Pinterest

Pinterest

WHAT IS PINTEREST AND WHY ALL THE INTEREST?

Have you joined the Pinterest craze?  Launched in 2010 Pinterest now has over 48.7 million members making it the fastest growing social network site in internet history. According to their website, "Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web."  Pinterest allows you to "pin" photos of sites on organized boards. So instead of a list of urls on your computer that you may or may not remember what they are you see a visual display of all the places you pinned.

BUT HOW CAN I USE PINTEREST AS A PLN?

 

Because the user can create separate boards for different areas of interest, many educators are creating school related boards. These boards range from educational philosophy to boards dedicated to specific grade level, subject, or even specific topics. Once you find a pinterest user with similar interest  you can "follow" their board. So every time they pin something they find interesting you can see it on your board too. Finding one board to follow will lead to many others.  A network of educators is created and everyone can share in the "finds" of other.

 

OK, YOU'VE SOLD ME!  HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Anyone can browse Pinterest by going to Pinterest.com and exploring. To create boards and pin items you must be a member. Membership in Pinterest is free. You can join Pinterest by connecting with you Facebook or Twitter account or by using an email address. 

Some of the sites listed in the resources suggest creating boards for your class to follow. At this time Pinterest is NOT approved for student use in FBISD. Also, be aware as you are browsing pins, there is the possibility of offensive material appearing.  For that reason, never browse Pinterest with students in the area. Additionally, Pinterest is available to teachers on the school network; it is not available on the wireless Guest connection.