What is it?
Pinterest is a relatively new social bookmarking site. You are able to create online boards and pin articles/pictures/videos/ideas and so on to that board that interest you. This website has endless opportunities for classroom activities and research for your own personal growth as an educator.
How to use this website
Signing Up:
Go to http://pinterest.com/ and click join pinterest at the top. Then, you will see a screen that looks like the picture to the left. You have many options for signing up. If you already have Facebook or Twitter, you can sign up using those sites. If not, don't worry, you can sign up using your email. I signed up using Facebook. All you need is your password that you use for Facebook and everything is already set up for you. Pinterest takes the information that you provided on Facebook such as your birthday.
Once you get onto Pinterest you can choose from a list of categories that interest you. Depending on what you choose, those are the types of pins that will be showcased on the general board that you can look through. Another way to see a variety of pins is to follow friends. By signing up with Facebook, you can chose to follow your friends that you have on Facebook.
Making your own boards:
At the top right hand corner of your page you will see the button +Add, click this and the chose Create a Board. You can create a name for your board and pick a category that will correspond with that board. A new feature that is neat is you can chose to make the board private, but making it a secret board. This stops other people from looking through your pins. Finally click Create Board. Now, when you see another pin that you like, you can hit repin and chose the board you would like it to stay in.
How make your own Pins:
From a website: If you are cruising a website and you see something you like, you can make it a pin. This is very simple. Go to the top right hand corner and click +Add; then choose, Add a Pin. All you need to do is put in the URL and chose the picture that you would like to be featured.
From your computer: If you already have something saved on your computer and you would like to make it a pin, click on +Add and then Upload a Pin. Browse your computer, choose the pin and add it to your board!
Go to http://pinterest.com/ and click join pinterest at the top. Then, you will see a screen that looks like the picture to the left. You have many options for signing up. If you already have Facebook or Twitter, you can sign up using those sites. If not, don't worry, you can sign up using your email. I signed up using Facebook. All you need is your password that you use for Facebook and everything is already set up for you. Pinterest takes the information that you provided on Facebook such as your birthday.
Once you get onto Pinterest you can choose from a list of categories that interest you. Depending on what you choose, those are the types of pins that will be showcased on the general board that you can look through. Another way to see a variety of pins is to follow friends. By signing up with Facebook, you can chose to follow your friends that you have on Facebook.
Making your own boards:
At the top right hand corner of your page you will see the button +Add, click this and the chose Create a Board. You can create a name for your board and pick a category that will correspond with that board. A new feature that is neat is you can chose to make the board private, but making it a secret board. This stops other people from looking through your pins. Finally click Create Board. Now, when you see another pin that you like, you can hit repin and chose the board you would like it to stay in.
How make your own Pins:
From a website: If you are cruising a website and you see something you like, you can make it a pin. This is very simple. Go to the top right hand corner and click +Add; then choose, Add a Pin. All you need to do is put in the URL and chose the picture that you would like to be featured.
From your computer: If you already have something saved on your computer and you would like to make it a pin, click on +Add and then Upload a Pin. Browse your computer, choose the pin and add it to your board!
Why you should use this site
For your Professional Growth:
- Social bookmarking. Save your favourite websites and ideas.
- Find neat activities for your classroom.
- Learn how to use different technologies
- Discover new and improved ways to teach something
- Find great books
- Post pins for other teachers about something that was successful in your classroom
For your Classroom:
- Have students create a board based on their research project
see example to the right. Students made a board based on
Harvard & Cambridge.
- Group collaboration: have students communicate ideas with each other by creating a board based on the subject
- Classroom board: have students post ideas that interest them that relate to the course
- Activity sign up boards: students can post what they want to do for a research project and students can join certain project they like
- Music/video boards: If you play music, or show videos in your class, have students prepost what songs or videos they like. From this board you can chose what songs/videos you would like to play in class.
- Social bookmarking. Save your favourite websites and ideas.
- Find neat activities for your classroom.
- Learn how to use different technologies
- Discover new and improved ways to teach something
- Find great books
- Post pins for other teachers about something that was successful in your classroom
For your Classroom:
- Have students create a board based on their research project
see example to the right. Students made a board based on
Harvard & Cambridge.
- Group collaboration: have students communicate ideas with each other by creating a board based on the subject
- Classroom board: have students post ideas that interest them that relate to the course
- Activity sign up boards: students can post what they want to do for a research project and students can join certain project they like
- Music/video boards: If you play music, or show videos in your class, have students prepost what songs or videos they like. From this board you can chose what songs/videos you would like to play in class.
Examples of how I have used this site
I have used Pinterst for inspiration for classroom activities and my own professional growth.
By looking under the cateogory: Science and Nature, I have found neat pictures and videos that I could use in class that related to my subject material. For instance, In my Science 20 class we are learning about geology and I have used many pictures that I have seen on Pinterest to engage my students. The picture of the lady in the crystal cave was one picture that I showed that sparked a lot of conversation.
The picture of the plates inspired me to buy a class set of plastic plates and markers so that students would have their own personal "white board" to demonstarte their work.
Finally, Pinterest is a great way to communicate with other educators and share ideas, worries, frustrations and accomplishments. "Keep Calm and Pretent it's on the lesson plan" gave me a laugh and it reminds me that not every class is perfect. Sometimes "going with the flow" is the best solution!
By looking under the cateogory: Science and Nature, I have found neat pictures and videos that I could use in class that related to my subject material. For instance, In my Science 20 class we are learning about geology and I have used many pictures that I have seen on Pinterest to engage my students. The picture of the lady in the crystal cave was one picture that I showed that sparked a lot of conversation.
The picture of the plates inspired me to buy a class set of plastic plates and markers so that students would have their own personal "white board" to demonstarte their work.
Finally, Pinterest is a great way to communicate with other educators and share ideas, worries, frustrations and accomplishments. "Keep Calm and Pretent it's on the lesson plan" gave me a laugh and it reminds me that not every class is perfect. Sometimes "going with the flow" is the best solution!
Resources
"10 Ways to Use Pinterest in the Classroom | TeachBytes." TeachBytes. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
<http://teachbytes.com/2012/03/10/10-ways-to-use-pinterest-in-the-classroom/>.
"How To Use Pinterest In The Classroom [Video] - Edudemic." Edudemic - Education Technology, Apps, Product Reviews, and Social Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://edudemic.com/2012/02/pinterest-how-to/>.
<http://teachbytes.com/2012/03/10/10-ways-to-use-pinterest-in-the-classroom/>.
"How To Use Pinterest In The Classroom [Video] - Edudemic." Edudemic - Education Technology, Apps, Product Reviews, and Social Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://edudemic.com/2012/02/pinterest-how-to/>.