Boomer resources are handy and helpful. Ideas come from frequently asked questions during our conversations with friends, family, and folks we meet at our sessions and other conferences. Some of these resources are PDFs which means they are downloadable on any device, no matter what platform you are using. Others are videos.
NEW Featured Resource from Balance Me Beautiful
15 Extreme Ways Technology Is Improving Our Health
Click the link above to read how technology is keeping us healthier through healthcare trackers and sensors, wellness records, eating apps, improving drugs, robotics, and much more.
1. Androids
• Do you have photos on your Android phone or tablet and want to share them with friends and family? Here’s how! Sharing photo from Android
• Useful tips for using your Android phone
• Basic tips and tricks for Android users
• Managing the multiple screens on an Android device
2. Apps to explore
-
- PhotoMath–Do you ever help a youngster with their math homework? This app allows you to check for correct answers instaneously! Watch the video below to learn more.
- Google Docs in Google Drive Mobile App The Google Docs app version for mobile devices works quite a bit differently than the web based Google Drive for computers and laptops. Here is a quick guide (Click here: DocsApp ) on the basics of the mobile app for Google docs.
3. Create e-books
BoomerTECH Adventures crew member Chris Toy loves to cook. Many have learned his secrets from his courses or demonstrations at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School in York, Maine or Now You’re Cooking in Bath, Maine. Can’t travel to Maine? Download this mini cookbook (PDF format) made with iBook Author.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14542184/Cooking%20with%20Chef%20Toy.pdf
It may take a couple of minutes to load, but then you can download and save to your device.
Here are some links that will help you create your own e-book:
iBook Author: https://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/
iBook Author: https://www.apple.com/support/mac-apps/ibooksauthor/
Free e-book templates: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-ebooks-free-templates-ht
Step-by-Step e-books: http://www.bookbaby.com/how-to-make-an-ebook
Make a PDF style e-book: http://www.blogtyrant.com/make-ebook/
4. Facebook
* A friend recently commented, “I know how to sign on to Facebook, but then I get kind of lost. Where do you post? Why are there 2 different pages? How do I send a message? Where do I search for people?” Here’s a PDF with a few of the basics for Facebook. Click here to download the diagram of the basics of Facebook: Facebookpdf. Also, WikiHow has step-by-step directions: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Facebook.
• Searching Facebook; it has its own search engine—blog post.
5. iPads and iPhones
• Emoticons for iPhone and iPad keyboards. Click Emoticons for Your iPhone to download:
- Smiley faces
- Symbols
- Holiday images.
• Customize the ringtone on your iPhone for incoming calls. By the Seashore for your spouse, Chimes for a best friend, or Radar for the person you least want to talk to. Click Ringtone Sheet to download.
• Secrets of the keyboard
• Texting for beginners
• Secrets to making the most out of your iPad—Blog post.
• Missing calls on iPhone because it doesn’t ring? Download a step-by-step guide to addressing the issue! Click here: Find My Ringer Directions
• Locking individual entries in the Notes app
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3Ez30dVDA&t=28s
6. Personal music playlists
• BTA Music Apps is a list of super apps that will help your create the sound score of your life.
• iTunes has a free radio with a multitude of stations. How you get to it looks a bit different on each device. Here is a diagram on how to operate iTunes Radio on an iPad running iOS 8. Your device might look a little different, however the basics are the same. You just may have to explore. Start by opening iTunes and search for iTunes Radio. Here’s the diagram you can download: iPad iTunes radiopdf
7. Organization
• Organization apps–staying cool, calm, and collected during your hectic schedule. Download some ideas here: OrganizingYourDay
• Have you tried using an online calendar to keep your life and that of your spouse’s organized? No? Watch the video below and see how straightforward it is to set up a Google online calendar.
• Foolproof shopping tips for Boomer husbands—blog post.
8. Photos
• When you upgrade your Mac to OX 10.3, iPhoto will be replaced by Photos. Never fear, your pictures will automatically transfer! However there are some major differences between the two apps. Here are a couple of websites that will help us all navigate Photos on a Mac:
https://www.apple.com/osx/photos/
http://www.maclife.com/article/howtos/how-to-use-new-photos-for-mac
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/5/7982517/apple-photos-mac-iphoto-replacement-explainer-faq
Photos App guides–we are adding a series of guides to help you navigate the Photos App on your Mac laptops & desktops, iPhones, and iPads. They are in PDF format which means you can download them to any device, no matter what platform you are using.
- Photos App Basics–navigation Click on the reddish-brown words: photos-app-basics
- Deleting Burst photos–have you held your finger on the shutter and heard click, click, click, click, click? You have just taken a series of pictures of the same thing. You need to remove the images you do not want because they take up space in the memory. Here’s how! deleting-burst-images
3. Sort, Edit, & Organize Images on Apple products: Slides from an adult education class. Click to download pdf versions of the slide show. photos-app
• The number one question we are asked–in restaurants, in classes, and on the street–How do I get these pictures off my phone??? Here is a quick step-by-step video on emailing a photo from your phone.
• Do you enjoy taking photos? How about editing them for special effects? Check out Photoshop Online Tools. Below is a quick introductory video to get you started with this free online tool. Have fun!
• Attaching images from Photos on a Mac to emails and texts—blog post.
• Sharing photos across Apple devices—blog post.
• Photos for Mac-Making an Album—blog post.
9. Search tools
• 5 great tools to help you be a more efficient searcher on the internet. Click 5 Tools for Searching to download.
- Search without being tracked
- Add a filter to keep out objectionable material
- Narrow your search
10. Wellness
• Here are the slides of our presentation on wellness apps: BTA Wellness Apps
11. Windows 8.0 and 8.1
• Windows 8 and 8.1 seem to be driving some folks crazy! Here’s a great YouTube video that will walk you through using the new versions. The narrator infuses humor with a quirky sidekick! Click here!
• Tips for using Microsoft Surface pro
• Taking photos with a Microsoft Surface tablet
12. Use Social Media to Build and Maintain Your Business
Does a bricks and mortar business need to be online? You bet! Check out the resources at our Portaportal site. See below. # 12 outlines the steps for accessing our Portaportal site.
13. Social bookmarking resource for a variety of topics!
We developed a social bookmarking site at Portaportal.com for our workshops & adult ed courses. It has links to a variety of technology-related links you might find useful: iPhones and iPads, blogging, social networking for businesses and organizations, getting the most out of your Mac, iCloud, and iMovies. Here is an image of one of the categories. Each underlined item is a live link to a website.
Here’s how you get there:
1. Type portaportal.com into your browser window or click here portaportal.com.
2. This page will appear…
3. Where it says Guest Access (see red arrow on right hand side of image), type in merrymeeting123. All one word.
4. Tap or click Visit.
5. You can always return to this site by visiting Portaportal.com and typing in the Guest Access code. (merrymeeting123) Because this is a website, it is accessible from any digital device.