Thing 23: Evaluate 23 Mobile Apps

Thank you for offering 23 Mobile Apps. I really enjoyed doing the course and discovering new apps. I think that mobile devices are the way of the future. Everyone wants to take all of their information with them! I feel there will be more and more apps developed because of this. Some of my favorite apps that I explored were: Line Camera as I am very interested in photography and how you can improve and alter your photos, MPR Radio because I enjoy some of their programs such as Garrison Keillor and I enjoy the music offered, and Dragon Dictation because I thought it was cool to see my words type out on the screen! These are just a few of the apps that I thought were great. I connected with others by reading their blogs. There seemed to be many people who started the program but didn't finish. I know life can get in the way of your personal expectations. I cannot think of any way that this program could have been improved! I told my boss I was going to finish the program so I could get a raise! Dream On! I liked the badges as we completed each five items as a little incentive of our progress. Even adults need those little incentives. I would definitely take part in more 23 things as this is the third time I have participated. Continuing education is so important for everyone. There are always new things to learn to inspire and educate us. This helps us to provide better library service to our patrons. I would express my feelings with two words: lifelong learning!

Thing 22: Discovering Apps

Quixey was the app I downloaded in order to discover new apps. I searched the topic Library. Several of the sites were connections to your local library's digital collections. 3M cloud Library and Book Myne did not include my library system. Book Myne said to tell my library to join! So, I searched flowers for my next topic and discovered the app Flowers in HD. What a wonderful app! The pictures of the flowers were gorgeous! There was an alphabetical listing to go by and also other categories such as what is trending. This was a bright spot on this rainy day. As you said, there are thousands of apps to explore, but I think we had a good introduction to what is out there.

Thing 21: Free-for-all

My favorite app is Maps on my iPhone. I use it all the time as a GPS. It will map out your route to a destination and give you alternate routes also. It will give you verbal directions which is great when you are traveling alone and can't be looking at your phone. It will also reroute if you don't take its advice. It gives printed directions and also a map overview. This app eliminates the need for a separate GPS unit in your car.

Thing 20: Games

Games are not my favorite thing! I have been invited many times to play Candy Crush Saga, so decided to try it. I went through 3 levels and still decided it's not for me. I'm not sure why, but it seems like you either like gaming or you don't. There are a lot of games available online and I can see many people playing them on the public computers at the library. There is even online gambling. So much of these can be addictive. Sorry, I would rather read!

Thing 19: Hobbies

I explored MyGarden because I love to garden. This site seems to me like the Pinterest of gardening. You need to set up an account with them and then choose Plant overview, add a message, messages, gardeners or garden todos. Gardeners include fans and favorite plants. You can choose gardeners to follow and select plants that you're interested in. The plant overview gives you lots of info about each plant. I don't think this app would be one I would continue to use as I'm not interested in following fellow gardeners. I'm more interested in pictures of gardens and descriptions of the plants and how to take care of them.

Thing 18: Education

There are so many educational apps available. I look at three of those listed. The first was Eat this not that. It compared two food items and you had to decide which was the best to eat. After you made a choice it told you why you were right or wrong. This was an educational app that could help us to make better food choices. Next I looked at artCircles. This had a circular index where you could pick different categories (nature, popular, colors, etc.) and view art work that matches that category. I especially liked the color choice where you could decide what color artwork you would select for each room in your house. I translate was a fascinating app! You type in a phrase and can translate it into multiple languages. I remember a patron who brought in a letter in another language and wanted it translated. This app would do it for you!

Thing 17: Connecting to Community

I was disappointed that the only app listed for the Sammie region was Marshall Living. I installed that app and looked through the categories listed. It did include quite a bit of territory around Marshall, so it wasn't just limited to the city of Marshall. I also installed MPR Radio and the Minnesota State Fair. Both apps are fun to explore. I was scrolling through the entertainment for the Minnesota State Fair which took quite some time as they offer a lot. When I was almost finished, I realized that it was last year's schedule. Since it is June, this should have been updated by now. I also downloaded Explore Minnesota. It kept freezing up as I was checking out the festivals. So, these apps are fun but need to be updated regularly to insure info is accurate and up to date. Thanks for sharing these apps I wasn't aware of.