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[librarianthehorrible]

Tonight I went to a workshop on using meditation as a tool to address racism and other forms of injustice. The instructor led us through one compassion exercise where we bring to mind a person experiencing violence and meditate on the phrase, "I am with you." I repeated that phrase over and over as I thought about 12-year-old Tamir Rice and his last minutes of consciousness, as well as his family's grief. After I leave the workshop, I turn on my phone and get this message. I am not surprised, but it's still crushing. To Michael Brown, and to his loved ones; to Tamir Rice, and to his loved ones; and to everyone I know and don't know who has experienced harassment and violence based on the color of your skin: I am with you. You are not alone. I see how you have been hurt and I hold you in love. This is heavy and huge, and I see your strength.

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Thing #23: Evaluate 23 Mobile Things

Go back to your thoughts/ideas about  mobile devices and apps. Has anything changed as a result of this experience?

I was a pretty heavy mobile device user already, so I can't say there have been major changes.  But I did learn about a few new apps!

What were your favorite Things and discoveries?

Working on with youth and on the Social Media Team at my library, the things that were most helpful were the #9 Taking and Editing Photos, #14 Videos, and #21 Free-for-all in which I explored kid's programming apps.

How did you connect with others doing the 23 Mobile Things?

Followed other people on Tumblr, occasionally tweeted using the hashtag.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Not that I can think of!

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or content?

There were a lot that I couldn't see myself applying at the library. Might be more helpful to promote apps that people have reported using in their work (as well as utilities), even if it ends up being more like 11 Things.

If we offered a another 23 Things program like this in the future would you participate?

Probably wouldn't go whole hog again anytime soon - it was a time commitment. However, I would use it to read through a pick a few new apps.

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Thing #22: Discovering Apps

I've used Apps Gone Free for a while - I don't check it every day, but I have found some really great deals that way (e.g. my Runtastic Bike app, Ticket to Ride, and a pretty Tarot app).  

Quixey was new to me. I'd used www.appexplorer.com last summer to find something to use at one of my bookclubs, but I think I actually prefer Quixey.  

And of course, just googling "best apps of 2013" will always bring up something new to try!  I also get board game app reviews from the Board Game Geek forums.

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Thing #21: Free-for-all (or, Free Programming Apps for Kids)

Curiosity and playfulness are such important attitudes to cultivate, especially with respect to approaching technology.  I hear so many patrons preface their question with "I'm no good at computers" or "I'm computer illiterate," and I'd love to transform those statements into something like "I'm still learning" or "Can you help me figure out how to do this?"

I don't believe that helplessness is an innate trait - I think that it's learned as we grow. So I'm interested in using youth programming at the library to keep our natural draw to tinker and explore from eroding.

Programming is a skill that a lot of schools are focusing on these days, and - in my experience taking computer science in college - learning to program is hella empowering and makes computers less intimidating.  While I don't think everyone needs to be a programming expert, I do think learning a bit of programming is important for (a) learning how computers "think" and (b) being able to make basic tweaks to code (for example, I think Tumblr would be such a pain if I didn't know some rudimentary HTML). 

Today I explored a few apps that introduce kids to the basics of coding.

Daisy the Dinosaur Grades 1-4

Drag and drop commands to make Daisy the Dinosaur move and dance. This covers the most basic sequencing, loops, and objects.  There are two modes: a challenge mode that has you program Daisy through a series of steps before moving on to the next level, and a free play mode where you can create your own programs for Daisy.

This is the most basic app I tried out, and I imagine most appealing to those on the younger side. My complaint is that the free explore mode is a little limited in commands - can imagine kids wanting more.

Hopscotch Grades 3-5

In Hopscotch, you can put little characters on the screen, choose an event (e.g. "when iPad is shaken" or "when iPad detects a loud noise"), and then choose an "ability" to occur when the event happens (e.g. "animate" or "jump" or "act like a balloon").    

 There's also the option to create your own "ability" using a Scratch-like function:

I found this app a little lacking - the design is cute, but I'm not sure how long it would hold a child's interest. Switching from using preset abilities to creating your own felt like a large jump from being too simple to being too complicated.  A challenge mode that encouraged kids to explore creating your own ability might greatly improve the app, in my opinion.

Cargo-bot Grades 4+

In this app, you teach a robot to move crates by placing commands in order. 

The game teaches concepts along the way:

I LOVED this app.  Definitely the most fun and game-like of the four I tried. I can see kids actually picking this up and playing it for fun.  The one downside compared to other programming apps is that there isn't a free play mode like in Daisy the Dinosaur or Hopscotch. But great for teaching the logic of programming in a fun and engrossing way.

