Thing # 23 - Reflection

At the completion of the 23 mobile things project, I'm taking some time to look back on the journey.  I have noticed that my knowledge and interest in apps has increased with this project.  I've explored apps that I already had, and found completely new ones.  Some of these were duds.  Some, just the presentation apps just aren't realistic to use on my phone.

This project has helped me quite a bit in learning how to best use my phone and tablet.  It has also opened up my eyes to the ways to use mobile devices in a professional setting, and which apps and functions would work best for students.

Overall, this project was time consuming, but I feel I got enough out of it to make up for the time commitment.  I would definitely do something like this again.

Thing # 22 - Finding Apps

For this mobile thing, I tried out an app for finding more apps.  There really is an app for everything!  Since there are so many apps out there and many of them cost anywhere from two to ten dollars, I was glad to explore Apps Gone Free.  Each day, the app lists priced apps that are available for free for a limited time.  There is good variety, but if you were looking for something specific it might not be the best bet.  It seemed more like something you can check and might stumble across something.

For professional purposes, I would keep it and check it periodically, but many publications, both print and web, come out with best app lists on a regular basis.  I think that if I make the effort to stay updated, follow blogs, and read up, I will be able to find the apps I need.

Thing # 21 - Free-for-all!

This mobile thing was one of the hardest, because there are so many apps that I use and love.  I decided to focus on two that I use almost every day.  Mint is a fantastic app that I use to manage my funds.  I love the pie charts and other graphs that allow me to see exactly where I've been spending my money.  My only critique of the app is that because it syncs with your accounts, it doesn't always update quickly - the accounts must update before they show up on Mint.  It is nice to see spending habits over several months however.

The other app that I use on a daily basis is MyFitnessPal.  There are a number of apps like it available, but I still prefer MyFitnessPal.  They have a large database of foods, with the option to fill in a meal or food if the database doesn't have it.  Yet again, the feature that I enjoy the most is the graphs that are created based on caloric intake and weight.  I enter my weight a few times a week.

Thing # 20 - Let's play some games!

When I saw the word "games" as one of the mobile things, I immediately thought of one of my favorite game apps, Quiz Up.  Quiz Up is very similar to trivial pursuit, but on a larger, interactive scale.  Players have the option of choosing from over 500 topics ranging from general (geography) to the more specific (Harry Potter).  Players can challenge friends who play, or pick a topic and allow the app to randomly find a partner.  Players receive points with correct answers, but faster correct answers gain even higher points.  After a certain number of levels, players earn a "title" from that topic.  For example, I am "Sunshine" after playing enough games of U.S. states.

Obviously I use this on a personal level, but with a few tweaks, I think this could work within a classroom setting as well.  This would also be a way to incorporate BYOD in an engaging manner.  If treated as a special treat, or free time option, and students were to only challenge each other, not play random partners, I think it could work.  There would have to be a certain amount of trust between students and instructor, so it might work best at a high school level.

Thing # 19 - Hobbies

This mobile thing was devoted to hobbies.  I have a few, and besides books and reading, I do love music and shopping.  I already had spotify on my laptop, so it was easy to find and use it on my iPhone.  What I'm not such a fan of is that on the mobile app (if you have the free version) you are unable to choose a song to listen to, but must shuffle through album or playlist.

One of my favorite apps to check is the shopping app from Modcloth.  Again, this is a website that I have long been looking at on my laptop, but I find the mobile app is almost exactly the same and easy to use.  I can spend way too much time looking at the modcloth app on my phone.

Exploring hobby apps (safely) might be a great way to share interests and relate to students.  Students could do a similar assignment as 23 mobile things and create a blog to try out and review apps that pertain to their hobbies.

Thing # 18 - Education

This mobile thing was all about education apps.  There are a lot of them out there.  I love Duolingo.  I don't have much time to devote to it, but it's definitely something I use on a semi-regular basis.

I was a French minor as an undergrad, and have lived in France twice.  Unfortunately, without anyone to speak and practice with here, I lose my skills everyday.  Duolingo is a great way to keep up my skills.

Professionally, I would love to learn Spanish.  Duolingo is a great way to get introduced and start practicing some basic skills.  I can see myself using Duolingo for my own lifelong learning.

Thing #17 - Community

For this mobile thing, I explored some community apps.  During winter, I followed St. Paul on twitter to find out about plowing, road conditions etc.  However, I found that I just received too many tweets, so I unfollowed them and returned to just checking their twitter feed when I needed some information.

I tried out the different apps and I was a bit disappointed.  I spent the most time with the app Going Out, but it was lacking, especially aesthetically.  I choose the Art and Museum icon, and was surprised to see that they had nothing on the Matisse exhibit that is closing soon.

I get most of my events from reading City Pages or Vitamn or things I hear on the Current or other radio stations.  I like to make lists of fun things to do, and type or write them out.  I'm not opposed to a community app, but I wasn't thrilled with these ones.