EDD 7914 CRN 23508 OL1

Curriculum Teaching and Technology

Nikkisha Gordon
Sylvia Sanchez- Rodriguez

Assignment 1
Exploring Pinterest and How it is Implemented in Classroom Instruction
Dr. Shirley Walrod

Nova Southeastern University

September 21, 2014
October 4, 2014

Abstract
Although Pinterest is a form of social media, many educators have found
themselves gravitating towards it due to the vast array of educational resources available.
Pinterest can be described as extremely user-friendly and visually pleasing to the eye.
The goal of integrating Pinterest in classroom instruction is to implement technology in
academic learning and to engage students in a learning experience. The article explains
two reading lessons using anchor charts in Pinterest. Both lessons sparked the students
interest as they applied their critical thinking skills.

Exploring Pinterest and How it is Implemented in Classroom Instruction

Pinterest, launched in 2010, is a free social network website that allows users to
view, create, and collect theme-based interests. Users create a login to share various types
of information on boards. These boards are made up of visual bookmarks called pins that
individuals use to organize information. Pearce and Learmonth (2013) pointed out that
there is a growing number of educators exploring the value of Pinterest as a multimedia
platform to use within, and outside, the classroom. Various educational resources on
Pinterest offer opportunities for educators to develop students critical thinking skills and
to engage them in their learning. Tan (2013) stated that this can be achieved through
integration with similar social media and through a formative assessment of students
digital literacy knowledge to select appropriate and relevant resources.
Engagement Theory
The Engagement Theory emphasizes cooperation, creativity, collaboration, and
contribution in learning. It has three basic principles: relate, create, and donate. In the
relate principal, students communicate with each other to complete tasks and progress
together. The creative principal encourages the students to ask new questions and create
new possibilities to solve problems. The donate principal helps students contribute their
learning to others which also improves their own humane quality (Huang, 2010). As
students study, practice, and share experiences on Pinterest, they are engaged in their
learning and develop a sense of ownership
Find a Resource
Educators are constantly searching for ways to motivate student learning in the
classroom. Galliton (2014) stressed that finding creative ways to motivate students to
read doesnt have to be a brand new idea. Why reinvent the wheel? Pinterest has a great
number of resources from educators all over the globe. It is just a matter of finding
something and making it work for you and your class. This is extremely valuable when
students are grouped in below-level, on-level, and above-level reading groups. The goal
or objective of the lesson can be the same for all reading groups, but their instruction
would be different because of their instructional reading level. Various learning materials,
such as graphic organizers, can be found on Pinterest for each reading group.
Project Work
Pinterest can also be useful in project work. Stannard (2014) stated that students
can create boards and then share them with the rest of the class. For example, a student
can create a board on the dangers of smoking. As long as all the students are signed up to
Pinterest, they can add pins to the board. As the project progresses, the result would be
various boards, all with many related pins on them.
Pinterest in the Classroom
For the purposes of this assignment, both Teacher A and Teacher B were able to
benefit from the multitude of educational opportunities Pinterest offers. Teacher A
utilized Pinterest to research a new and interesting way to present the skill of compare
and contrast to a 3rd grade reading class. Teacher A decided to utilize two compare and
contrast anchor charts. One anchor chart provided the definition of the terms compare and

contrast along with examples of how to use these skills. Because of the bright colors and
drawings, the students were instantly drawn to the charts. The second chart displayed a
Venn diagram, a frequently used graphic organizer that helps students identify similarities
and differences of the given topic. Students were asked to compare and contrast two texts
with the same topic. Each student was given a Post It note to jot down either a similarity
or a difference. Student responses were then posted in the Venn diagram to demonstrate
their knowledge of the skill. Not only were the students actively engaged, this activity
also sparked class discussion and offered Teacher A the opportunity to quickly assess the
students understanding.
Teacher B used Pinterest but in an 8th grade reading class. This teacher also used
Pinterest to research anchor charts that would assist with the instruction of character
analysis. This anchor chart was also displayed on the Promethean Board for the students
to view and take notes. The students created a replica of the anchor chart on their own
paper and participated in class discussion as the teacher maneuvered through the Gradual
Release of Responsibility Method. As the teacher moved through each step, students were
allowed to add to the anchor chart by placing their answers on Post-Its and displaying
them on the chart.
After obtaining parental permission, students were placed in groups of three and
given a task. Each group was asked to create a collaboration board through Pinterest.
Doing so would allow each group member the opportunity to participate by pinning.
Each group was assigned a specific character from the text previously read in class and
asked to create a pin board, similar to an online collage, through pinning. Each pin board
was to include items/pictures that demonstrated the students understanding of the
characters personality and how that character changed throughout the text. Upon
completion, students were asked to present their pin boards to the class and provide a
detailed explanation of each pin.
Conclusion
In the end, Teacher A and B found the usage of Pinterest in the classroom to be an
enjoyable experience for both teacher and students. Not only did it help keep students
actively engaged and increase class participation, it also provided the stimulus required
for todays learners. Students were required to think critically and provide textual
evidence for their responses, a major foundation Common Core. Both teachers agreed
that there is much to gain and would definitely use this form of technology in the future.

References
Galliton, A. (2014). Strategies to create lifelong readers. Knowledge Quest, 42(5), 62-63.
Huang, C. (2010). Application of engagement theory in the literary education. Journal
of Language Teaching and Research, 1(4), 460-463.
Pearce, N., & Learmonth, S. (2013). Learning beyond the classroom: Evaluating the use
of Pinterest in learning and teaching in an introductory anthropology class.
Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1-10.
Stannard, R. (2014). Web watcher. English teaching professional, 92, 1-2
Tan, E, & Pearce, N. (2013). Informal learning on YouTube: Exploring digital literacy in
independent online learning. Learning Media and Technology, 38, 1-15.