Tynker Grades 3-5

This has a few free challenges to try, including space-, dragon-, and racecar-themed challenges.  

You are presented with a series of commands and obstacles, and then use Scratch programming to solve the problem.

While this app was visually appealing and more game-like, the free version of the app was pretty limiting, and felt like an add for paid versions.  I do like their website for their Hour of Code resources, however: http://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/

Any apps that anyone else has tried that they recommend?

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Thing #20: Games

I'm a moderately serious board gamer IRL, and love any sort of strategy game.  I've cycled through a lot of the popular casual games - specifically Candy Crush, Clumsy Ninja, and 2048 - but these don't hold my attention for too long.  

Rather than review the games, I'll just list what I've played in the past on my iPhone - most are fun, at least for a little while:

Middle Manager of Justice Ticket to Ride Pocket (sometimes free) Flow Free San Juan 7 Little Words Candy Crush Clumsy Ninja Draw Something QuizUp 2048 Hive

And finally, the priciest, but also the most fun for gamers who like a narrative: Final Fantasy VI - now available on iPhone for $15.

Also - for librarians interested in gamification and/or people who are curious/skeptical about gaming, I highly recommend the book I'm reading now: Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.

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Thing #19: Hobbies

Outside of gaming (which is the next Thing), I only have a few hobbies that it makes sense to use apps for.  I managed to get the Runtastic App for free at some point, so it's worth keeping an eye out for it.

Zombies, Run! (paid)

As a casual runner, I was really intrigued by this app that gamifies your runs.  

In some ways, it's a lot of fun - someone narrates your run as if you're surviving in the zombie apocalypse, and you can listen to your own music between the narrations.  Periodically zombies will chase you, and you have to run faster to keep them from catching up, which is a great method of integrating fartleks.  

However, I ended up removing this from my phone last year.  I actually just like to run for running's sake - it's a meditative state for me, and I don't listen to music either.  But I'd recommend it to people who don't enjoy running and want to distract themselves from the process.

Runtastic Road Bike Pro GPS Cycling (paid)

At my last library, I had about a 26 mile round trip commute to work, and I used this app sometimes to measure how fast I was going.  It can break it down by mile too!

aNueNue

For ukulele players, this is handy to have - a tuner! I used the ukulele in storytime sometimes, and - not that the kids care - I would try to tune up a little the morning of.

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Thing #18: Education

Duolingo

I have used Duolingo in the past to learn some basic Spanish, and with my new library serving a large Spanish-speaking population, I'm thinking I should get back into it.  I love the way it's set up, though I can't say it'll ever make you fluent.  The way it's set up and kept free is fascinating though:

"Here’s how it works: Somebody who needs a webpage translated uploads it to Duolingo. That document then gets presented to Duolingo students who can translate it in order to practice the language they are learning. When the document is fully translated, Duolingo returns it to the original content owner who, depending on the type of document they uploaded, pays for the translation."

Show of Hands

This is a cool idea, and I can see it coming in handy at work if I wanted to get a public but anonymous opinion on something.  

Google Translate

I looked at this one instead of iTranslate because of the feature it has to draw with your finger.  I took Mandarin in college, and it was fun to see if it recognized the characters I was writing.  I don't think it'd work if you aren't familiar with Chinese stroke order/direction to begin with, but it worked with a basic knowledge of how to write Chinese.  I wonder if it would work as well if I was trying to write non-Romanized Russian or Korean...

ArtCircles

I loved this design, so much fun!  I would love to design a reader's advisory version of this with concentric circles leading to booklists.

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Thing #17: Connecting to the Community

Highlights of the Superior Hiking Trail

I was just up North last weekend, and wish I'd used this app/planned ahead better to plan a hiking route.  But FYI - Palisade Head is a really amazing destination. I'd recommend this to patrons heading up there - though I wonder how useful it really is as an app rather than a site, since it doesn't go too into detail.

Going Out

I like this one and how the different categories shake out.  Used it to find a music event to go to tonight!

Another one I use is the City Pages app - similar idea, but also has local news.

Mpls Lakes

This was another cool one I found - gives a list of lakes, and when you click on them, it gives a map of the lake with little pins around it with points of interest - like grills, restrooms, beaches, etc.  Seems like it might come in handy when planning a lake outing!

Happy Hours

School's out for the summer, so this has become more relevant to my interests ;-) The filters aren't super comprehensive, but it gives a good feel for what's in the area.

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Thing #16: Audio

I do like listening to podcasts while I cook or clean, but I'm not sure how helpful they'd be to a public library.  I can see it being used more in a school or academic context. Visual components add so much though, as illustrated in this infographic:

But it's fun to play around with.  I actually use the Voice Memos app on my iPhone sometimes when I want to note an idea that'd take too long to write down.  It doesn't have the social component, but you can export to email and text.

