in your classroom

How to use

pinterest

There are a lot of great technology tools out there for teachers that can make it easier to connect with other educators, get ideas for classroom activities, and find inspiration.

One of the newest and best of these online tools is Pinterest, which has quickly become a favorite among educators. Using online “pinboards” teachers can save everything from photos to blog posts in one easily accessible and usable place.

Educators who are curious about Pinterest should sign up and start creating their own amazing collections of pins. Not sure where to start? Check out some of these great ideas on how teachers can use Pinterest.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom

Get inspiration for decorating your classroom. Looking to liven up your classroom? There are tons of photos of great classroom setups, from kindergartens to high school that you can use for inspiration.

Organize your ideas. Do you find yourself jotting down ideas or bookmarking websites and then forgetting about them? Pinterest can help you keep these ideas organized and easy-to-find when you need them.

Get ideas for an inspired bulletin board. A great bulletin board display can make kids excited to learn and proud to see their accomplishments on the wall. You’ll find some amazing ideas for creating your own when you browse Pinterest.

Follow interesting boards. Found a treasure trove of resources? Follow that board! That way anytime things are posted to it you’ll see it immediately in your own feed.

Get fun ideas for new projects. Whether you’re looking for holiday fun for students or something to relate to your lessons, you’ll find some really amazing ideas when you look through educational pins on the site.

Learn how to get crafty. Pinterest is full of great craft ideas, both for you and the students. Pin a few to have fun with later on.

Look for ways to organize your classroom. Classroom lacking organization? Search through pins for some great, often very creative, ways to keep your class neat and tidy.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

INSPIRATION

You’ll find a wealth of lessons and ideas on Pinterest to look through. Swap lesson plans. Pinterest is full of lesson plans that you can use and adapt to your own

needs. You can also show off your own great ideas by pinning photos and blog posts on your own.

Locate amazing images for your lessons. Pinterest is a very visual resource, which is what makes it such a great place to look when you’re trying to find images for a lesson or a lecture. There are tons of material that is historical, contemporary, art historical, or just plain interesting to look through.

Have students pin project ideas. Pinterest can also be a great place to get students working. Teachers could have students pin ideas on a board that relate to a particular project they’ll be working on.

Use pinning as part of a lesson. Of course, pinning itself could also be an educational experience. Students could have to pin items that fit a certain set of criteria as part of a lesson.

Collect ideas for virtual field trips. Let your kids travel the world through the web when you find creative online field trips on Pinterest, or build your own through great images.

Make group work visual. Whether you’re working with your colleagues or helping students to work on a group project, Pinterest can be a great place to collaborate. Share images for presentations or links to papers, resources, and research.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

LESSONS

You’ll find a wealth of lessons and ideas on Pinterest to look through. Swap lesson plans. Pinterest is full of lesson plans that you can use and adapt to your own

needs. You can also show off your own great ideas by pinning photos and blog posts on your own.

Locate amazing images for your lessons. Pinterest is a very visual resource, which is what makes it such a great place to look when you’re trying to find images for a lesson or a lecture. There are tons of material that is historical, contemporary, art historical, or just plain interesting to look through.

Have students pin project ideas. Pinterest can also be a great place to get students working. Teachers could have students pin ideas on a board that relate to a particular project they’ll be working on.

Use pinning as part of a lesson. Of course, pinning itself could also be an educational experience. Students could have to pin items that fit a certain set of criteria as part of a lesson.

Collect ideas for virtual field trips. Let your kids travel the world through the web when you find creative online field trips on Pinterest, or build your own through great images.

Make group work visual. Whether you’re working with your colleagues or helping students to work on a group project, Pinterest can be a great place to collaborate. Share images for presentations or links to papers, resources, and research.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

LESSONS Cont.

Have students photo journal on Pinterest. There are numerous ways students can use Pinterest to journal. How about a series of photos captioned in a foreign language? Or documenting a trip they took? The possibilities are endless.

