I gave in and signed up for Pinterest last week, mostly to feed my love of vintage fashion. In fact, did you know that last Monday (October 1, 2012) was the eighty-sixth birthday of the Little Black Dress (on display in 1950s Paris, below right)? You can learn more about the the story behind the LBD in TFCB’s The Little Black Dress and Zoot Suits (a CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book, cover below left) by Alison Behnke. Thank you, Coco Chanel, for this wardrobe  mainstay!

All this by way of lead-in to the fact that, in May of this year, online social learning company Grockit launched an online bulletin board for educators called Learnist. And, this summer, the company rolled out apps for the iPhone and iPad.  Learnist boards range from Education, Science, and Politics to Technology, Health and Fitness, Music, and much more. According to Mind/Shift, teachers and students are using Learnist as a way to share lesson plans and how-to projects, notes for test prep and report writing, ideas for group projects, and information related to professional development.

It’ll be fun to see how the Learnist community develops over time. In the meanwhile, check out edudemic’s list of 10 Ways to Use Learnist in the Classroom. And let us know if you come up with more ideas of your own!

Be sure to check in for more from TFCB in two weeks.