Thing 23

• Go back to your thoughts/ideas about  mobile devices and apps. Has anything changed as a result of this experience?  I think I have learned that if I don't think I will use an app, it is ok to delete it. I can't leave everything on my iPad ... And I can always renown load it if I need to use it. 
• What were your favorite Things and discoveries?  I like the 2nd Thing... Learning more about your mobile device. I thought I knew everything about my phone and iPad--but I didn't.
• How did you connect with others doing the 23 Mobile Things? I read a few other peoples blogs--but probably not as much as I should have.
• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I thought I knew a lot about apps, but was surprised at how much I didn't know. I learned a lot!
• If we offered a another 23 Mobile Things program like this in the future would you participate?  Yes, if offered, I would definitely do it!
• How would you describe your learning experience in one word or in one sentence, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities to others?  It was definitely worth my time to explore 23 Mobile Things!

Thing 16

I put this Thing off until last-- I had no interest in an audio app. But, in order to finish this project, I finally bit the bullet and downloaded Audioboo. I monkeyed around with it for a little while. It was kinda neat, but I don't see it as something I would use very often. I am really not sure when or how I would use it either personally or professionally. I will probably delete the app...but know I can reload it if I ever need to.

Thing 21

An app I use every day...multiple times...is Pages. Pages is a Facebook app for managing a page (not a personal profile). I am an administrator on four Facebook pages (my work, my church, and two nonprofits I am a part of), and if I had to post and manage content using the mobile Facebook app, I would probably croak.  Pages is so easy to use and makes posting very easy. For anyone who administers a Facebook page--especially if someone has more than one page-- I highly recommend it! 

Thing 13

I downloaded the Haiku Deck app and thought it was pretty cool. I don't do many presentations, so I am not sure I will use it that often...but at least I know that I have it and that it's easy to use. It may come in handy sometime. 

Thing 15

I downloaded Infographics Hub, and was pleasantly surprised. I really have no desire to create an Infographic, but I really love them. Now, thanks to this app, I have tons at my fingertips. I find them very interesting to read through, and I plan to share them both personally and professionally if the source is credible. Very cool app!

Thing 12

In an effort to help my teens find books to read (since the only reading they do is text messages-ha!) I tried out this app...and had my 16 year old try it too. We both found it easy to use and my son even selected a book to read as a result. Anything that engages a 16 year old boy in reading is tops in my book!!

Thing 6

I have Quickoffice on my iPad in the event I need to edit any documents. It works well, but I find that I prefer not to edit docs on my iPad in the first place. I will save docs to Dropbox or Google so I can view them--but I don't like having to mess with editing. If I truly need to edit documents, I will wait until I get to my laptop. I will keep this app on my iPad, though, just in case....

Thing 22

I downloaded Apps Gone Free. It was fun to see the wide variety of apps that were free each day. I found several apps that I downloaded, but I am not sure if I will keep the app on my iPad or not. I find information on twitter about free apps/apps that go on sale that relate to my work. Sometimes I get overloaded...and this might make it worse.

Thing 14

We recently held our annual technology conference for work, and as part of our social media booth, we thought we would try Vine in addition to Twitter. To prepare, I downloaded the app and tried to figure it out. My kids have used it a ton, so I knew a little about it. However, doing a 6 second video is not easy! I made a few promo videos for the conference and thought it seemed like a lot of work for 6 seconds. I know there are learning curves for things like this, but this seemed a little more difficult than I wanted to deal with. I take videos with my regular iPhone video app, and never have problems. In fact, it was super easy from the start. It is also easy to post videos to YouTube and link them to my other social media accounts. I will just stick with that video app.

Thing 11

Just a couple weeks ago I downloaded the Zinio app because I noticed on my library website that they now offered magazines for checkout that way. I was so pumped! I have checked out many ebooks over the past couple years, but not magazines. I read a couple right away and really enjoyed it. I will definitely keep this app on my iPad!

Thing 10

I have had an Instagram account for quite a while. I never really posted pictures, though. I mainly used it to follow certain people and organizations. I find this app a little difficult to use. I know it really shouldn't be, but how it works just isn't clicking with me. I have a hard time finding where to upload pictures...and after I dig around and find it, I always say "oh yeah". But the next time I go to use it, I go through the same thing all over again. I love technology and can usually find my way through most things. However, Instagram and my brain just aren't connecting. I will continue to follow people and like/comment on their pictures, but will not spend time posting pictures. 