Find loads of printables. If you’re in the market for some printable games and lessons for your students, you’ll find tons of great stuff on Pinterest.

Pump up your science lessons with amazing experiments. Search through the pins on the site for some ideas that can help bring science to life for your students.

Get ideas on how to make learning more hands-on. There are pages and pages worth of pins all about hands-on projects for students. Take advantage of some to make your lessons more interesting and memorable for your students.

Find great books to use in the classroom. It can be tough to choose books for young readers that are both fresh and age appropriate. Luckily, you’ll find some help on that when you look through Pinterest.

Look for grade-specific materials. Need to search by grade? You can do that, too! If you find boards you like, make sure to follow them.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

LESSONS Cont.

Develop your teaching skills and connect with other professionals using these Pinterest ideas.

Collaborate with other teachers and educators. Through Pinterest, teachers can create collaborative boards. This makes it simple to work together on projects, build better lessons, or just connect over shared ideas.

Start a conversation. Inspired by a lesson plan or image posted by another educator? Tell them! You can comment on their pins, offering you a chance to learn more and connect.

Share what you’re doing in the classroom. While it’s great to sit back and take in all the images other people have shared, you shouldn’t be afraid to share your own as well. Pin your favorite classroom projects so that other teachers and students can make use of them as well.

Find out about great reads. Whether you’re looking to be inspired or find non-fiction reads about managing your classroom, look to pins from teachers on Pinterest for some recommendations.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

PROFESSIONAL

Get links to great tech resources. Pinterest is a great place to find out about new tech resources for teachers, including places to print off materials, track your students, or get free educational videos, among other things!

Look for new and innovative teaching methods. Don’t get stuck in the past! Learn about new ways to connect with and manage your students from blog posts linked to on Pinterest.

Find out about awesome new educational products. You can pin pictures of the latest and greatest in educational products, though some may be dream purchases.

Promote your own work or blog. Show off your teaching skills and creativity on Pinterest. You can use it to promote your blog, photos, or anything else you think is worth sharing.

Learn how to help with behavior management. You can find pins and talk with other educators for new ideas on how to handle your students, from rewarding them for doing well to handling a disruptive kid.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

PROFESSIONAL Cont.

Find amazing teaching blogs to read. If you’re looking for more reading material, you’ll find it on Pinterest. There are loads of teacher blogs and educational posts pinned that you can look through.

Develop as a teacher. You might not have thought about using Pinterest as a personal development tool, but it works for that as well. Find ideas that can help you push your teaching to the next level.

Find other teachers. Seek out other teachers on Pinterest so that you can share ideas. You can find your coworkers or strangers and start following each other.

Stay on top of trends. It can be hard to keep up with the latest trends in education and well, everything else. Check out the latest pins on Pinterest for an update.

Find tutorials. Not sure how to take on a project or tackle a new technology? You can use Pinterest to find helpful tutorials that’ll make it a snap.

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

PROFESSIONAL Cont.

Pinterest doesn’t have to be all business. There are fun ways to use it, too!

Find inspiration. Being a teacher can be pretty hard work and sometimes you might need a little pick-me-up. You’ll find tons of inspirational quotes and photos that will help you get through even the hardest day.

Create dream classrooms. There are some truly beautiful classrooms posted on Pinterest. Collect your favorite ideas and build a board that represents your ultimate dream classroom.

Laugh after a long day. One of the best ways you can use Pinterest for fun is to create a board dedicated to things that make you smile. Pin cute pictures, comic strips, and funny images for an instant pick-me-up.

Have fun! Pinterest is one of the most fun sites out there to just browse through and enjoy, so don’t just use it for work! This is a cross-post from bestcollegesonline.com

37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest In The Classroom Cont.

FUN

Vicki Dabrowka, Ed Tech:Browse through more than 180 pins all related to educational technology from teacher and environmental educator Vicki Dabrowka.

Cristin Dillard, #EdTech:This edtech board is filled with helpful resources for using technology in the classroom, finding apps, and a few useful web 2.0 tools, too.

