Periscope For Teachers

When I went to the TpT conference this summer, everyone was raving about Periscope.  At the time, I kind of brushed it off wondering if it might be the newest "fad" thing kind of like Tsu and other social media applications. I didn't really give it much thought honestly.

 

Fast forward to later this summer when I got an email from Kelli Alaina who I have been "friends" with on Facebook and Twitter for some time.  She asked me if I might be interested in being interviewed via Periscope about my 5 tips for teaching math.  I agreed, but then had to quickly figure out how to download the app and check it out a bit. 

I am SOOOOO GLAD that I did!  One month later, and I am literally a Periscope addict!  I have followed some amazing teacher friends and I LOVE getting a glimpse into their classroom!  It is almost like being able to observe a colleague without having to get a sub!  I have even broadcast my own scopes with ideas that I use in my classroom.  If you haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for?

What Is Periscope?

Periscope is a live streaming app from Twitter that allows you to share and view live video broadcasts right from your phone!

There are two basic things that you can do on Periscope:

1. Broadcast

2. Watch other broadcasts

I love the fact that I can see all of my favorite educator live on the screen!  I get a glimpse of their classrooms, learn new strategies and ideas, ask them questions, and even get a peek into their personal lives!  I love seeing everyone's fun sides full of kiddos who interrupt them or weird addictions to Batman. 

 I keep a notebook by my side as I watch and take massive notes full of ideas that I can implement in my classroom the next day!

You can watch scopes live in real-time or as a replay with the one caveat - you only have 24 hours to watch it before it is gone.  Some periscopers save their scopes to Katch or YouTube.

While you are watching live, you can comment, ask questions, or just show the broadcaster some love by tapping the screen and making hearts run up the screen...  When you watch the replay you can't comment, but you can still heart it up so that the broadcaster knows you like what you see.

Getting Started - Who Should I Follow?

Here are a few accounts that I think you should follow on Periscope based on the scopes I have watched. 

1. Kelly Malloy  (@kellys3ps)

OK, ok, I may be a little bit biased here, but I have to self-promote right?  LOL!  If you like following my blog, I am sure you will find my scopes helpful as well. I share math games, teaching strategies, differentiation strategies, classroom management, and more!

I upload my scopes to YouTube, so you can watch them at anytime.  You can also watch them on Katch.com here.  Here is my most recent scope.

 

2. Kelli  Alaina  (@kelliAlaina)

Since she is the one who got me started on Periscope, I have to give her the second spot here.  She is AMAZING at connecting teachers on Periscope to one another, so she is a great person to follow.  She is a former teacher who is currently out on maternity leave with her 3rd son.  Any mom of boys is amazing right?! She shares teaching ideas along with a great mix of social media advice, so if you are a teacherpreneur yourself, you will want to follow.

3. Jessica - The Whimsical Teacher  (@thewhimsicalteacher)

Jessica is a fellow Nevadan teacher on TpT!  She lives in an even smaller town then me, and the wi-fi bars are hard to find, so she broadcasts from her truck wherever she can get reception.  Often this is her local Wal-Mart.  I think she will be forever tied to Wal-Mart and BatMan in my brain!  Not only does she offer teacher tips, but she is HILARIOUS!  And yes, I am shouting, but she is just plain funny!  If you are ever in need of a pick me up, catch her scopes and be prepared to be instantly perked up.  And.... if you spit your soda out of your mouth while you are watching, don't blame me, because I warned you!

4. Brooke Browne (@brookebrownetpt)

Brooke Browne has a wide variety of scopes including everything from

Sheila Jane also has a list of teachers to follow on Periscope here.

*Search the hashtags #teachertribe and #periscopeteachers on Twitter.

* Look through your favorite teachers' follow lists.

I absolutely love this app and I hope you will join me!  Leave your user name in the comments below and I will follow you!  Also, be sure to comment with anyone else I should be following!

5. Brynn Westwood (@Brynnsteacherbag)

Brynn teaches first grade and often shares lots of great teaching ideas and games.  Her most recent scope was about getting your students to write more in their journals.

6. Amy Harris (@amyadapts)

Amy is a special ed teacher.  During her scopes she shares not only lots of ideas for differentiation, but also inspirational things and lettering tutorials.  Her lettering tutorials have inspired me to take up a new hobby.  Can't wait to see my anchor charts after a few more of her tutorials!

7. Chandra from PowerPoint Gaming (@PPTGaming)

Chandra has been an online friend for awhile now and I was finally able to meet her in real life this summer in Vegas during the TpT conference.  I was excited to see her scoping too!  She shares lots of techy and PowerPoint tips during her scopes.  She is also amazingly organized, so I am hoping that she will share a bit of her tips in that area as well too!

8. Sheila Jane Teaching (@sheilajteaching)

Sheila Jane is just plain awesome!  She is all about teacher happiness.  What is not to love about that?  She shares not only positive messages, but also ideas for keeping stress free - again what is there not to love about that?