Thing 17

I downloaded the Minnesota 511 app a couple months ago. Given the winter we are having, it has come in very handy to check road conditions. It is an app that is important to pay attention to.  This winter, people have been on the roads when the conditions are horrible. Many lives have been lost this winter on icy roads. This app is an easy way to check and see if a person should really be on the roads or not.

Thing 19

I chose to download the ESPN SportsScore app.  I love football and racing, so I thought it would be a good one to have handy. I usually get my sports scores from Twitter. But I have so scroll through quite a few tweets to find what I want. Having updates given during games and when there is breaking news keeps me up to date all the time. I will definitely keep this app on my iPhone. 

Thing 18

I downloaded the Google Earth app.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The amount of detail was amazing...and actually a little bit scary too. I could see my car in my driveway! It was unreal. I am not entirely sure how I would use this app, but I plan to keep it on my iphone and iPad. Never know when I might need it.

Thing 20

I had to chuckle when I read about Thing 20 and saw Candy Crush. I am terribly addicted to that game...so much so that I have lost interest in all the other games I used to play. No longer do I play any of the Angry Birds games. No longer do I play my favorite daily games, WordStorm and 7 Words. So, I decided my addiction to Candy Crush was enough...and I didn't try any of the other games you suggested. I just couldn't..... :-)

Thing 9

I take a LOT of pictures with my iPhone 5. I do basic editing using the basic editor in the built-in camera app.  I rarely add text or stickers to my pictures. I usually just crop them and/or adjust the basic effects. I downloaded all three of the picture editing apps and messed around in each. I will keep the Aviary app and Line Camera app...but I deleted the Color Splurge app almost immediately. If I am not able to figure out how to use an app within the first few minutes of trying it out-- or if there are ads popping up left and right--I delete it. I don't have time or interest in watching videos on how to use an app. If a photo editing app is that complicated, I will just use Photoshop :-)

Thing 8

I am very active on social media. I manage personal and business accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest. I have tried Hootsuite in the past and felt overwhelmed with all the columns and lists on the main screen. Having so many accounts to manage, it just becomes overwhelming to have them all together. It may help save time, but it is too much for me to use Hootsuite. For the purposes of this 23 Mobile Things, I looked into it again, but honestly find visiting each individual app to work the best for me. While Hootsuite is good for scheduling messages, I do not subscribe to that method for social. I have a pattern and system that works for me and despite these great tools, will continue in my usual way...

Thing 7

I have used Pinterest for a year or so. I use it mostly as a way to store ideas and pictures of things I like or am interested in trying. I also enjoy looking at the pins from others I follow. Another app I use to save articles or ideas from the web is Pocket. I have used that longer than Pinterest. I save articles there I want to read later. It syncs between my devices. It works well for me.

Thing 5

I downloaded and tried out Springpad.  I ended up deleting it.  It reminded me a lot of Evernote, which I have on my iPad and iPhone, but don't really use.  I have items in the various folders in Evernote, but I just don't care for it.  Springpad reminded me a lot of that app.  I like the idea of having lists, and a place to store web addresses of items to read later, etc....But I have a few other apps that I use for those reasons.  I use Pocket to save web articles to read later.  I find that app works well for me.  I keep track of my to-do list in Outlook so it syncs with my computer and is saved on our work server in the event something happens to one of my mobile devices.  I think Springpad would be good for someone who doesn't have many apps on their device yet and is looking for a way to get organized.  Since I have found some apps that I like already, I just didn't find it useful for me.

After this level, I earned my first badge!

Thing 4

I downloaded and used the Flipboard. I was hesitant to use it.  I had tried something similar a year or so ago. I wasn't expecting much. But, I was pleasantly surprised.  I have connected it to a few blogs that I follow and hooked it to my Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts. I really like the layout on my iPad, but I especially like the layout on my iPhone. I can see myself using this app often. I think it will be the best place for me to find current news and news related to sports and technology. Thank you for introducing it to me!