Tag Archives: review

Remind101 has a new name and is more awesome than ever!

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Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to generally review the wonderful communication website/smart phone app called “Remind.” It used to be called “Remind101” and was a free way for teachers to text message students and/or parents and caregivers reminders or announcements about various class happenings, like things to bring on certain days or field trip permission slip due dates.

The wonderful aspect about this from of electronic communication is that it is secure, that is completely phone number-less. Teachers sign into their accounts using an email address, and students and/or parents and caregivers sign up through an access code that does not make their phone numbers visible.

Just being free and secure sound great, you say? Well, now the latest version Remind lets teachers set up office hours on certain days and specific time frames, where the teachers can “chat” with specific subscribers, and the subscribers can, in turn, initiate personal text message conversations with the teachers. This new “Chat” feature allows a student to text his or her teacher a question about an assignment and have a one-on-one discussion. If a student texts outside of the office hours, he or she receive a message which reminds him or her of the teacher’s Remind office hours.

Incidentally, it can be used effectively on Android and iOS devices.

Check out the features of Remind by exploring this introductory page: https://www.remind.com/learn-more.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

Mira’s Diary #2 Home Sweet Rome (Goodreads Review)

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Hello Everyone,

I recently reviewed the second of Marissa Moss’ Mira Diary series on Goodreads. Below are my thoughts.

Mira's Diary: Home Sweet Rome (Mira's Diary, #2)Mira’s Diary: Home Sweet Rome by Marissa Moss
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Home Sweet Rome attached my attention at the library one day simply because of its title. I liked the idea of a diary format alluded to from the series title and loved the drawings of Rome on the cover, so, judging this book by its cover, I decided to delve into the second book in this series without knowledge of the first book, something I never do as a rule. The author adequately filled me in on details I would have gained from the first book through little flashbacks to Mira’s previous adventure.

After discovering that her mother is a time-traveler trying to fix events of the past so she can return to her family, Mira must solve several problems from the past to ever be reunited with her mother in the present day. Now in Rome, having completed tasks in eighteenth-century Paris, Mira goes to sixteenth-century Rome to try to save a man named Bruno from the Inquisition being conducted by the Catholic Church. Not knowing where or when she will happen upon a “touchstone,” a portal between time periods, Mira struggles with wanting to find her mother and complete the tasks and dodging a “Watcher,” a time-travel police officer, who claims her mother is a very bad person for changing the past and will be punished. Will Mira complete the tasks her mother needs to her to in time to change the past? Will Mira ever return to her father and older brother waiting for her in present-day Rome?

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

Whatever After #1: Fairest of All (Goodreads Review)

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Hello Everyone,

Taking a break from my typical historical fiction, I decided to try a modernized twist on a classic fairy tale! Below is my Goodreads review for the first of the “Whatever After” series.

Fairest of All (Whatever After, #1)Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I flew through Fairest of All and look forward to reading the next installments of the “Whatever After” series. Although generally recommended for students in elementary school, most middle and high school students will enjoy this wacky, modernized retelling of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” For this chapter book to be enjoyable, readers should be familiar with the original and Disney versions of the fairytale, since both are heavily mentioned.

Logical fifth grader Abby and her adventurous little brother Jonah tumble through their basement mirror one night straight into a fairytale; they enter right in time to stop Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. But, by saving Snow from the apple, they have changed her story! Abby and Jonah team up with Snow to fix her story before it is too late. Readers wonder will Abby and Jonah be stuck in the fairytale forever?

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

iPad Application Review: MyScript Calculator

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Hello Everyone,

The last application I reviewed on DigtheLibrary.org was MyScript Calculator. To see the original post, please click here.

calculatorSummary: This application allows users to write math problems with one finger as they would when using a pencil, rather than requiring users to type the numerals and operations into a more traditional calculator application. Basic computations can be solved; several operators and constants are supported, including square roots, absolute value, exponents, and the three common trigonometry functions.