9. Hope King (@hopeking)

Hope is a sixth grade teacher at the Ron Clark Academy and she always has AMAZING ideas for engaging your students in their learning.  She has so much passion and energy you can't help but finish her scopes ready to take on the world.  And speaking of the Ron Clark Academy, you will also want to follow the founders @ronclarkacademy and @kimbearden.

      

10. Ashley Schroeder (@schroedershenan)

Ashley is a 2nd grade teacher who shares TONS of ideas and PowerPoint tutorials.  She is another bundle of energy who gets you pumped to bring exciting things into your classroom.  

11. Sarah Meador (@meadorscience)

Sarah is a 6th grade science teacher who also happens to be on the Executive Board for Whole Brain Teaching.  She has shared tons of ideas for using Whole Brain Teaching from lesson planning, to gestures to more!

Are you on Periscope yet?  Who do you follow?  Leave a comment below with your user name so I can follow you as well!  

Mental Math

Do your students need to build mental math skills, including rounding, estimating and fact fluency?

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

I am constantly on the lookout for ways to increase my students computational fluency, and with many of my students, the more hands on, the better.  I created these mental math cards to help my students practice their listening, problem solving, and computational skills.  We have been using them everyday this week and they are fast becoming a class favorite!

I printed out digit cards (0-9) for each of my students, and then put them to work cutting.  At the beginning of my teaching career I did a lot more cutting and getting supplies ready in advance.  Now, I put them to work.  As an extra bonus, it gives them something to do as I pass out supplies.

The students then set out their digits across their desk.  They each seemed to pick their own system.

Then, I started reading the clues.

And, I am not going to lie, many of them were confused!  So, I broke out plan B and had them come to the carpet for a quick demo.  If you decide to do this with your class, I would suggest using the demo first.  Just a little tip!

I just did a quick demo with scotch tape on some digit cards on my easel.  You could easily do this on an overhead as well, but... I was having tech issues that day... so quick and easy was my route.

I read from this card and modeled each step.

The light bulbs went off and my students were ready to tackle it again!

They are loving it!  They ask to play this instead of some of our other math games during centers.  They even asked to use them during Fun Friday!  Some of the students are writing their own prompts now! 

You can write your own prompts for your students to use, or you can buy my cards which feature 100 ready made prompts as well as editable cards. I have included digit cards and complete instructions as well.

Mental Math 5th and 6th Grade

Mental Math 4th and 5th Grade

Mental Math 4th Grade

Mental Math 2nd and 3rd Grade

Mental Math 1st Grade

Mental Math Kindergarten

You can watch a video of the game in action here.

I did a periscope presentation using these that you can watch by clicking here.

Have you implemented Mental Math in your classroom? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below or tag me on Twitter or Instagram.

And while you're here, enter to win one of our fabulous giveaways!

1,000 Blog Followers Giveaway! Win a $50 TpT Gift Card and More!

When I started this blogging journey a few years ago, I could hardly imagine having 1 follower (who wasn't related to me) much less 1,000!  I am seriously humbled and amazed, and cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support!

Every month I give away a $25 TpT gift card, but this month I am doubling it to $50!!!  I also asked a few of my blogging friends to donate prizes from their store, and these amazing ladies were happy to help!

You can win:

A $50 TpT Gift Card from me to spend however you would like on Teachers Pay Teachers.

 

$10 Winner's Choice from Momma With A Teaching Mission

$5 Winner's Choice from Powerpoint Gaming

Winner's Choice from A+ Kids

 

Winner's Choice from The Craft of Teaching

 

Winner's Choice from Brynn's Teacher Bag on TpT

Reading and Writing Task Cards from Stavroula Kampakou- Power Teaching  

  

Winner's Choice from O'Block Books and Teaching Materials

 

Winner's Choice from Follow Teaching Fun and Fourth

To enter, use the Rafflecoptor below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

How To Help Your Students Work Independently

Do your students need help working independently?  Do they bother you with questions and random comments when they should be working on their own?  Here is a strategy that might help:

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

If your students are anything like mine, they struggle with working independently.  When you give them something to work on by themselves, they start waving their hands frantically, or even worse, start following you around the room begging for your attention.  I have developed these cards as a way to help keep them in their seats and learning, while I can figure out who truly needs my assistance.



Each student has a set of cards at their desk.  I printed them on red, yellow, and green cardstock and attached them to a binder ring.

They display the colored cards to let me know how things are going.  The green card means everything is ok, and they can work independently without help from me.

The yellow card means they are stuck on a problem, but can continue with the rest of the assignment.

The red card lets me know that they need help before they can work independently.  I target these students first as I offer assistance.  If I see several of these cards at the same time, I might call a small group over, or interrupt the class for a quick re-teach.

You can grab these cards for free at my TpT store here.

I did a Periscope about these cards earlier today, and you can catch the replay here: 

I am linking up with TeachingBlogAddict.Com for Freebie Friday.  Head over to grab some more great freebies!