March 19th, 2012 by Monika Jankowska-Pacyna
Pinterest has been the new buzzword in the community and at large as the newest star of social media. The more familiar forms of social media, e.g Facebook and Twitter have had limited potential for application as an educational tool. We have watched discussions about Pinterest shift from its use as a way to collect images and manifest creative brainstorms to its potential use in the educational field. We have seen a similar evolution of its use within our organization.
A staff member was using Pinterest socially for herself, after a friend had turned her on to it. When we began discussing how to get our clients talking about their goals and dreams for the future, the conversation naturally turned to using visuals to help identify their aspirations. Alongside this, we’ve been having an ongoing dialogue about how to integrate the new OALCF curriculum into the classroom. Pinterest seemed to be a perfect opportunity to meld several competencies into a single activity that would be fun and engaging.