Contents:

  • A grid workspace space;
  • “Undo,” “redo,” and “trash” buttons;
  • Work can be emailed or shared on Twitter.

Strengths:

  • The “auto-calculate” default feature can be substituted for a “calculate” button to give users more writing time;
  • Users do not have to draw the equals sign to receive an answer;
  • A question mark can be used for balancing equations;
  • Mistakes can be written over without rewriting the entire problem;
  • Results can be truncated to a specific decimal place or rounded;
  • “Left-handed” is an available setting for writing.

Weaknesses:

  • If the “trash” button is not selected after every solution, the new problem is mixed into the previous one;
  • The application occasionally asks users to rate it upon opening it.

Hyperlink that highlights the best features of the resource:

“MyScript Calculator” http://www.myscript.com/calculator/

Overall Rating: 3/5

calculator 2

I hope this review is of benefit.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

iPad Application Review: Goodreads

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Hello Everyone,

The second application I reviewed on DigtheLibrary.com was Goodreads for the iPad. To see the original post, please click here.

goodreadsSummary: This application unites book lovers with technology at their fingertips so they can generate virtual shelves on-the-go. Users can put books on default shelves labeled “read,” “want to read,” and “currently reading,” as well as create shelves to reflect more personal interests and cataloging. By filling shelves, users let Goodreads analyze their interests in order to recommend titles and authors in genres identified as favorites or based on particular items shelves. Regarding social networking, users can write and read reviews, “friend” other users, and recommend titles to their friends.

Contents:

  • Fill default and personal shelves with books;
  • Write and read reviews;
  • “Friend” other users;
  • Recommend titles to friends;
  • Rate books to see Goodreads-generated recommendations.

Strengths:

  • Easily add books to shelves;
  • Avoids duplicates by showing where titles have been placed or if they have been rated;
  • Browse genre or search for titles and authors;
  • Scan books into the application using the iPad camera.

Weakness:

  • Does not automatically erase previous query when starting a new search.

Hyperlink that highlights the best features of the resource:

“eReaders > Goodreads App” http://www.goodreads.com/ereaders/138-goodreads-app

Overall Rating: 5/5

goodreads 2

I hope this review is of benefit.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler

iPad Application Review: Google Drive

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Hello Everyone,

I recently reviewed three iPad applications on DigtheLibrary.com, a blog dedicated to P – 12 resources for the digital age, and wanted to share them with you. To see my original post about Google Drive, please click here.

drive

Summary: This application offers the same storage enjoyed by users on computers. Google Drive functions only with an active Google account. Files uploaded or saved to Google Drive are accessible across Android and Apple devices. Folders and sub-folders can be created to aid in file organization. Fifteen gigabytes of storage is completely free to all Google users and is shared with the individual Gmail and Google+ Photos accounts of the users. Additional storage for Google Drive can be purchased if desired.

Contents:

  • Access all stored items when iPad is online; only items marked as “keep on device” are accessible when iPad is offline;
  • Add new folders;
  • Upload photos or videos taken with or stored on the iPad;
  • Use the iPad Camera to take photos and upload them to Google Drive.

Strengths:

  • Seamless storage of various file formats, such as Word documents, JPEGs, and PDF files;
  • Easy navigability between folders and sub-folders;
  • Rename, move, share, and print files;
  • Open files in other installed applications, such as Adobe Reader;
  • Share documents with other Google users, who can edit or view the content.

Weaknesses:

  • Must have additional Google applications to edit existing Microsoft Office documents or create similar documents in Google Drive, such as Word documents (Google Docs), Excel spreadsheets (Google Sheets), and PowerPoint presentations (Google Slides);
  • Cannot upload pictures taken with iPad Camera as PDF files, although it is possible to do so with the application on Android devices.

Hyperlinks that highlight the best features of the resource:

“Get started with the Drive app for iPhone and iPad” https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2497973?hl=en

Overall Rating: 4/5

drive 2

I hope this review is of benefit.

Enthusiastically,

Ms. Tyler