This thing is cool. Darn cool. How did I live without it for so long?
In addition to all of those game apps I've developed addictions to, I've discovered that it's just a totally awesome addition to our homeschooling.
Just yesterday, I was able to lecture at our whiteboard, with it in hand. I was lecturing about J.D. Salinger, in this case, about Catcher in the Rye being a Bildungsroman, and other details like publication dates, controversies, and biographical info on Salinger.
Sure, I could have just used my computer, but to have the convenience of all of that info being available on such a tiny, nearly weightless hand-held device was just heavenly! This meant there was no need to traipse back and forth from the computer screen to the whiteboard for the little details I'm wont to forget.
Later on, while giving a timed drill...yep, I used my iPod with a most excellent free timer app. I'm clearly smitten.
And then of course, there are all of the little extras I use practically every day...the calendar, the calculator, all kinds of conversion charts, maps, voice memos, video capability, etc. The list is endless! This little device is a homeschooler's dream come true!
Unrelated to homeschooling, but to life in general, when I couldn't find a flashlight to check for something deep under the bed this past weekend, the iPod worked its magic yet again, with a flashlight app!
And it even helps me stay focused during the rosary. In Latin.
Sigh.
Off to go pet my iPod.
Number of songs currently on said device: Still zero.
I have an iPhone and love it. Currently my top recommendations:
ReplyDeleteEvernote - Need to clip notes (or images, or sound files) from websites or other places, and have them on your iDevice? This is the way to go. Free downloads for Win/Mac (actually quite excellent apps), decent web UI, and a free iTunes download. They have limits on the free version, 60 Megs/Month transfer, I'm a moderate user and have yet to go over a Meg.
The Twitter App, from Twitter. I live here. Twitter Search for Egypt news, communicate with a bunch of friends. Sure, there's a free Facebook app too, but Twitter is so much better!
Instapaper - browser bookmarklet lets you clip articles, fiction, etc, and read it later in your browser or on the iDevice. I have a ton of science fiction stories I need to get through on here!
Dropbox - Get 2 or 3 free Gigs of online storage space! It's a folder on your hard drive, anything you put there syncs to the cloud, and you can view/manage it on the iDevice with a free download.
Like Scrabble? Get Words with Friends - free, it has ads, but whatever, great game, and I always have at least two games going. I'm 'tomsuchy' if you're looking for a challenge :)
-Tom