Rolo ICT test corner: Pinterest

I discovered Pinterest a few months ago though a friend and was instanly addicted. After making personal boards and pinning like crazy I started thinking about the possible educational purposes of Pinterest. Here in the Language Centre we have a drive on the computers with files and links that teachers and students can use in class. However, this drive seems somewhat unorganized so it is hard to find what you are looking for. Since most people are quite visual it would be nice to organize using pictures and that is exactly what Pinterest does. Since we also want to start working more digitally Pinterest seems like the perfect source or platform for students and teachers to find and store links in a visually attractive way.

What is pinterest?

Have a look at the video below to get an idea.

So... Pinterest is an online pinboard to which you can pin an image from a website. The image should represent the website because when you click on the image you get directed to the website. This is a visual way to 'remember' websites and to easily find them, even after a while. Some images are not pinned with the purpose of wanting to go to the website 'behind' it, they are simply pinned because they are funny, like this one:

So you can pin images from websites that you know and want to save, but you can also 'repin' images from others. You can also browse through a certain catagory of pins, for example 'Food&Drink' where you can find all sorts of recipies. You can get to the website 'behind' the picture by clicking on it, it will then enlarge, when you click on it again pinterest will take you to the website.

Example:
Normally, if you have found a recipe online and you'd like to save it you would use 'favourites' or even write the webadress down. After a while you have so many favourites that you cannot rememeber which was which. Now, if you 'pin' all of these websites on a board (or several boards) you would have a visual overview of the websites you want to save by seeing an overview of the pictures on the websites (you choose a picture for each website that you want to pin which represents what you want to remember from that website).

How do you get from a pin to a website?

This is my personal pinterest page:

This is my board 'sweet'where I keep all of my recipies for sweet things.

What if I'd like to make the cinnabons from the picture on the top right hand side? I will click on the picture so it enlarges

Now you have several possibilities but let's just take the easy route : click on the picture again and pinterest takes you to the website.

Now, I can make these cinnabons using the recipe on the website.

This is the core of pinterest : saving images which represent which website is behind them so you have a visual overview of website you'd like to save.

What are the pro's and cons of Pinterest?

Pro's

Pins can be found easily through the use of pictures instead of writing to indicate a website.\
Several boards can be made so you can organize your pins.
Visually attractive
It's fun
You can follow everyone, you don't have to ask for permission (as with facebook). So you can follow anyone who has the same interests as you, resulting in finding pins you would otherwise never have found.
You can collaborate with others by creating a board together. This results in creating a shared database where you can share knowledge and resources that is always accessible.
You don't need an account to use the pins on pinterest (only to make boards and add pins). You can visit any account,board or pin you like using an url or the search option. This means that students can access the talencentre pinterest account without having to make an account resulting in more autonomy and independence for the student.
Pinterest speaks to young people because they are used to working with images rather than with text.
You can make 'secret' boards. This makes it possible for you to keep certain information away from your students.

Cons:

There is no way of making a board within a board resulting in having to make a lot of boards to organize your pins. This makes it difficult to organise and keeping a clear overview at the same time.
After a while you probably have a lot of pins and have been browsing Pinterest for quite some time (yes it is addicitive!). This means that you might come across a pin that you might have or might not have pinned before. Pinterest does not tell you wether you have pinned an image (or website) before. This means that you might end up with a lot of the same pins. The same goed for collaborative boards where two or more people might pin the same website or similar websites which could become confusing for students.
Speaks to boys more than girls

How do I use pinterest during my lessons?

Preparation: I use pinterest for inspiration : it contains a lot of lesson plans, ideas or materials that I can use.
During the lesson : When I am in a classroom that has a smartboard or tv I open pinterest and give my students a tour of the talencentrum account so that they know where to find information. Also, when I am in a room with a smartboard I can open the websites I use for workshops and use the smartboard at the same time.
During the lesson: Some students need more attention/instruction than others. Students who work independently can use pinterest as an extra source for when they have questions, before they ask their question to their teacher, who is busy giving extra instruction or personal speaking assignments.
After the lesson: Students can access the pinterest page from anywhere which means that they can work independently, even at home.
Or, see graphic below: