How to Archive Tweets Using TweetChat and Google Drive (and How to Find Educational Chats to Follow)

I love my PLN! I learned about archiving Twitter Chats ala Tweetchat and Google Drive from Brent Catlett. I met Brett at the Google Teacher Academy in New York and I've been learning from him ever since. Thanks, Brent!
Why Tweetchat and Google Drive?

1. It's so easy to set up!
2. You can store all of your chat archives in one spot, Google Drive.

Here's a 7-step recap of what I covered in the 3-minute screencast tutorial above.
1. Use any browser. I recommend using Chrome because it integrates nicely with Google Drive.
2. Go to TweetChat just before the chat begins.
3. Type in the chat you want to follow. You do not have to be signed in to TweetChat.

4. Leave the chat window open for the length of the chat. You can participate in the chat as usual.

5. When the chat is over, print the chat archive as a PDF, and name the chat as you wish. I recommend adding a date to your title.

6. Upload the PDF to your Google Drive. Do not convert the PDF to a Google Doc.

7. Share the Google Doc link. Make it either public or unlisted.

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How does one find educational chats to follow, and when do the chats meet?

Check out the incredibly useful Google Calendar below. It was created by Sarah Kaiser, based on Jerry Blumengarten's Educational Chats page. Thank you, Sarah and Jerry!

Here's Sarah's post about the calendar: Google Calendar of Twitter Chats and Jerry's Educational Chats on Twitter page.

Jerry, aka the Cybrary Man, is a Rock Star in my PLN. I could go on and on about him. Jerry is part of the #edchat team and I've hung out with him on Google+ Hangouts. The man is the quintessential educator.

Want to add the Twitter Chats for Education calendar to your Google Calendar? Go here.

Good luck finding and archiving your favorite tweet chat, and nurturing your PLN!

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@mauilibrarian2

P. S. What are my favorite chats? These are the chats I love and follow: #tlchat for teacher-librarians, #edchat, and #titletalk.

What are your favorite educational chats?

Dear Santa Google, All I Want for Christmas is Google Reader Back

Dear Santa Google,

Is there anything we can say or do to change your mind?

Christmas in July! -- Now wouldn't it be something if on July 1st, instead of closing Google Reader, you announced that you will continue to support it? I know it's not a total pipe dream because you listened to the people and kept Appointment Slots.

Please don't be swayed by those who have no clue as to what the fuss is all about. 

"Get over it." they murmur. Insensitive. 

"You'll adjust." they say. I don't want to adjust. 

"Change is inevitable -- get used to it." Change is a constant in the edtech world. I am very used to change. 

"That is so last week." Ummm, as if devastated has a time limit?

Santa Google, what would it take to convince you to keep Reader?

Have you seen the articles? This one (which I found on Google Reader) is my favorite:

Killing Google Reader is like killing the bees: we'll all be worse off

What about the petitions?

1. Google: Keep Google Reader Running  

2. Keep Google Reader

I'm guessing that if you yourself decided to set up an official spot for individuals to persuade you to keep Google Reader, that spot would be flooded with responses.

Won't you please please reconsider?

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@mauilibrarian2


P. S. I will always be your undying fan. :)

Finding Copyright-Friendly Animated Gifs for Student Presentations

Google just announced today that they've added an animation filter to their image searches. Perfect for our students' presentations, I thought.

Here's a little 3-minute tutorial I created for our students that demonstrates how they can use a combined Creative Commons and Google Image search to find copyright-friendly animated gifs. The importance of attribution is covered.



And I'll be sure to remind our students to check out our  Copyright and Creative Commons LibGuide for more resources.

And thanks to Google for adding this fantastic new feature!

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@mauilibrarian2

Update: Google also added a 'Transparent' option, under Color. Even better!

 

Social Media and the School Librarian - #ISTE13 #SIGMS Please discuss!

Reader Alert: this is a very specific post aimed at media specialists who are members of the SIGMS group of the ISTE 2013 Conference Ning.

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If you are a school librarian who’s attending ISTE this year (wish I could go!), please consider joining the Conference Ning and SIGMS. If you’re already a member, you can join the March Madness discussion! (There’s a small but sweet prize involved if you join the discussion, for you contest lovers. Scroll to the bottom to see what it’s about.)

This is a cross-post of the topic I just submitted to the ISTE SIGMS forum.

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SIGMS March Madness Topic 3: Media and the School Librarian

The research confirms what we already knew: social media is very much a part of our students’ lives.

See Commonsense Media - 2012 Infographic:
Social Media, Social Life: How Teens View Their Digital Lives

Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, and YouTube are the top social media networking sites du jour, and teens frequent all of them, to one degree or another.

YALSA recognizes that social media facilitates learning in schools and libraries. Teens & Social Media in School & Public Libraries: A Toolkit for Librarians & Library Workers is a 12-page document that outlines in detail the different ways school librarians can promote the positive uses of school media in the classroom.

But each school community is unique. What may work for one school may not work in another.

Please feel free to answer any or all of the questions below.

What is your role in regard to the use of social media at your school? Are you an advisor? Trainer of teachers? Digital citizenship guide? Embedder of social media lessons in projects? Policy maker? Some or all of these? Other? Are you personally a member of social media circles?

Is there anything in particular that you have discovered in regard to students’ use of social media either at your school or in the greater community that surprises you, inspires you, encourages you, or discourages you?

Do you have advice for media specialists who want to get started incorporating social media in their school and might be having a hard time deciding what exactly is needed?

Feel free to add any thoughts on questions not posed above (a few sentences would suffice and links would be nice but not required), and thanks for sharing!

P. S. You might win this book for participating in this discussion.

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Other March Madness topics:

Topic 1: Visual Literacy and the School Librarian, posted by Maureen Sanders-Brunner
Topic 2: Technology Digital & Income Divides Still Exist, posted by Lisa Perez

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@mauilibrarian2

My Top Three Choices for Lesson Plans for History and Social Studies Teachers

Did you know about these 3 GREAT places to find lesson plan ideas for History and Social Studies? They're my favorite!

EDSITEment from the NEH - History and Social Studies 

Smithsonian's History Explorer

Lesson Plans: The Learning Network - NY Times

I'm recommending them to our teachers and adding them to the For Teachers  box of our Upper School History and Social Studies LibGuide.

What are your favorite go-to places for lesson plans?

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@mauilibrarian2