#14 video creation

I know that I need to get into video creation, but I really do not like to make video with my iPad. I am always worried about droping it. I would worry more if my students were making them. I do think that students will be making more videos and will need intuitive apps to assist with the editing process. 

The app that I have used most is iMovie. It is a $4 app, but was worth the money.  It offers a variety of intuitive tools to help edit and format your movie. It also has uplaod connections to help get your movie to the patrons you want to see it. 

It is also possible to use the iPad camera to record and upload video to YouTube or other social media. Small clips can be emailed, too. I have done a couple movies that wya as well. If you mess up, you have to retake, just like with a real movie. 

I will attempt some more movies over the summer and think more about how these could be used in some of the projects that I teach. 

#13 presenting Haiku deck

I have tried Haiku deck and enjoyed using it as a tool for easy presentations. I enjoyed the ease of use in both images and text insertion, but didn't always find the images I needed. The app pull from a library of public domain images so some topics are thin. You can add your own pictures, but that can take time to find and upload them. I do that for PP, so it isn't a big issue. 

I do like the feature that only allows limited text on a page. Too much text is one of my biggest issues with most presentations. Using this app would prevent that entirely! It would also help kids be more consise in their work choice and force them to have notes to speak from instead of reading their slides. 

Great presentation practice. 

#12 Books! More Books.

I have a variety of book apps and have been curious to try more. The one that I use most is Overdrive since that is the platrom that my public library uses for ebooks, audiobooks.  I am delighted with the functionality and speed of access. I also have the Kindle and Nook apps, but I don't buy many books. I did have a Nook paper (reader) for a while, but found that I used my ipad more for reading abd lots of other things. I do like the Nook display for reading. It does not have a lighted screen and reads well in all kinds of light including outdoors. 

Of the apps offered for this Thing, I downloaded Free Books. I had used it before and ended up deleteing it from my iPad. It has a great collection of public domain books.  There are enough titles to keep you in books for years. I find the interface easy to use and intuitive. I have been finding the ads on the free site more intrusive lately. It seems that they are pushing their audiobooks which you can access "free" for a $3.99 access fee. Probably a good deal, but I am picky about audio books. I have to like the reader's voice if I am going to listen to them read for hours. I also don't have a way to pay for apps that are not free without urchasing them myself.  My iPad belong to my employer. 

I have discovered a collection of original Dr. Who stories that I am excited to try. They were written fairly recently so I was surprised to see them. Fun. I read science fiction and was happy to see some works by other contemporary authors included. 

I will keep this app on my iPad over the summer and see how much I read. 

#11 library apps

Destiny and MackinVia

The Rochester Public Schools elementary schools use Destiny library automation from Follett. They introduced an app with their upgrade last year. We got it in December of last year since we didn't have a programmer on staff who could assist with the upgrade, but it is all better, now. I have used the app and like some of the options that are avaiable to patrons, but don't find that it functions as well for library managers. It has a good seach and some fun lists for students to use. THe lists are 

Top 10 

New books

Public lists

My lists

Bookshelf

My account

I do like the new books list, because I can see which of the new books have been snatched up by students and which many need some selling. 

The bookshelf is a place to keep personal lists so I am not sure why I would use it. It is different than the Public lists and My lists, but my lists are both pubic and mine since I have mede them for my staff and students. 

If more of my students have access to iPads, I will have them give this app a try in the fall. It would be useful to have the OPAC in their hands as they browse the stacks. 

The other app that we are using is MackinVia. We are keeping our ebooks, audiobooks and databases there. Students access it with their district login and password both at home and at school. That access is easier than trying to connect all of the different media through Destiny. We tried that last year and really struggled with ebooks that wouldn't open or that sent patrons to different platforms each with their own login and password. In order to make school use easier, we have added a link to the banner on each school's homepage. It is still a challenge to get the information our to all our staff, but they are making good use of it this spring. 

MackinVia puts all our non-print media in once place with a federated search and a backpack to keep favorites and note taking and highlighting features. I believe that the more staff using it, the more they will like it. We just have to keep talking it up. 

Blogger Bother!

This has happened to me so many times while composing a blog on my iPad. I will start a post and then need to check something or take a picture to add to the post,  when I come back to Blogger, my earlier work will be gone!  I need to post and add more later, I guess. I have left without posting a couple of times, because of my frustration. Why isnt there an auto save or a save button!  

Okay, why is the save button only available after I click the Done button. That doesn't make any sense. Done should be ready to publish, not I need to come back to this. But, now I know where it is and can use it. Grrrrr.

# 10 photo sharing

Photo sharing is happening every day for me. I share photos by instant message, on Facebook, through email and on my website. I am sue that it is the same for most people who use mobile devices.  My daughter has a Tumblr bolg about our cats and posts photos and video every day. 

I explored Instagram for this post.  I found its features easy to use and the search seems similar to Pinterest. I discovered quite a few friends who already use the service, so it was easy to find people to follow. Today when I checked, I am being followed by two people. :-)

All that said, I see these friends photos on Facebook for the most part. Some through Google+. I can set Instagram to post to Facebook, twiter and other services automatically, too. I was disapointed that the app is designed for phones, though it can be used on the iPad. The format is portrait only, so my iPad doesn't stand up on it's own for viewing. I would think that more people are usign this app on their phones, though. It would be much easier to document events with a phone camera rather than an iPad. There is a nice set of photo options on Instagram, too. I don't tend to like to edit my photos, but it is nice that they are there and easy to use. Just a swipe of a finger and a tap on an icon to get to them. 

I confess that I probably won't use this app much on my iPad. I'm not sure how I would promote it to staff and students at school either. We would need to keep all the pictures private. This is possible, though and could be a way for teachers to share pictures to just the families of their students. I am not sure what today's parents would prefer. 

#9 photo creating and editing

Photos are everywhere. We are using them more and more with cameras on our phones. It is nice to have a camera with me all the time, though there are times that it would be great to just take a picture and I forget. My husband always takes a couple shots of everything because it is so easy to discard the bad ones. 

I use the Apple cameras and photo apps that came with my iPhone and iPad. I have found that kids like Photobooth, though I have not found it to be of much use personally. The effects are fun to play with. I experimented with CamMe and can see that the hands free aspect is very useful. It allows the subject to be farther away from the camera and allow everyone to be in the picture. I will try it will some students at school, but I am sure that they will enjoy using it.  A thought is to set up the iPad as a portrait station and ask kids to take their picture with the book that they are reading. 

The app that I have used the most in the library is called Picollage. It offers lots of ways to make photos into posters and add backgrounds and text. It is very intuitive and easy to use. I have made a couple of collages and will add one at the bottom of this post. I think that libraries could make great use of this app since it assists in the creation of posters.