Last week, a friend of mine introduced me to something new. It is called periscope. Have you heard of it? I had never heard of it but I was very curious. Periscope is an application that you can download on your mobile device that allows you to watch live video broadcasts. As a person that loves to share an experience with others, this is a great application.
When I first downloaded Periscope, there were not many teachers with accounts. I first started watching Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O'Leary, broadcast his lake front view and then his experience at the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE. I was thinking of all the possibilities that could happen with this new application. As I began to explore some more, I was able to connect with other teachers and get advice on many educational resources. I did record one broadcast of my own early on but later deleted because I had some audio problems. I need to get some courage and do another one, but I do not like to be videotaped.
Here are some thoughts on how it can be used in schools:
1. Students giving presentations - Periscope could provide a live broadcast of a presentation to students around the world or just the district next door. Those students could provide peer feedback.
2. Parents that are not able to attend a school event - Many parents work and are not able to get to their child's events. Periscope would allow them to watch live from work or watch the replay when they get time.
3. Provide parents with what is going on in the classroom - Periscope can keep the parents connected with their child and child's teacher.
If you have a Periscope account or have looked into it, how could periscope be used in schools?
I read something about one of its rival companies this week which was teaming up with go pro to live stream from their cams. I had no idea what it was but now I do, thanks. I am off to have a look and see if I can make it work for me in class this year. I love the idea of sharing presentations. Can you make them private?
ReplyDeleteI have yet to do this, but I have found that you can have private broadcasts. If your student's parents have an account, then you can select which users you would like to view your broadcast. I am not sure, but I believe the ones you select will only be the ones that can watch the replay.
DeleteMy question is similar to Andrew's. On the one hand, I can see all sorts of ideas for Periscope. Those that you mentioned are great. On the other hand, I would be really concerned about protecting kid's privacy and making sure that all necessary permissions were obtained.
ReplyDeleteYou can have private broadcasts with select users, so then you could still protect the kid's privacy. I thought about the creating a permission slip that parents would sign at the beginning of the year.
DeleteI just heard about Periscope and I am very excited to use it in my classroom. I think there are some great benefits to it and I loved the ideas that you presented.
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple more:
Use it as a way to get an authentic audience for student presentations when guest visitors aren't an option.
Use it as a virtual job fair
Those are some great ideas as well. You mention a virtual job fair and it made me think of virtual field trips. The possibilities are endless! Thank you for the suggestions.
DeleteI just learned about Periscope last week when I was at the SMART Global Summit in Canada! All of the sudden I heard people asking, "Who is Periscoping this session?" and I of course had to figure out what they were talking about. It's a great app and I'm excited to try it out. I like your suggestions for classroom use, too!
ReplyDeleteYou remind me of myself! Whenever someone is talking about the latest technology crave and I have not heard of it, it makes me very curious and I go exploring. I hope you enjoy Periscope. Please share some ideas of how to use it in the classroom when you become comfortable with using it. :)
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