After using Twitter for the last couple weeks, I have seen
how social networking sites can be beneficial for educators and how many
options there are for creating your own PLN. This week I looked around at
several other social networking sites and decided that I wanted to focus on two
to start using.
Pinterest
I have had a Pinterest account for a while, but I have
primarily used it for recipes and fitness ideas. I decided this was a good
opportunity to really look into all there is for education. I know our parents
have used Pinterest when planning our classroom parties and we have looked for
a few art project ideas in the past. Since I already use Pinterest for other
things, I think this could definitely be my new favorite site to use for
education as well. I like that Pinterest is visual and you can scroll through
pretty quickly and stop when something catches your attention. I like to see
pictures of what others have done and alter it to make it my own. I love that
there is everything from lessons to classroom organization/decoration to
printables to art projects all in one place. I found that searching is very
helpful as well. I can search for a specific thing or search for boards. I
found endless early childhood education boards. I also looked around for boards
focused on differentiation and found several good ones, I shared one below.
My classroom Pinterest board- http://www.pinterest.com/s_jaegers/classroom/
Ning
I had heard of Ning before but had never looked into it. I
found a couple pages dealing specifically with early childhood, but they did
not seem to have very much recent activity so I decided to join the Elementary
Tech Teachers Ning. I’m still waiting on the approval of my membership, but so
far this looks like a great tool. There are pictures, videos, blog posts, and a
place to talk with other members all in one place. This seems like a good way
to connect with other teachers and share ideas.
I am absolutely obsessed with Pinterest. I think I have as many boards for the different aspects of teaching as I do for other things. I like you love that it is so visual and you can scroll through the sites quickly and with ease. I am a very visual and impatient person so this is great for me. One of my favorite people to follow is http://www.pinterest.com/christina4062/ her blog is great too!
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love Pinterest? I started using Pinterest almost a year and a half ago and since then my district has blocked it! This is so frustrating to me. Last year I searched for a project with 3D shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks and was able to pull it up on my promethean board with instructions for my kids to see. One negative that I have noticed lately with Pinterest is that a lot of the things that I search for link straight to Teachers Pay Teachers. (also a site that I love) The downside to this is that when it is linked to Teachers Pay Teachers the majority of the things that I am trying to access have to be purchased. It seems as though many of the pins are through TPT. I guess it just takes a little work to sift through and find things that aren't connected with Teachers Pay Teachers. It is totally worth it if you do! The amount of things that I have gathered from Pinterest in the last year and a half is just awesome! :)
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