Edcamp WASO
End of Storify Archival Tool
On 12 December 2017, I received a very disheartening email from a great online tool. Storify was shutting down! Storify was a great tool that allowed you to archive social media posts via a hashtag and allow you to look back at the events of that hashtag or event. Below is the email in full, but be careful to not start weeping as I did. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Here at UCET, we have used Storify quite a bit for everything from archiving weekly #UTedChat chats to keeping track of social posts made during our annual UCET Conferences and #EdcampUT events. While this isn’t the end of the world for social media usage, it does make for a little sticky situation. How will we now archive our social posts during our events we as an organization put on and during the weekly #UTedChat events? But even more than that, is there actually a need for archiving of these events at all? Those are two questions I don’t know how to answer yet, especially that last one about the actual “need” for archiving the events anyways. As a bit of a digital packrat (and maybe even a little physical as well) I like to know we have an archive of these events because I find it useful to go back over the events afterward as a sort of “review your notes” kind of thing. But I know not everyone feels the same way. With that being said, if any of you come across a good replacement for Storify, please pass it along so I can continue to archive and then review the awesome things shared at UCET hosted and sponsored events going forward.
For those of you haven’t heard this awful news yet here’s the email I received complete with the timeline for closure.
Dear Storify Customer,
Thank you for contributing your stories to the Storify community. Unfortunately, Storify.com will no longer be available after May 16, 2018. While product end-of-life is a part of the overall product life cycle, we understand that this could impact you and are committed to making the transition as smooth as possible.
Here are important dates to be aware of. We will provide ongoing reminders of upcoming milestones over the coming months.
December 12, 2017 • No new accounts can be created on Storify.com
May 1, 2018 • No new stories can be created
May 16, 2018, 5pm PST • Last opportunity to export content using the export functionality on Storify.com • All site functionality will be removed • Customer support will be discontinued
For more information, read the full FAQ: https://storify.com/faq-eol. Please contact support@storify.com with any questions.
We would like to thank you again for your loyal support of Storify and apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause.
Thank you,
The Storify Team
Edcamp Utah
This coming Saturday 200 teachers from across Utah will join together at Neil Armstrong Academy for Edcamp Utah, a free professional development event. Now, this is nothing new for teachers to sacrifice their time to improve their skills and learn new ideas for the classroom – the difference with an edcamp is that the teachers will be leading the conference themselves! Edcamps are user-led conferences where participants decide on the topics, then a conference is built using everyone's ideas. It is the ultimate grassroots style of learning!
Last year we held the first Edcamp Utah and over 120 participants spent the day learning from one another. To be honest, none of really knew what to expect. I mean, a conference where there are no session topics or presenters that are pre-arranged? That's unheard of. There were only two things we knew for sure: 1. Teachers are always looking for ways to improve. 2. Creating a supportive community of teachers is a great way to learn. Everything else was left to the "let's see what happens" mantra.
In the end, things couldn't have gone better. Teachers were able to attend sessions that mattered to them. Friendships were formed. PLN's were developed. Two of my favorite comments about the event were:
"Edcamp is what professional development should be about. Teachers coming together to discuss individual challenges and interests, while sharing resources or possible solutions based on real needs, interests, and experiences. Participating in Edcamp Utah was one of the most authentic professional development experiences I have had in years." Jeremy Smith
"I have been hungering for a collaborative experience like this. Edcamp Utah met my expectations and beyond." Sharon Moore
Now we're back for Edcamp Utah 2015. If you've already signed up – we'll see you there. If you aren't able to attend – follow #edcamput on Twitter.
Thanks to our generous sponsors:
#UTedChat Questions for 10/07 – All About #EdCampUT
Here are tonight’s questions:
Q1 – Edcamp represents a user-directed style of PD – how does this change the learning?
Q2 – An edcamp session is more like a discussion than a presentation. Is that a good thing? Why or why not?
Q3 – In edcamps we say to “vote with your feet.” What does that mean and why is it important?
Q4 – What are some topics you’d like to see discussed at this year’s #EdCampUT ?
Q5 – What is appealing about an “unconference”? Do you like that the schedule is created during the event?
Q6 – Would you be willing to lead a session discussion at #EdCampUT? What questions do you have?
Tonight’s #UTedChat will be moderated by Dani Sloan (@DaniKSloan).
Dani is a former elementary classroom teacher and a current UEN Tech Trainer. She is a life-long learner who loves makerspace and PBL. She’s a coffee enthusiast who is married to her very own rock star. Dani is also a mama to Tedy.
Don’t forget to check out her UEN website for lots of great tips and tricks for teaching.
If you aren’t already following Dani on Twitter, be sure to do so before the chat so you can better keep up and because she’s amazing!
See you at 9 pm!