myself with blogging as I investigate these mobile thing.