As you know from my previous post, I have an iPhone that I’m having a blast playing with.  I thought I’d share some of the apps I’ve been exploring.

Keeping Up:

Here is the first “page” of apps on my iPhone.  Most come standard: messages, contacts, notes (great for my to do and grocery lists), camera, calendar (keeps me organized by combining my iCal, Google, and Moodle calendars), photos, settings, voice memo, clock (customizable alarms ensures I don’t forget to set up the laptops three times a week for pullout class!), and calculator.

Ones I added:

Just Light (free) – as the name implies, a blank white screen used as a flash light – you never know when you’ll have a power outage and need a light.  And I have used it a time or two already.

Twitterific - Free Twitter app that I downloaded as soon as I got the iPhone. and for a free app it is pretty good.  Liked the dark screen with light text vs white screen with black text – less harsh on my eyes.

Tweetie2 – the Twitter app that I use now.  Cost $2.99 but was worth the price.  Just wish I could customize the screen & text colors.  Has more bells and whistles, but for the light Twitter user, Twitterific works just fine and is free.

Reader – Free Google Reader – mobile app takes a bit of getting used to, but love being able to quickly clean out the reader when I’m on the go.

Evernote (free) and Delicious Bookmarks (free) are new and I haven’t had a chance to explore them just yet.

Games:

FlowerzLite – free match game – just for time wasting!

reMovem – also just a free time waster game I like.

Wild Things – movie tie-in/ad for Where the Wild Things Are – totally cute.  You interact with Carol who throws things at the screen and when he gets angry he “smashes” your screen (both cause the iPhone to vibrate).  Scared the beegeebers out of me the first time my screen “cracked” and vibrated.  Again, a time waster, but cute and free.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader – $4.99 app that I purchased for our Teen Read Week program.  We used a document camera and the questions from the game for the competition.  The two teams took turns choosing a category and answering the question.  Right answers earned them a point.  Team with the most points at the end of the period won.

Action bowling isn’t really my game, but it was free.

PAC-MAN – much harder than I thought – moving the guy around the screen takes some skill!  Sol Free – gotta have a solitaire game on your phone.

Ocarina - $0.99 novelty app, but don’t know what to do with it.  It basically turns your iPhone into a flute.  Kinda cool, but another time waster.  You’re supposed to be able to upload your “masterpieces” online to share with others.  I got it just to play around with it.

This is only the first page and a half of my four pages of apps.  I wont bore anyone with the rest, but I’ll share a few at a time that I find useful as I get finished exploring them myself.

Here are the pictures of the Dracula display – “Creatures of the Night” books.

Update: I’ve gotten mixed reactions to the display. Some who think it’s “cool” and others who think he’s funny looking. I have had to re-stock the books twice though, so at least he’s doing his job!

Awhile back I wrote of using the Teen Read Week theme of “Books With Bite” for a year long reading promotion.  See  “Books With Bite” – TRW 2008.  Well, I’m finally getting started.  I’ve updated the library website to include the promotion announcement as well as a booklist page.  Its still a work in progress, but its a step in the right direction.

In addition to the website, my PARENT VOLUNTEER (yes I said parent volunteer – more about that development later) will be creating a bulletin board and book display to go along with the theme.  She’s already got lots of ideas for the promotions.  For this months, I’ve purchased a life size Dracula figure from Sam’s Club that holds a platter in one hand (which will be holding bookmarks or brochures) and has a small chalkboard sign draped from his other arm.  (Picture will follow once we’ve assembled him!)

Since September/October also contains Banned Book Week (Sept. 27 – Oct. 4) we’ll also be creating a display of “Books w/ Bite”: Edgy Titles/Banned Books.  Fran Bullington over at the Informania blog has helped me create a theme list that should cover the entire school year.  Here is what we’ve got:

August – September: Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night

October: Edgy Titles (Banned Books) and Nail Biters (thrillers, suspense, mysteries)

November-December: Tasty Treats (cooking, dining)

January: Biting Off More Than You Can Chew (finances, planning, do-it-yourself projects)

February: Bite Me (teen angst)

March: Just a Bite/Byte (short stories, poems / technology/computers to corresponding w/ Teen Tech Week)

April: Take a Bite Out of Crime – (April 13-18 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week)

May: Okay, I’ll Bite (urban myths and legends)