What is Periscope?

That's the question I've been asking myself as I've seen tweets about Periscope flying by in posts on my Twitter feed. The best way to find out is to ask others or Google it, so that's what I did!

Periscope

Periscope is a live feed video social media service. I follow a bunch of people that are using it, so this was enough information for me to give it a try....well, that and my curiosity!

After downloading the app (iTunes, Play Store), you can sign up for a free account. You are given the choice on whether you'd like to use your Twitter handle or your phone number. Personally, I chose my Twitter handle, but I like the phone number option if you do not use Twitter. I chose to use my Twitter handle as my username for continuity between all my accounts. That's it! I am set!

Tutorials

For those of you who aren't ready to just take the plunge without more information, please visit Ana Hoffman's Periscope Tutorial. It has pictures and descriptions and gives the new user a very thorough walkthrough on getting started with Periscope.

Looking to use Periscope in the classroom? Check out Tony Vincent's Scope on Periscope for ideas on how to use this with the education community.

Exploring Periscope

I decided to explore Periscope after logging in. Of all of the individuals that I follow on Twitter, none were broadcasting at the time I was on. Never fear, I was able to explore the map (worldwide!) of people live streaming their "Scopes" from across the globe. I live in Northern Michigan, and found someone live broadcasting his Scope from Sleeping Bear Dunes in Glen Arbor, Michigan. Our fourth grade visits this amazing destination every spring, but I've never had the opportunity to visit before. What a great way to see in real-time what Sleeping Bear Dunes is all about! It was really neat to visit a family hiking through the dunes to the lakeshore. I recommend trying it out!

Now I Periscope! Will you?