Final Project Wrap Up

Well, my project using Pinterest was completed last week Friday, and I received feedback from my participants over the weekend!

Overall, using Pinterest to collaborate on ideas between teachers was highly successful, and FUN! Each of the teachers/participants that I used for this project confirmed that Pinterest could be a great way to expand on lessons, ideas, games, etc.

In my results feedback, I found that all 4 of the teachers pinned the minimum 20 things to their boards with ease! In fact, each of the teachers went over the 20 minimum, and heard from a few of them describing the site as addicting, and will absolutely be spending more time on Pinterest.

The important week was the 2nd week, where each of them would select an activity to implement into their classrooms. After looking through feedback from my participants, they were mostly successful at this implementation.

I had 3 of 4 teachers extremely pleased with the end success of the activities, telling me that at least 4 out the 5 new ideas used in their classrooms were done successfully. The fourth teacher explained that limited resources caused trouble for her. With a short time frame, she struggled to sufficiently supply the resources throughout the week, and told me that 2 out of her 5 ideas were implemented to the level she wanted.

This was an issue that did not really cross my mind until I saw the feedback. With such a short time frame involved in this project, having sufficient resources may have hindered a successful project. Others did also admit to having to alter ideas to be able to use what they had in the classrooms.

In the end, I found my project to be a success. However, there were some struggles throughout the week. Each of the teachers found using Pinterest an exciting way to add ideas to lessons in their career, and found Pinterest as a whole a very useful technology.

As mentioned, limited resources was the lone struggle a few of them discovered. If this project was given to them over the summer, it would allow them time to come up with those resources they fell short on.

I believe that Pinterest is a great way for teachers to collaborate on new ideas. It is always fun to install fresh new ideas into the brains of those molding our youth!

Thanks, Aaron.

Week 3 Update

I have now gotten all 4 of my participants to agree to this project. They have a basic understanding of what will take place, but I will spend the next couple of days explaining it more in detail.

I am excited to see how this projects plays a role in their classroom, and to see if it is successful with their students. The lesson plan is coming along that will help to  show them how to use Pinterest and how to pin ideas and lesson plans. The actual process will begin soon! I am ready!

-Thanks, Aaron.

Week 2 Update

Well, so far so good. I have gotten into contact with 4 teachers that I know personally and three of them have agreed to participate so far. The fourth one is interested but hasn't responded to my last message yet.

I have begun to create the learning activity using a Web 2.0 technology. I am not too far into yet, but that idea train has taken motion.

I am kind of excited to see if my project is successful with the teachers. I know Pinterest could be a very useful tool for them to find new and exciting lessons, ideas, games, etc. Final project underway!

Thanks, Aaron.

IDT 516 Final - Proposal

For this project, I am going to use Pinterest to help teachers collaborate on lessons, projects, ideas, games, and teaching methods in their classrooms. I have multiple friends that are grade school teachers, and it would be very interesting and exciting for them to be able to share all their ideas on teaching methods in one specific place. I will choose four of those friends, and ask them to participate in this project. I will have each participant sign up for Pinterest if they have not already, and then create a board titled "For the Classroom". They will pin at least 20 new things (exciting lessons, ideas, projects, games, etc.) to their board throughout the course of one week. During the second week, each teacher will choose an idea they have not used before from another teacher's board, try it out in class, and comment on its effectiveness after it is done. They will choose one new idea per day from other boards to try throughout a 5-day school week, and evaluate whether or not it was useful to them.

-Thanks, Aaron.