Curating Content with Pinterest by Lisa Shepherd

Overview. The collection of resources shown below as “The Science Project” is designed

to function as a start-up kit for my high school biology class this fall. In my past three years of

teaching, I always try to keep things fresh and new (I rarely save old notes) and this is a great

method to keep the links I normally incorporate into my teaching as well as try new resources.

Though the bulk of the resources are for classic, necessary class activities directly related to

course content, there are other resources included that are needed throughout the school year.

The links to pedagogical sites such as “project-based learning” helps to guide my teaching skills.

There are a few choices for classroom set up, such as “Classroom Rules” and “Awesome Apps

for Classroom Management.” One of the most useful parts of this collection is the links to

current science news sites, because this is a daily activity that links the real world to our core

content.

Further Use. This tool provides the easiest method for providing a simple page full of

key resources for my students. “The Science Project” is really a collection of my resources for

direct use in class but I can transfer several items in this collection to a new page. With a few

additions, the new page could be the go-to place for students to start research regarding any topic

in biology. This is not only an effective method for incorporation of this tool into teaching, but a

critical one. It is very clear that students do not know how to find useful information and

regardless of the pleas of teachers, still rely on Wikipedia. Several legitimate sources on one

page is a great start and students can then build on this collection or start one of their own.

Meaningful Communication. I anticipate that the most meaningful communication will

occur when students are required to work collaboratively to create a collection. When they think

critically about why or how a link should be added and question others’ additions, this will allow

them to practice respectful discourse. It will also allow productive communication toward a

higher quality product. Another benefit of curating information is to build a solid knowledge

base. Better content knowledge will facilitate more meaningful discussion and help students

gain independence and content fluency.

“Unplugged” Communication. There is consensus that screen time for students leads to

more irritability, fewer social skills, and less meaningful communication. Therefore, even with

the initiatives in education to incorporate technological tools, the task to thoroughly engage

learners is still present. The news pieces I use in my class are designed specifically for drawing

discussion (speaking and listening skills). Some of the resources in my collection target higher

level reading and writing skills using actual books, graphic organizers, and prompts for writing

without utilizing technology. With science in particular, art (sculpting or drawing) has been a

key method for understanding concepts such as photosynthesis, parts of a flower, or flow through

the digestive system. I am particularly interested in encouraging speaking for my students in the

form of discussion, daily review, and verbal quizzes. When introducing new information, I ask

students to explain a concept to gauge prior knowledge and they often state, “I know what that is,

I just can’t explain it.” Our activities in class are then geared toward students’ abilities to answer

questions verbally without hesitation or teach other students.

Summary. Pinterest is an example of an excellent tool to help students gain content

knowledge and communication skills. If students master this tool in my class, it can easily

translate to other classes or their own career interests. To use this tool most effectively, we as

teachers must balance its use with face to face, meaningful communication and mastery of

content skills.

References

Fuglei, M. (2015, February 22). Essential skills for the 21st century: Teaching students how to curate content. Retrieved from http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/news/teaching-content-curation-skills/

White, N. (2012, July 7). Understanding content curation [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://d20innovation.d20blogs.org/2012/07/07/understanding-content-curation/