Give yourself some Headspace

It’s been a while since I shared an app. This one kept popping up as a sponsor for a bunch of my podcasts, so I decided to give it a try. And now, with finals and the end of the year approaching, I thought some of you might find it helpful.

Headspace is a meditation and mindfulness app (and website). I’ll be honest, I’m usually not much of a meditation or mindfulness person. My mind drifts and I start thinking of the 20 million things I could be doing if I weren’t sitting there doing nothing (like I could be sitting there watching reruns of Bones). But here’s the thing. Headspace starts with something called Take 10. It’s just 10 minutes. And once you get a little used to it, 10 minutes really isn’t that long. The first one feels a little funny. There’s this guy, Andy, kind of talking you through. And then all of a sudden, he’ll stop talking and you’ll think, “Oh, is it over?” Nope. He comes back and gives you some more guidance. But you get used to it. Then it’s not so awkward.

And there are some things from the meditation that you can take with you through the day. So if you start to get a little stressed about a test or quiz or paper, you just use part of the method to help you focus and calm down. (I did a meditation class years ago, and even though I never really stuck with it, I ALWAYS use the techniques I learned when I go to the dentist.)

And like all good things these days, there’s a social aspect to it. Sign up with friends and connect as buddies and compare your progress.

The app is free for the Take 10 portion, which is ten 10-minute guided meditations (which can be repeated). If you really like the practice and wanted to do more with it, you would need to subscribe. It’s available for both iThing and Android and on line.

 

Spring Break Listening

Okay, I really should be giving you more book suggestions for spring break, but I’ve found a new podcast that I am just so in love with I have to share it with you today.

I just started using an app on my phone called Podcast Republic to download my podcasts. Once I got my regular subscriptions on there (like Stuff You Should Know and Stuff You Missed in History Class and Freakonomics), I took at look at their list of top podcasts. And that’s where I found The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe (the link is to the website for the show, but you can also find it on iTunes or any other podcast app).

You may know Mike Rowe from the awesome TV show Dirty Jobs. I loved that show and always appreciated his humor. So I decided to add this to my subscriptions, with no idea what it was about.

He dubs it “the only podcast for the curious mind with a short attention span.” Each podcast is 5 minutes long. He presents the story as a mystery…not telling who the person is or what the discovery was until the end. And the episodes have great titles like “Little Bits of Corpse” and “Sorry About Your Face.” Did you know that an actress from the 30s and 40s, who was considered the most beautiful woman in the world, is responsible for the technology that makes wi-fi and Bluetooth work?

The other neat part about this podcasts comes from one of Mike Rowe’s passion projects. He is a big believer in training young people to work in the trades…as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, auto mechanics, etc. So he starts each podcast with a reminder of all of the corporations that help support his scholarships for people who want to enter a trade. If you’re thinking about a technical college for when you graduate from here, start checking out his mikeroweWORKS Foundation for all sorts of scholarships.

Apps of the Week – Test Prep Options

Well, since last week I spent a bit of time overwhelming the 10th and 11th graders with information about SATs and ACTs, I thought it might be kind if I started this week with some test prep options.

Khan Academy (iOS and Android)

Most of you are already familiar with Khan Academy from other classes. They are now the official test prep partner of the SAT. So, you can download the app and watch a number of videos on how to approach the different types of questions on the new version of the SAT. The app only has videos, but if you go to the website, you can also look at sample questions and take practice tests.

Daily Practice for the New SAT (iOS and Android)

This is the official app from the College Board. Get a random practice question each day. As with the practice questions on the College Board web site, you’ll get immediate feedback on your answers. The app gives the reasoning behind correct answers and will also explain why an answer is wrong. I haven’t had a chance to try it, but apparently you can download an answer sheet from the website, take a picture of it once you’ve finished a practice test, and the app will score it for you (although several reviews of the app indicated that this feature is still a little buggy).

ACT Question of the Day (web based)

The ACT also posts a question a day to help you prepare in short but regular intervals for the test. Like with the College Board, ACT will let you know why an answer is not correct and will give a detailed explanation of the correct answer. There is one official ACT prep app, but it is designed to work only with an online ACT test prep account, which is $40. If you’re interested in that, you can find more information about it here.

Apps of the Week – Pre-mid-terms Version

Happy Monday! With mid-terms just a week away, I thought this post I found on Tumblr was quite relevant. It lists a bunch of apps intended to help you focus, de-stress, and concentrate. Not surprisingly, a lot of them are centered around sleeping, because the better you sleep, the better you can concentrate and the less stressed you feel. I also thought the sleep apps were quite relevant since the alumni who were here on Friday stressed the importance of being able to get yourself up in time for class.

The links to the apps in the original post are to the iOS versions. A few of them have Android equivalents. The Android links are below. For a description of the apps, see the Tumblr post.

• Pillow: iOS
• Binaural: iOS, similar app on Android
• Sleepio: iOS
• Thunderspace: iOS, similar app on Android
• To Bed: iOS (this may be my favorite one)
• Sleep Better: iOS, Android
• TaoMix: iOS, Android
• 8Tracks: iOS, Android

And as long as we’re talking how to handle mid-term stress, check out this TED Talk on power poses and confidence. It’s one of my all time favorites.

 

Monday Fun Thing

This week it’s an app! I’m sure most of you know this one by now, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you.

Yes, Google Classroom can be downloaded onto your phone or tablet. I actually like the layout on the app – with the classes loaded in one column, as opposed to the grid on my laptop.  You can check your assignments, load papers, even type right into the assignment if you like typing on your device (I’m old, I don’t like the tiny keyboards on my phone).

