Rip Mix Feed: A Look at Pinterest
Social Bookmarking Using Pinterest
I chose to take a deeper look at the social bookmarking site, Pinterest. I have browsed through Pinterest in the past for quick art activities to do with my Grade 1’s to supplement theme work. However, I have increasingly been hearing from my primary colleagues as they talk about some new ideas they harvest from Pinterest. I wanted to look at how I could bookmark websites and ideas so that they are easily accessible in the future for easy reference. I found that I could create multiple “boards” which allows me to bookmark sites from the internet that are related to a certain topic. For example, if I was looking at grade 1 art activities, I could search the web and bookmark websites that are of interest to me in relation to this topic and then, using the downloaded Pinterest button on my browser, I can pin it to a particular board. It also includes a picture or the site and allows me to add a comment. I found that I could create boards related to theme activities that we do throughout the year, which allows me to file everything. I can also invite others to join my board which in theory, would allow me to collaborate with others in my grade group. I was also able to follow other pinterest boards. For example, if I was searching within pinterest, I could find pins others have already found on the internet related to my search words. This means that others have already collected notable websites or ideas from the internet. I found this immensely helpful. The board that I am sharing is a grade 1 literacy board. I am often looking for interesting or hands on activities for my students to complete independently while I meet with small groups during guided reading. However, I want these literacy centres to be interesting and related to what we are doing in class. In other words, I don’t want this to be a “time filler” without a real purpose. Therefore, I create these centres and often change them throughout the year. I find these sites interesting and they supplement what is already occurring within the classroom. I also think that a lot of primary educators are turing to Pinterest rather than visiting expensive educational resource stores. Pinterest is amazingly easy to use and the boards are very easy to use. The graphics accompanied with the text and notes makes it easy to remember why I chose to pin something. In the end, I wanted to explore whether this is an option within my own practice and whether this social bookmarking tool would be helpful in the future. I believe the answer is that it is a great, informal way to access ideas from other educators. The potential drawbacks would be that if educators are using this website, they need to be aware that some of the resources posted on the site are not free. Some of the websites pinned on other boards lead you to paid websites. Thus, there is a commercial element. However, it is a beginning point for those who want to connect with other educators and to see what practical activities teachers are using within their classrooms. It is important to note that it can also be used for other purposes, not just education. Uses can pin home renovation pictures, create fashion boards, etc. However, I found it a very useful social bookmarking site. The link below is to my Grade 1 Literacy board on Pinterest.
Thank you for that post! I have to admit I had little idea what Pinterest was about or whether it could be useful. Looking at your board, it appears to be a good way to gather resources and share them. And here I thought people just used it for fashion and recipes.