Pinterest 101 Class

Whether I'm looking for program ideas, dinner inspiration, or pinning for one of my libraries, I spend a good chunk of my day on Pinterest. I use it so often for work, and am so happy with the resource, that I began teaching Pinterest 101 classes for adults. I gathered a few notes for anyone interested in doing something similar. Hopefully this is helpful to someone!

Before teaching the first class, I spent a lot of time on a Powerpoint, with tons of screenshots and examples. I loosely based part of the intro on the actual Pinterest 101 introduction from their website. I took special care to give detailed instructions for setting up accounts, finding friends, etc.

By the time the actual class rolled around, Pinterest had undergone two site overhauls, rendering my slideshow obsolete. I began the class by asking each person what they wanted to get out of the class. It turned out that some people already had accounts, some didn't even have an email address, and some knew the basics but wanted to get rid of their sister-in-law's 'weird' pins that kept popping up in their feed. So how do you lead a class with that range of interest and comfort with computers?

I started by going through an abbreviated intro and answering a couple 'advanced' questions--like how to unfollow someone, and how to search for something specific versus browsing a subject. Once those students had something to work with, they began exploring the site while I brought another group up to speed. The students without email addresses weren't interested in setting up accounts yet--I directed them to our Internet Basics class. I was able to put Pinterest in context, though, and explain how they can use it with their children or friends--how someone could help find an old recipe or gardening tip.

The class was a success (in my opinion!). Everyone got their questions answered. Participants were able to chat and share ideas and tips. I am a big fan of casual classroom settings like this--students can help each other and I can float around the room.

The second time I hosted the class, I barely used my lesson plan. It was a smaller group and I was able to chat with the class and answer their questions as they came. I recommend having an outline to fall back on, because you never know what your crowd will be like. But I prefer the workshop method over the lecture method.

I plan to teach this class again. For anyone planning a presentation of their own, LOBSTER is the font that looks like Pinterest! You can also email me at maggiemwiggins@gmail.com for the lesson plan!