Curating Web Materials Using Pocket, Pinterest and Educlipper

Have you ever gotten lost in the "internet jungle"? You know. When someone sends you a resource that looks interesting. You open it. Then you see another link that might be promising. You click on that one. And another. And another. And pretty soon, you can't remember what that first resource was or how to find it again.

Very frustrating, to say the least. And if you are frustrated, you can imagine that your students have an even harder time keeping track of all the great information out there. Especially when they forget that they will need to find it again and (horrors!) have to cite it.

But fear not. Tools do exist to help. Two of my particular favorites (because they are free and easy) are Pinterest and Pocket.
Here's the nutshell for both:

• Both are web-based with great apps,, so you can use them on your computer or your iPad.
• Both allow you to save resources for later reference--along with the original information so you know where they came from.
• Both allow you to organize your resources for easy searching later.

NOTE: Pocket is available to students and faculty, but Pinterest will only work for faculty. A great alternative for student use is EduClipper. 

Here's a brief summary of each tool and the information you need to start using them. Pick the one that best fits your methods and comfort level.

An example of the list view for Pocket. Pocket also allows for tile view, which looks more like the Pinterest board below.

Pocket: 
Pocket is a simple web curation tool with no frills. Once you create an account, it adds an email address to your contact book ([email protected]). When you find a web resource you like, you email it (using the share button on your browser) to that address and Pocket will automatically save the resource to your list. You can organize your Pocket list with tags if you like (which makes it searchable) and you can share your Pocket list with others if you want.

Pinterest:
Pinterest is essentially an online bulletin board that you can "pin" resources to. When you find a resource, you copy the URL link, open Pinterest, and "pin" the link to your board. You can create as many boards as you like to help organize your resources, and you can make those boards secret or public.

Unlike Pocket, Pinterest incorporates a social media aspect. So you can follow other people or other boards and be followed in return. You can search other boards and pin the resources you find to your own. This function actually turns out to be an excellent resource in and of itself--I have found hundreds of wonderful ideas and materials simply by searching through Pinterest. Check out my Pinterest board as an example.

Check out also another educator's thoughts: Kasey Bell's Pinterest for Educators. 

My Pinterest board. You can see it live by clicking on the picture.

A visual of Educlipper. You can link to the live site by clicking on the picture. You will also have an app available to you on the iPad.

Educlipper
Like Pinterest, Educlipper allows the user to clip and pin links to web resources onto user-created boards. But Educlipper also allows the user to add collaborators to a board, and to upload documents from a computer, Dropbox, or Google Drive. As a result, this tool can be extremely effective for students who are working on group projects, or who need to share resources.