Audioboo

Seemed to be about what I expected - easy to record, though I can see the three minute limit being a little too constricting.  I explored some of the shared content, but didn't find anything of interest.  Deleted the app pretty quickly.

Soundcloud

I have friends who use this to record their podcasts/music.  If I had something I wanted to publish, I would definitely use it.

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Thing #15: Infographics

I both love and hate infographics.  They're so arresting and easy to read - I am disappointed my library hasn't jumped on the bandwagon.It seems like a great medium for propaganda advocacy.

But at the same time, I find myself irritated by infographics for the same reasons I get irritated with statistics in general.  I minored in economics in college and found that you can twist numbers to support pretty much whatever you want to say. People are so easily convinced by numbers, when really they're often just a prop for the stories we want to tell.  So I always take infographics with a grain of salt (and looking through some infographics on the Infographics Hub and info.Graphics apps - geez, some people need to start adding citations!).

But again, for that very reason they're good for pro-library propaganda.

I actually made an infographic about summer reading loss for my library, and have been waiting for the Communications department to take the bait and do something with it since I have no design skills. I used Piktochart, and was surprised by how easy it was to use.

But on to the apps:

Infographics Hub and info.Graphics

These two apps were fun to look at for a bit.  It seemed like a pretty limited selection though - couldn't find any library related ones.  I actually prefer Pinterest for browsing infographics to either of these (see this and this and my board).

i Visual Info Touch Lite and Visualize Free

iVi Touch Lite reminded me of a more limited version of PowerPoint.  Maybe I'm spoiled after using Piktochart, but it really didn't seem to have much in the way of free graphics, backgrounds, and ways to make charts and graphs.

Visualize Free kept closing and losing whatever I'd worked on whenever I tried to edit a symbol I added, so I can't even tell how well it'd work.  But judging from the samples, it seems to have more of a collage feel than the standard clean infographic feel.

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Thing #14: Videos

I don't make videos too often, but when I do, I'll either do something basic with Instagram, or use my iPhone's camera app to record a video and then edit it on my laptop with iMovie.  I also may have used a bootlegged version of fancier software to make this book talk with a classmate in grad school...:

But it was fun to try out some new apps. I can definitely see my library using videos more than it does.  Lots of potential, especially since they're supported on Instagram. But then again, so many of us (ahem) check Instagram when we're not in a place to watch a video, so I'm not sure how much play they'd really get on social media, especially if sound was an important component.

Vine

I have an old Vine account, and dug up some of the videos I made when I was trying it out. First, my roommate's bird:

And then, the kinetic sculpture at my old branch (which I put on my library's Instagram):

I like Vine, but not enough of my friends were using it. And now, with Instagram supporting video, it doesn't seem quite worth it.

Viddy and Socialcam

These were alright to play around with, and I might try them more in the future if I'm making something for the library.  In my personal life, I can't see myself using them though.

Magisto

While the themes were a little limiting, this app is awesome. Looks semi-professional with about 2 minutes of work.  Tried it out with some videos I had on my phone:

I also like that you can add your own music for it.

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Thing #13: Presentations

In grad school I tried to be trendy and used Prezi a few times for presentations, but I gotta confess, I don't particularly like it.  I've never made or seen a Prezi with a logical layout, it's not as easy as PowerPoint to skip to different parts of the presentation, and all the zooming in and out threatens to induce motion sickness.

After trying out Prezi and Haiku Deck and seeing a few really inventive and beautiful PowerPoints, I think that PowerPoint is the most versatile platform still. It might not be as quick or user-friendly as Haiku Deck, but I know the product well and could copy the aesthetic of Haiku Deck if I wanted.

Deck Slideshow Presentations

It took me a bit to figure out how to navigate the app, though once I did the animations on the slides were sort of fun to try out.  However, there were a very limited of number available for free, so I probably won't use it.  Also, I wonder how distracting the animations are in a presentation? I tried out the bike one, and it took an annoyingly long time for the figure to bike from one slide to another. 

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Thing #12: Books, Books, & More Books

I use the Goodreads app to pretty meticulously keep notes for readers advisory and statistics on my reading.  I'm not much of a eBook reader though - it's hard on the itty bitty iPhone 4s screen - and I'm a little too distractable for audiobooks.

Wattpad

I love Wattpad in theory - I think it's a wonderful medium for self-publishers, and I love that you can share comments line by line.  In practice, however, there's a lot to slough through to find something I'd like.  I read some of the more highly favorited poetry and... ehhhh I think maybe I'll wait for people to recommend things to me on Wattpad, rather than trying to seek out something new myself.  My to-be-read pile is large enough as is.