Patricia Brown, EDTECH:There are numerous videos, tutorials, articles, and other resources to help you learn how to better use technology in education on this very helpful board.

Vicki Davis, Teaching Ideas and Apps:Vicki Davis, better known as “Cool Cat Teacher,” is a popular edtech blogger. Here she shares some of her favorite tools and ideas for using tech in the classroom.

Regina Hartley, Ed Tech:Library media specialist Regina Hartley offers up some amazing pins on edtech through this board, including some very useful infographics.

25 Of The Best Pinterest Boards In Education

TeacherVision, Educational Technology:TeacherVision doesn’t just offer great resources on their own site. Teachers can also head to their Pinterest account and find great boards like this one, pinning dozens of valuable resources for teaching with tech.

Kathy Schrock, Kathy Schrock’s Support Pages:Educational technologist Kathy Schrock is all over the web, so it’s no surprise she’s also using Pinterest. On this board, you’ll find helpful support pages that can assist you in making the most of her tech-focused presentations.

Edutopia, Students Like Tech!:Edutopia pins resources for teaching with tablets, loads of infographics, articles about edtech, and much more here.

Edudemic, The Best Web 2.0 Tools:Not sure what edtech tools are worth your time? Here, Edudemic pins some of their favorites, including lists of hundreds of educational apps and websites.

TED News, TED ED:Have you checked out the resources offered by TED Ed yet? On this board, you’ll get access to some of the most amazing videos and activities found on the site.

25 Of The Best Pinterest Boards In Education Cont.

ISTE, Ed Tech Resources:The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) shares some of their favorite edtech resources on this board. Educators will find help in understanding Google, boosting media literacy, using tablets, and even links to tons of free software.

Kristin Brynteson, Ed tech:From free apps for education to the best websites for teachers, this board is full of amazing pins: 257 and counting!

Samia Wahab, Ed Tech Articles:Looking to do some edtech reading? There are almost 40 articles well worth reading pinned here that can help make you an edtech expert.

Jennie Hoffmann, EdTech: Awesome Web Tools:This board is a great resource for finding web tools and activities to use in the classroom.

Charity Preston, Technology:You’ll discover all kinds of new and innovative ways to bring technology into your elementary school classroom with the help of this pinboard.

25 Of The Best Pinterest Boards In Education Cont.

Melissa Alonzo-Dillard, Smartboard:If you’ve got access to a smartboard then you’ll love this Pinterest board. With 166 pins sharing ideas for getting the most out of smartboard, it’s a must for any tech-centered classroom.

Rachel Friedrich, Technology:This board is a solid resource for finding tech-related materials for the classroom, even boasting a link to 155 Reading Rainbow episodes.

Education World, Science & Technology:Education World provides numerous resources on the Web for educators, and they’ve branched out to share many of those resources through Pinterest as well, using boards like this one to offer access to insights into using tech tools to teach.

Med Kharbach, Teacher Free Resources:This board collects numerous (and we do mean numerous) resources for teachers that are free to use. So far, the collection includes worksheets, printables, tutorials, infographics, and more.

Shannon Smith, EdTech Essentials:Don’t miss out on this board, loaded with highly informational edtech articles and infographics, resource guides, and lesson plans.

25 Of The Best Pinterest Boards In Education Cont.

Eric Sheninger, Twitter Resources, Apps, and Tools:Those interested in using Twitter in the classroom will find a wealth of resources on signing up, tweeting, and connecting with others.

K S, Technology in Education:Created by an arts educator and a curriculum consultant in Canada, this board can help educators learn more about digital literacy and teaching with tech, through pins of articles, videos, and resource lists.

Debbie Fucoloro, Tech Tips & Tricks:Find some simple tech tips and tricks to make you seem like a technology pro in the classroom on this useful pinboard.

Shelly Terrell, Digital Storytelling:Digital storytelling can be an excellent way to get kids engaged with learning through technology. On this board, you’ll find project ideas, resources, and writing tools to get you started.

Education Technology Group Board:This group board brings together pins from more than 20 different pinners, all teachers and educators. Working together, they’ve shared apps, resources, and web tools that have helped them to be more successful in the classroom.This is a cross-post from content partners at onlineuniversities.com

25 Of The Best Pinterest Boards In Education Cont.

Ahead of time set up a Pinterest account for your class that is separate from your personal account.

 Make the same number of boards as the number of students in your class + 1 for yourself to use as an example when you are modeling how to do it.  

Instead of naming the boards with the name of your students, number each board so you don't have to redo them next year.  

Assign each student a number,  preferably alphabetically.   Each board will be a collaborative board, but only you and one

student will be collaborating on each board.   Although you won't be pinning to their boards, you need "veto

power" to edit inappropriate pins.

Have you used Pinterest with your class yet?

PRIMARY TEACHERS:*Students can pin your skill of the week.  -Pin 5 pictures that begin with "ch".  -Pin 5 pictures about weather  -Pin 5 pictures that are geometric solid shapes.

For grading purposes, you can give them a goal such as pinning 5 pictures.  Students who pin more than 5 can earn extra credit.

To differentiate: Have your "spark plugs" find 3 pictures with "ch" at the beginning of the word and 3 pictures with "ch" at the end of the word

Have you used Pinterest with your class yet? Cont.

EXAMPLES

INTERMEDIATE TEACHERS:Pinterest can be a great tool for your next research project.  An important skill to incorporate in this lesson is judging quality sources.  There are so many sources on the internet, that students need to know how to judge the value of a source.  Remind them it's not who has the most pins that's important, it's having quality sources that will help them write their paper or do their research project. Stress quality over quantity.  Here's a rubric you can use:

Have you used Pinterest with your class yet? Cont.

EXAMPLES

Have you used Pinterest with your class yet? Cont.

Have you used Pinterest with your class yet? Cont.

Here's an example of what your class research could look like:

One of the glitches to setting up a class pinterest project with younger students is Facebook or twitter.  In order to sign up for pinterest, you have to have a Facebook or twitter account.  

Students under 13 aren't allowed to have a Facebook account.  One way around this is for the teacher to set up a class account on Facebook or other email and then join Pinterest using that account.  

A classroom computer could be the designated "Pinterest" center.  

Students would rotate to the computer to pin the skill of the week to their designated board.

Have you used Pinterest with your class yet? Cont.

You need to request via your email or have an existing pinner add you.

Either way is easy You can start immediately You can log on with face book or twitter as well

How To Join

Pins – are pictures, recipes, or items that people put on pinterest and you want to copy into a board

Boards – Places that you organize the pins you want to keep. You will want to make more specific boards than general ones. (ex. Recipes vs. Chicken recipes/crockpot recipes/pasta recipes etc.)

What are boards & pins

What it looks like when you first sign on

You will want to go to the top of the page on left side and click on your name you will find:

Your Boards Your PinsFind Friends Help CenterSettings Log Out

Get Familiar With Pinterest

It Looks Like This

Your find something you want to pin – now what?

You will create a board that is the topic of the pin. Again be more specific than general.

It will be blank at first so you have to create the boards yourself.

Organize Your Pins/Boards

An Example Of My Boards

I have boards for many things – DIY, my classes, recipes, holidays, gardening etc. I have very specific boards for these things like holidays.

You can go back and change the name of a board at anytime.

Pinterest will tell you that if you have already pinned the pin so you don’t have to worry about pinning more than once now.

Board Suggestions

Lets say you want to pin something you have found.

For example this baseball wall

How Do I Pin?

When you put the cursor over the picture these two options appear (Pin it & Like)

You willclick on the “Pin it” link andThis will show up ………

How Do I Pin? Cont.

Click on the “Pin it” icon and you can pin it to any of your boards

You can alsoadd your own description – you can also tweet the pin.

How Do I Pin? Cont.

