Recently, I asked on Facebook if our Education World fans are using Pinterest and we heard a big, loud YES from many folks! But not everyone was into it yet. Some said they weren't using it and others weren't sure what to do with it so I wanted to help.

Want to try Pinterest? Here's how to get started.

Signing Up

To sign up for Pinterest, you need an invitation. You can request one from the Pinterest site (though many people reported that it took a long time for the invitation to arrive) or ask friends for an invite. The second is faster and easier.

When signing up, you will be required to create a login using either Facebook or Twitter. Theresa McGee, an avid Pinterest user and teacher, suggests that Twitter is the way to go. "Since many schools block Facebook it would be best to sign in through Twitter (assuming it isn't blocked too).  By signing in through a network that isn't blocked at school, Pinterest will be accessible from school," says McGee, who blogs at The Teaching Palatte.

Getting Started

Next, you need to create boards to pin onto. Pinterest suggests several ones but you can add and delete to make your Pinterest all about your needs and wants. We suggest starting with a few basic boards and reassessing after a few days of use whether you need to be more specific or not. For instance, you might want to categorize by subject, class or project, depending on what you are pinning.

Pinning 101

1. Get the Button: To pin on Pinterest, you need the "Pin It" button on your web browser's toolbar. It's so simple to get it. Go to the "About" pulldown menu in the top navigation bar and select "Pin It Button" and then just follow the direction (in a nutshell: drag it to your navigation bar and drop it there).

2. Get Pinning: Whenever you see something you want to save for future reference, such as an image, blog post, video or article, click the "Pin It" button in your tool bar and then select the image to pin. You should also include a brief description of what you are pinning so you know why it's there.

3. Follow and Repin: You'll also want to follow folks who have similar interests. When you do this, you get to see what they are pinning and have the opportunity to repin it (basically add it one of your pin boards). It's a great way to get ideas from others that you might not have been clued into otherwise.

Now, what do you do with Pinterest? Check out Education World next week for hints, tips and tricks on making Pinterest work for you.