One thing that surprised me with Wattpad was that there wasn't an Urban Fiction/Street Lit section.  That's one of the most popular genres at my library, and also a genre that has a TON of self-publishers.  

Free Books and Audiobooks

Again, liked the idea and some of the mechanics of these, but I'm not a huge classics reader (got that out of my system as a snobby high schooler), so I don't think I'll use them much.  Perhaps good to know to recommend to patrons, though.

YALSA Book Finder

This was one of the first apps I got on my phone, but I deleted it after not really using it much.  I am adding it to my library's iPad, however, because I think looking up by booklist or award might be helpful sometimes.  

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Thing #11: Library & Reference

For this Thing, I decided to explore my library system's app a little more in depth.  I downloaded it when I got my iPhone, and use it to a) check my account and b) put things on hold, but I haven't used most of the other features.  I did overhear some teens talking about how they use the app recently to manage their accounts, so it's good to know it's being used!

I liked how Ask Us ("text, chat, email, call or visit") was featured, the "BookLook" (scan a barcode to see if the library owns a book), the ability to browse new titles, and the links to social media.

I do wish we could change the way events were displayed for the different library.  It just lists the names of the events, and you have to click on them to get more event details:

It would be a nice time-saver if you could see the day and time on that screen.

I might later explore the Zinio app more in depth.  I used it a bit last year, but found it too much of a pain to use on my iPhone.  I enjoy flipping through physical magazines, but find the electronic version a little too cumbersome.

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Thing #10: Photo Sharing

I really enjoy using Instagram both personally and professionally.  At Hennepin Cty, we have just recently started using Instagram to connect with patrons.  We're still figuring out the best uses for it, but give us a follow @hclib if you can bear with us while we sort out the bumps.  Here are pictures taken by staff at my current library and at my previous library (found by looking at hclib's profile and clicking on the compass feature):

The only thing I wish Instagram would change is to allow hyperlinks.  That'd be super handy for promoting library services.

As for my personal account, I love it.  It's such a fun way to communicate with friends, and I just started a #100happydays project on it.

Snapchat

I used to use Snapchat, but after reading this article, I decided to delete it.  The creators sound like dillweeds, and it's not as private as it claims to be.

At this point, I don't see much of a reason for libraries to use Snapchat, though I'd be interested in hearing some creative ideas.

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Thing #9: Taking & Editing Photos

I was never a picture taker until I got a smart phone. I started out with just using the editing tools in Instagram, but I've since started using PicStitch and You Doodle to do a little more than Instagram can do.

LINE Camera

I kept this on my phone for all of 2 minutes before I deleted it, mostly because I didn't like the animations and I was insulted by the "Beauty" part of the app - make my nose slimmer? Enlarge my eyes? No thanks, and I find the assumptions behind those suggestions troubling.

Photo Editor by Aviary

I liked this one alright - the layout was smoother and less irritating than LINE.  But I think I prefer the editor I get in Snapseed, Pixlr, or PicStitch over this. But I did spruce up a picture of my library with it!

Color Splash

I can splash color in some other apps I have, and the ads were so annoying!

CamMe

I don't take a ton of selfies, but I will defend anyone's right to indulge in them (and this article has a great defense of selfies as a mode of expression for teen girls).  And CamMe was fun! Definitely better than taking a photo at arm's length, and I love how it operates.  Voila!

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Thing #8: Social Media Management Tools

I've noticed over the past few years that I've been using personal email less and less.  I check it a few times a week, but social media and texting have really become the best ways for friends to reach me.

I confess to being a typical Millennial who overshares on social media.  A lot of people like to hate on it, but I value it for better connecting me to my communities and to new ideas.  The main platforms I use are Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and I probably check those each between 2-10x a day (sounds like a lot, but it doesn't feel that intrusive).  I've got a lot of other accounts that I check more infrequently, but mostly they don't have the critical mass of friends needed to make them worthwhile (which was my problem with tvtag and google+).

Echofon

I only manage my personal accounts and they all have different audiences, so I have no interest in any of the apps that help you cross-post.  For example, I try to keep my Twitter professional and therefore it's boring to my real-life-friends, and my Facebook posts are personal and therefore irrelevant for my professional connections.  I can't think of very many times where I'd want to post the same thing to both platforms.

However, I don't love the Twitter app, so I decided to try out Echofon. I did like how it took fewer taps to get to my lists and that it keeps track of what I already looked at.  I've decided to keep it and play around with it for a while longer to see if I want to keep it.