Using Pinterest to Take School Notes

Using Pinterest to Take School Notes

by Silvia K. Spiva

After being away from an official learning environment for over a decade, I’ve gone back to school!  Depending on whose classification you use, I’m either part of Generation X or Generation Y.  Either way, I’m taking notes like the cool kids.

I graduated from San José State University (SJSU) in 2002 with a degree in marketing.  After managing digital content for over a decade, I’ve returned to my alma mater to earn my master’s degree in library and information science (MLIS).

Guess what?  Black and white textbooks still put me to sleep.  Fortunately, SJSU’s School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) offers most lessons and learning resources using a variety of digital distribution channels, including:

• Desire2Learn (D2L)
• Blackboard Collaborate
• WordPress

Not only has my school evolved in the past decade, but so have I as a student.  I’ve been in the fast-paced corporate world of high-tech, where I’ve learned to abandon what doesn’t work in order to find something that does.

When I attend face-to-face meetings, I take notes using a pen and paper.  In a traditional classroom, I would probably do the same.  I still think it’s more polite to look the speaker in the eye while you discreetly write something down, rather than keeping your eyes on a screen whether or not you are listening.  However, since my grad school program is 100% online, I am taking notes digitally.  My favorite notetaking tool so far is Pinterest. I’ve built a Pinterest board for my SJSU SLIS studies.

As you can see, I am adding photos, quotes, and links there.  I tend to focus on lessons on which I may be tested, but I also keep it fun with other library school images.  Pinterest is public, so my notes are there for all to see.

What do you think of this note taking method?  How can Pinterest help you succeed in your next project?

A multilingual marketer, Silvia Spiva has built global collaboration teams at Sybase, Apple, and Cisco.  She is a science technology engineering arts and math (STEAM) mentor.  She is also an eager student at San Jose State University’s School of Library & Information Science, where she is imagining the future of digital libraries. Learn more about her at LinkedIn or Twitter.