My Daily Apps-etizers!

I did a lot of driving this weekend.  And while on the road, I was reflecting on how so many of my work habits have changed in a year.  Along with new assignments and responsibilities, I have adopted some new apps to help me get my work done.  Here is a short list of the apps I use on a daily basis as part of my "work."


Basecamp.

I mentioned in iPad Projects that I was trying out some new cloud-based project management software called Basecamp.  I currently have a dozen work and personal projects going on it.  I have to admit the only features I am taking full advantage of are the "To Do" lists and Milestones", but I check them daily and use them to push my projects forward.


Kindle App
Many people don't realize that Amazon's Kindle Books are readable from all varieties of computers and mobile devices.  All of my course texts are on Kindle and I read them across three different computers as well as my iPad.  I've so quickly gotten used to it that the thought of actually hauling the old-fashioned course books around seems inconceivable to me.


PDf Expert
PDF Expert "lets you read and annotate PDF documents, highlight text, make notes, draw with your finger and save these changes which are compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat."  When I am going to give a short presentation, I usually toss my file into PDF Expert and add notes to it from my iPad, right up to the last second.


Dropbox
Dropbox is not new to me, but I now store 95% of my file there.   The only reason I ever use a USB flash drive is for sharing with another person.  I have only recently used shared dropbox folders to gather files from students, but when I check in with you next school year, you can imagine that it will have become one of my standard practices.


Noteshelf
As an administrator, I've had to get used to bouncing from one meeting to another.  I now take virtually all of my notes on Noteshelf for iPad.  Its fluid handwriting features are really nice and the export functions to Evernote and Dropbox seal the deal!


Flipboard
I am quite addicted to Flipboard for iPad.  While my employer does not directly benefit from my predilection to start flipping through its pages while I am supposed to be listening at one of the aforesaid meetings, this blog certainly does.  I get more inspiration for blog postings and stay better abreast ed tech gossip via Flipboard than any other single source.  It has displaced my Google RSS Reader in this regard.

Exploring iPad Apps

Last week I was the beneficiary of two separate phone conversations concerning Mercy's adoption of the iPad for incoming ninth graders.  I learned a great deal from Lisa Tortorich, principal of Mercy Burlingame about their pilot program with the iPad.  They will be requiring an iPad of all students, next year.  I also spoke with consultant,  Lucy Gray about a whole range of topics.  But both conversations allowed me to ask them off the top of their heads for recommendations of iPad apps that we might consider putting on all staff and student iPads.  Yesterday, I added the ones I had not already explored.  Checking them out will be a fun project.  Here's the list:

Google Search

Google Translate

Places,
Google Earth
Evernote

http://www.mercyhsb.com/

Kindle
Calculator
Chomp
Diigo
Dropbox
Dragon Dictation
Edmodo
Explain Everything
Flashcardlet
Garageband

iMovie

Instapaper
Leafsnap

Blue FIRe

iBooks
Common Core Standards
Flipboard
iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote)
NYT
NPR
Open Culture
Skype
Twitter
NASA
Penultimate
Documents to Go

What would you add to my list?  Do you have any feedback on those listed here?

1500 Tweets Later

1451 and counting!

I wish I had something profound to say about Twitter, having passed the 1500 Tweet milestone.  My feelings have only warmed to it since I started, but it is not exactly a central part of my life.

Nowadays, I particularly enjoy tweeting with journalists and fans during sports events.  It is also a steady source of material for this blog because it takes me out of my usual reading habits.

I've never felt addicted to Twitter, nor considered it a chore in any way.  It continues to be the most severely misunderstood social medium by those who stand outside of it complaining that 140 characters is just too limiting.  Well, that sort of overlooks the way so many links to other sources are passed among followers.  I am certainly thankful I can direct some of them to this blog whenever I post, and I certainly have never limited myself to 140 characters here!

One last comment: My wife tipped me off to Flipboard for Pad, a marvelous tool for turning that stream of links in your Twitter into a magazine style collection of serendipitous articles.  Good stuff!