You can download Google Classroom for free for both iThings and Android. (And while you’re at it, check out the apps for Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. You never know when they might come in handy.)

Monday fun Thing – Library World

This is a repeat of an app from last year, but it will be a perennial one, so get used to it.

Library World is our circulation and catalog system. With this app, you can search for any book in the library, see if it’s available, and put it on hold. So, if you think of a book you really want to read at 7.30 at night, look it up on Library World and put a hold on it. When  I come in the next morning, I’ll get an email letting me know that you’ve requested that book and I’ll grab it and check it out to you.

The app is available for iOS as well as Android. When you set it up, it will ask for a library name and password. Our name is “hill top” (two words, no capitals) and you can leave the password blank.

And don’t forget the web version of the Library Catalog! Go there now! Bookmark it!

App of the Week – Stickman

This week’s App of the Week was discovered during the 5th and 6th grade Information Skills class a few weeks ago. We were exploring Infotopia (remember, that wonderful search engine that has been curated by teachers and librarians) and I started digging through the Games section. And that’s where we found it.

Draw a Stickman. Like some other apps, this has a web component and that’s where we started. But then we discovered there was also a mobile version and decided it needed to be shared with the community.

The concept is simple. Step one: draw a stickman. Step two: Follow the directions to take your stickman on an adventure. Draw well or your stickman may be singed by a dragon or eaten by sharks.

The app is free and available for both iThings and Android. And there’s also Stickman Epic (Apple and Android), where you draw a friend for your stickman and have to help save him or her from a book in which he/she has been captured. Both are free for the basic levels, but require payment for higher ones. You can play all levels on the web for free.

Thanks to Ben H. for making today’s announcement!

App of the Week – I Don’t Even…

I stumbled across this game last night and I don’t even know what to think of it. I’m actually crying, I’m laughing so hard. And I predict that I will waste hours with this…not to mention that I have a new song for my running playlist.

The game is called Dumb Ways to Die. I downloaded and just started playing. The first screen is a fork inside a toaster. The goal: swipe up to remove the fork (and toast) without touching the sides. Then it’s on to a series of equally bizarre tasks: connect electrical wires, duck before the bear eats your head, tilt the phone to get a space helmet back on before the vaccuum of space makes your head explode.The games are fast paced, and as you complete each set, they repeat faster, and “fasterer,” and “faster faster faster faster.”

Here’s where the “I Don’t Even…” part comes in. If you die three times, it takes you back to the home screen, which is a train station platform (and some of the tasks are avoiding falling off train platforms). But before you get there, in the top right corner is a “Safety Pledge” which says you won’t do dumb things around trains. Turns out, the game is based on a public safety campaign by Metro Trains Melbourne (as in Australia).  You have to check out their website. There’s a video with a song, which is totally going on my running playlist, and this is what had me laughing so hard I was crying.

The game is free, with, of course, some in-app purchases (although I haven’t come across them yet) and available on both iOS and Android.

Oh, and there’s Dumb Ways to Die 2!!! (Do you think Ms. Falcone will be understanding when I don’t get my final grades done?)

App of the Week – Fyuse

For me, there are two things I like best about my smartphone. First, I like being able to look up answers whenever I want. (That’s not surprising is it?) Second, I like having a camera on hand all of the time.

Continuing to look at “fun” apps for the summer, I tend to gravitate towards photo and video apps rather than game apps. This week I discovered one called Fyuse. This is essentially a “spatial photography” app. Once you load Fyuse and create an account (either with your email or through Facebook or Twitter), you can start taking pictures. Except, these are not your standard pictures, they’re 360 degree pictures.

Here’s how it works. You turn on your camera and there’s a “Press and Hold” button at the bottom. You press and hold that (surprise!) and then press one of the arrows so Fyuse knows which direction you’re going. Then you slowly walk around your subject or move your camera in that direction. When you’re done, release the Press and Hold and click on your thumbnail. It may take a little while to process the image, but when it’s done, you will now have an interactive picture. Bring the picture up to full screen and either tilt your phone or swipe across the picture and you’ll get a view from different sides.

It’s very, very cool. I’m going to waste a lot of time and a lot of memory on this.

Fyuse is free and is available for iOS and in Beta for Android. Even though the Android version is in Beta, I didn’t have any problems with it (well, except that my first picture was probably too large and was taking forever to process, so I just quit the app and started again).

App of the Week – StoryCorps

As I look at apps now, I’m looking at them with the idea of ones that could provide some entertainment for this summer. Today’s app could actually be a great jumping point for a summer project.

StoryCorps is an oral history project that started in 2003. The organizers set up recording booths and recording sessions across the country and invite people to stop in and interview a friend or family member about something significant from their life. Interviews are given to participants on CD and are also archived in the Library of Congress. So far, over 80,000 people have participated in the project.

Now there’s an app that allows you to record the stories of people around you. The StoryCorps app allows you to plan out your interview. You can start a project and name the person you want to interview. You can create a list of questions or use some pre-loaded questions to get started. The included questions are broken into categories such as “Love and Relationships,” “Grandparents,” “Parents,” etc. You can then record directly in the app. Since a typical StoryCorps interview is 40 minutes long, the app will allow you to record up to 45 minutes. When you’re done, you can keep your interview private or share it with the project.

It looks like you can also listen to other public interviews; you can select people to follow. This would be a great way to start an oral history for your family, for your class, or for your group of friends.

The app is free and available for both iOS and Android.