What is It?
Pinterest is a social networking/marketing site that lets you upload and store images in an organized manner. Before Pinterest, teachers could surf the web and bookmark or add web pages they were interested in to Favourites on their computer. If they wanted to store these ideas in a more compact fashion they could copy and paste photos and text onto a Word Document. The Pinterest system allows you to "pin" a photo, page or piece of text immediately onto a board. Teachers could then create a variety of different boards labelled by topic such as Math Ideas, Phonics Flashcards or Writing Topics to paste these photos on to.
How Can Teachers Use It?
Pinterest is fairly new but there are some sites for teachers that can be found by going to the Pinterest site. By typing in different topics such as Education or Teacher Ideas, different photos, websites or blogs will come up on the page to choose from. Many websites and blogs outside of Pinterest are now adding a Pinterest option to their sites so visitors can save or re post information with a click of a button.
Pinterest boards can be useful for ideas that can easily be communicated visually through a photograph. Some ideas would include flashcards, posters, worksheets, and art activities. It is an easy way for a teacher to share with others what she is doing in the classroom. Since teaching can be an isolating activity, teachers rarely have time to visit other classrooms. Like teaching blogs, the more teachers that post to Pinterest will help to make the profession more interactive.Teachers often try to reinvent the wheel when they could use an idea that another professional has already taken the time to invent. Posting your projects and ideas suggests that you are okay with others using your ideas.
What Are Problems With Pinterest?
There are a few cons when it comes to using Pinterest. One is that the Pinterest education sites are lacking in materials that are harder to communicate, such as concepts or ideas that have to be gotten across by using more than one picture or a few words. Additionally, teachers who worry about their ideas being credited should be wary of posting. Pinterest does have a PinEtiquette note that states that sources should be credited, but there does not seem to be a way to control this, and some stock photo sites have complained about this problem. Finally, be careful about posting or sharing photos that include children. Parent permission should be granted first if you are going to post the picture online.
Why Will Teachers Use Pinterest?
Teachers who use Pinterest find that it is a useful and easy way to organize and store ideas that they can use in the classroom. They appreciate that their information can easily be accessed on both their home and school computers. As the Pinterest site grows, so will the amount of useful resources that teachers can access. While some teachers do admit, like other Pinterest users, that they get caught up in pinning and repinning pretty pictures, many do actually use the ideas they post to their boards in the classroom.
Lisa Loewen - Lisa Loewen is a writer and educator living in the area of Vancouver, B.C. She has a B.A with a major in History with a focus on Canadian ...
Join the Conversation