Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can “pin” ideas you like to different boards. Educators can use this addictive social media tool to organize ideas for activities and lessons as well as decorating ideas for classrooms and offices. Here are some tips for using Pinterest to find and save ideas for the new school year.
Search Smart
Pinterest can be overwhelming to new users. There are tons and tons of ideas, and it can be difficult to weed through them all. Thinking of what you want to search for before you even log in will save you time. Are you looking for bulletin board ideas? Think about what specific topic you would like to create a bulletin board of. Searching for “bullying bulletin board” will give you more specific results than just searching for bulletin boards. You can also specify the grade level to get even more specific results. If you are looking for bullying bulletin board ideas for middle school, try searching specifically “middle school bullying bulletin board.”
If you have more time and are just looking for general ideas, try using the predetermined search categories. Click on the box in the upper left-hand corner and you will see a drop-down menu of a bunch of different categories. Choose the “Education” category to see all pins categorized as education related.
Categorize Pins Using Boards
Once you find something you want to save, click on the item to see a larger view, or just hover to find the “pin” button. You can then create a board to categorize your pins. Creating boards and categorizing your pins allows you to easily find the ideas that you pinned. Make sure you name your board something that will easily help you identify what items are inside. For example, if you find and pin bullying posters, you could create a board labeled “bullying” or “classroom posters.”
Describe Your Pin
There is nothing worse than looking at a pin and asking, “Why on Earth did I pin this?” Jog your memory by providing a description of the pin and how you might use it in your work. Using the bullying poster example from above, I chose the “Bullying” board I created and wrote a description for the pin that says: “Elementary Level Bully-Free Posters from Free Spirit Publishing.” Now I know what the pin is and where I got it from. I went a step further and shared how I would use the bullying posters: “These would look great in a school counseling office!” Erasing the original pinner’s description and adding your own personalized description will help you remember how you want to use the item.
Follow, Follow, Follow
The more like-minded people you follow, the more ideas you will see! I recommend following people with which you have similar interests. You can connect Pinterest to Facebook and Twitter so you can follow your other social media connections. I also recommend following companies with products you love. Once you find a user you want to follow, you can choose to follow specific boards or all of the boards the user created.
If you are looking for School Counseling Pinspiration, follow me on Pinterest! I have more than 80 boards of school counseling pins!
Pinterest can be a great way for educators to organize and share ideas with others. What tips do you have for using Pinterest for Back-to-School Pinspiration?
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.
© 2013 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved.
