Fun, Creative Story Writing Using Technology

We’ve discovered some terrific programs that can spark the creative spirit in children and give parents and grandparents hours of fun watching what happens:

StoryBird book cover

Storybird (www.storybird.com) encourages building a story from a set of images you drag and drop onto the page and then add text to develop the story. The images are wonderful, drawn by professional artists and are mostly “open ended,” suggesting multiple interpretations. Create as many pages as you want, rearrange or edit and save.

An added value is in getting two or more children to toss ideas back and forth and collaborate on a project. They’ll have a ball doing it. Publish the story free on the Storybird website to share and have others comment on, or pay a fee and have it printed as a keepsake.

Scratch (http://scratch.mit.edu) lets you create interactive stories, games, fun animation and more, all while learning some principles of logic programming by snapping together color coded blocks that represent various commands. 

Commands control the actions of on-screen figures, sound, music and narration, take input from the keyboard or mouse and more. Children soon get beyond the nuts-and-bolts of programming commands to the fun of interactive story creation.

Zooburst (www.zooburst.com) lets you write stories and illustrate them with provided images, which can be assembled into a 3-D pop-up page viewed on screen. For even more fun, add pop-up text balloons or record your voice, speaking as a character when clicked or, using a webcam, include yourself surrounded by the 3-D story characters.

These are fun ways for youngsters–or adults--to create stories.

Free Music From the Internet

A great choice of free music is available to stream from music services such as Pandora, or Spotify, allowing you to listen to a vast selection without having to rip CDs or copy files.

Spotify (www.spotify.com) is new in this country and offers streaming music from a choice of more than 15 million songs.

Spotify offers several choices: What’s New details newly-released albums, including album art and track listing. Top Lists show the hottest tracks or albums chosen by other users. Feed connects to other users to share new finds or playlists and the latest news from Spotify.

We used the provided free software to build playlists by dragging and dropping tracks. Play for enjoyment, share with friends using Facebook, or sync the playlists with your iPod, iPhone, Android or (soon) iPad.

Spotify’s free version includes ads and a time limit. Premium version ($9.99/month) has no ads, unlimited access, enhanced sound quality and allows streaming to mobile devices.

Pandora (www.pandora.com) takes a different approach. Custom “radio stations” are created after you enter an artist, song or genre that’s used to match more than 100 characteristics to produce a playlist for you.

Refine the selections by indicating those you like or don’t. You won’t see the playlist, and selections are randomized, but when we used Pandora, we were usually happy with their selections.

The free version lets you set up radio stations and stream music, has a time limit, and includes ads. Pandora One ($36/yr) offers unlimited time, no ads and improved quality sound. Mobile versions are available for iPhone, iPad and iPod.                                   

More Life With An iPad

 We keep finding fun and effective ways to use our iPad, but we’re also hearing from readers who found it helpful in other ways. A reader who has a medical condition that made it impossible to hold books for reading or sit without pain when using a computer found the inherent mobility and flexibility of the iPad helped with both problems. The reader said “the iPad gave me back my books, my computer games and Internet!”

The included Internet browser, based on Apple’s Safari, allows searching, surfing and more. Internet uses open a world of opportunities. We can go to our favorite sites from our iPad with touch ease and enjoy all the Internet has to offer--all with us wherever we are. Also bundled with the iPad is Apple’s Mail program, which can support several email accounts, so we each can check our email and reply, print or delete messages. Internet and email do require being logged on at a WiFi hotspot (including your home wireless network) or having the 3G/4G version of the iPad, and printing requires a network connected printer.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of all we can do, and we’re  still learning. Stay tuned.

More Life With An iPad

We’ve had a great time discovering some of the fun apps that come with our iPad 2, but we also enjoy the ways we can use it to have information at our fingertips, anywhere, any time.

For example, we’ve set up our family calendar and contact list on our iPad. It was a snap to use iTunes to sync our current Mac calendar and contact list into the iPad, so we can see appointments, recurring events, holidays, contact information and more while on the go. Any changes we make on the iPad can be synced to the Mac and vice versa,

Another app we like that comes with the iPad is Maps, which uses the GPS in the iPad to pinpoint our location and provide text and map directions to desired destinations. The GPS also displays a tracking ball that shows your route as you move along. Cool.

Although many smart phones can perform these calendar and map functions, the large, bright screen makes everything easier to see, and the touch screen makes interaction easier.

Now to move on to those nearly 500,000 more apps to explore.

Life With An iPad - photos

One of the joys of having an iPad is that you can show off photos on the large (9.75"), bright display by just sliding your finger across the screen to scroll from one photo to another. The iPad changes automatically from horizontal to vertical view, has easy touch zoom in and out, and shows photos in brilliant color. Oh, did we mention that it does videos too?

So how do we get photos into the iPad? Just use the iPad’s built-in camera (two actually) , take the photo you’d like and it’s ready to display. Another way  is to e-mail photo(s) as attachments and pick them up on your e-mail on the iPad.

Apple also sells a camera connection kit that will connect the iPad directly to your camera or, using the included SD card reader, to the camera’s SD card. Thumbnails are shown for the entire contents, and you can select which you want fully downloaded and ready to view.

But the best way to get photos into the iPad is to install Apple’s iTunes program on your PC or MAC, load the photos directly from the camera or its memory card into iTunes, sort them into albums if you want, edit if needed and “Sync” them into the iPad.

It’s that easy to wow everyone with photos of friends and family, share trips and special events, and much more.

Life With An Apple iPad 2

 We finally did it – we got an Apple iPad. Our excuse was a mutual gift for each other for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Wedding Anniversary. Mostly we really wanted one.

We looked at the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy and others but none of them had as many features or apps, and they couldn’t match the smooth touch screen scrolling. We settled on the iPad 2 (the  WiFi 64GB version), trotted down to the Apple Store-- only to find they were out. And, with the huge demand, they didn’t know from day to day when they’d be re-supplied.  So we took their suggestion and ordered online. Three weeks later, after eagerly tracking its shipment from China, our iPad 2 arrived. It was all we expected and more.

On our first power up, the iPad found our secure home wireless network and asked for our password and other information it used in registering itself with Apple. We were delighted with its silk smooth finger scrolling and its “just right” touch screen.

Now the fun part – what to do first? Load some photos to show off to friends and family; ditto music; watch our favorite You Tube video or movie; read a book; fill in a calendar; check email while lounging on the patio; browse the Web; or . . . and much more. Check in again in a day or two and we’ll fill you in on some details of life with an iPad.

Stay Fit: - Use Technology To Help

 

Technology-related programs can make exercising fun and even help monitor your fitness level. We’re using Wii Fit (www.nintendo.com/wiifit), a program that runs on the Nintendo Wii video game platform--a fun fitness romp incorporating elements of balance, strength training, aerobics and Yoga.

Use Wii Fit structured (requiring discipline on your part), or random, picking the elements you want (we like random).
To start, you’ll need to enter some one-time info: your age and height and then weigh in on the included Balance Board. The program calculates a BMI (body mass index) score, and uses the board for balance tests, and assigns a “Wii Fit Age” for you. Now you’re ready to get moving.

There are balance games, such as the Tilt Table, where you tilt an on-screen table by shifting your weight on the Balance Board, and Ski Jump, where you hold your balance as your on-screen avatar whizzes down the jump. Or choose aerobics, such as Hula Hoop, where you spin a virtual hula hoop by rotating your hips.

 

More serious categories include yoga and strength training. For either one, you match the moves of an on-screen instructor.

Time spent is tracked so you can earn Fit Points to move on to new activities or increasing levels of difficulty. Graphs chart your progress.

Wii Fit is an easy and fun way to exercise and get you moving, all without leaving your home. We’re definitely hooked.