Do a search – specific or on the different categories from the main page

Follow People (they may have a specific board you are interested in and when they pin something from that board that you are following it will show up on your “home” page.)

How Do I Find Items

Here is where I did a search for “fourth of July”

How Do I Find Items Cont.

If you are pinning and you want to see the most recent pins that the people are following you will click on the red PINTEREST on the main page and it will refresh your pins.

How Do I Find Items Cont.

Once you put something in the search you will get the “pins”, but you can select at the top if you want boards or pinners (people).

It would Look like this: if you Want to Change to Boards….

How Do I Find Items Cont.

Now you can go to these boards and see what other people have already found and pin anything they have already pinned. You maythen follow their boardsfor future pins from that category orgo to that person and seeother categories that person haschosen for boards.

How Do I Find Items Cont.

You can install the Pin It button on your internets browser’s toolbar.

On the About button at the top left side of your Pinterest page under the three red lines (next to the search), then go to about (at bottom) and then go to the goodies button on top right.

Scroll down to The “Pin It Button)

How Do I Pin Something From A Website Or

Blog?

In General for Education: Edutopia Discovery Education GETideas.org November Learning ABC Life Literacy PBS teachers Clever Classroom Janet Corder Larry Ferlazzo

Who To Follow

Technology Vicky Davis Aurasma Drew Minock Teachers with Apps TCEA Tony Vincent ISTE

Who To Follow Cont.

Elementary Erin Klein (2nd in MI) Math Salamanders The educators’ spin on it Steve Spangler Science Darleen Dufour (3rd grade)

Who To Follow Cont.

Language Arts Jennifer Hoemke England Rachel Littrell Ruthann Snow -

Writing Mollie Altick-Magill Amelia Cerda -

Reading Robin Laine Happy Teacher Bev Dillow Mary Celle – Middle School

Alexa Embse – Middle & High School

Angela Goff – High School

Who To Follow Cont.

Special Education Marja Oehrli Donna Gibson Conway Lisa - http://pinterest.com/lisamomofthree/ Advocacy for special kids

http://pinterest.com/edadvocate/special-education/

Adri ANA Jim Gilliam Sarah Brown

Who To Follow Cont.

Science Larissa Reason Heather Mihills – lots of elementary Tirzah Morris Lorna Monroe - Biology Delena Allen Marcel Vlasblom - Physics Kathy Fuhler Amy Walker – Middle School Starla Pottorff – High School

High School Science Fair - http://pinterest.com/scifairlady/high-school-science/

Stacy Conwell – High School

Who To Follow Cont.

Social Studies Glenn York Elementary – lots of other subjects too

Courtney Gasper Kelly Wade Lisa Lewis Christina Knox Susan Justice Stephanie Stern Caylyn Burke – middle school

Toni Kennedy – high school

Who To Follow Cont.

Math Mo-Maureen Boyd Amy Teater Vanessa Fitton I V Mary Zorger C D Melody Shoger – Algebra Tracie Gooley – Geometry

Who To Follow Cont.

Art Dani Lauren Elyse Christen Woodruff

Music Carla Green Mary Witaszek Lisa Mac

Who To Follow Cont.

Foreign Language Christina Link Fay Alexandra Betty Ann Clark Barbara Jacobs Kirsten Nelson Allys Neguan – Spanish Kelsey White - German

Who To Follow Cont.

Physical Education Teachers Notebook – lots of different disciplines w/PE Physed Games Kait Bloemer Lynn Burrows

Health Education ConstellationSchools Amanda Parrish Krystalo Reed

Who To Follow Cont.

This board has more reasons/suggestions for using Pinterest in the classroom.

http://pinterest.com/hilliardg/using-pinterest/

My Pinterest Site

Please turn to a neighbor and discuss two things you learned/liked today

Pair/Share

http://www.thebloominghydrangea.com/2011/10/how-to-use-pinterest.html

http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/37-ways-teachers-can-use-pinterest-in-the-classroom/

http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/25-of-the-best-pinterest-boards-in-education/

Resources