The Periscope Revolution

In case you haven't been following all the #tptvegas15 fun there is a revolution happening... it is called Periscope.  

Like many teacherprenuers out there I have been following all the fun TPT Vegas shenanigans via my Instagram... wistfully imagining myself amongst the greats.  I started seeing a lot of the other teachers that I follow posting about Periscope.  It generally sounded like this "I have no idea what this is, or how to use it but I'm taking the plunge!" After about the 5th or 6th one I thought I'd better get on board the cool kid train.  So I too took the plunge and signed up.

Signing up is pretty easy- Periscope is connected to your Twitter account.  If you don't use Twitter yet, or aren't quite sure what to do with it check out this post by Peppy Zesty Teacherista!  

First you will need to find Periscope in the App Store

Create your account following the directions

(Here's Me!)

There is a little tutorial that briefly explains things when you create your profile.  After you view it, start exploring!  You can see what is being broadcast live, where people are broadcasting from, create your own broadcast, or find people to follow (icons on the bottom from left to right).

I highly suggest finding someone (like me for example!) and seeing who they are following.  If you click on "following" you can build your network rather quickly.

Once you have some followers you will be able to view their broadcasts (note- broadcasts only stick around for 24 hours).  Make sure that you enabled push notifications so that you will know when someone goes "live"!  You can comment and show your appreciation by tapping the screen (hearts will appear) during their broadcast.

** note- you can change the privacy setting so that only the people you follow can participate in the chat.  

The Periscope website states that they wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation.  "We realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video.  A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around."  Like the TPT conference in Vegas!  Immediately upon signing up I was alerted that Erica Bohrer was participating in a poker game involving cheese-its.  I had no idea what I was doing, but it was a blast to watch and interact with the Vegas fun instead of just watching it go by on my Instagram news feed.

There are a number of teachers joining the revolution right now so search for your favs and become part of the fun.  There are a ton of new hashtags being born just for this phenomenon- check out #teacher_scope  and #findyourtribe to get started. 

Do you have some ideas for how to use this new social media tool once school starts?  Right now I'm having a blast getting to meet everyone and plan to use it once I get in my new classroom to help with set up and organization ideas!  Leave a comment with your ideas below, I'd love to hear them!