Could Pinterest be effective in the classroom?

Now, because I missed what I can only assume were wonderful discussions in class last week, I'm going to just wing it a little bit.

Honestly, it wasn't until recently that I began using social bookmarking tools, being Pinterest in my case. In the beginning, I saw sites like this to be useless and time consuming. I've seen people spend loads of time perusing these sites, and I have finally fallen victim to such things. Not only are there are variety of topics that you can observe, but posts on such sites can be informative and down-right helpful. I can't even begin to list all of the great ideas and DIY projects that I've picked up on. Now incorporating this type of thing in to the classroom could be a great way to get students interested and to make them want to participate continuously in the classroom! Idea boards could serve as a place for individuals and/or groups to collectively brainstorm on a topic. Not only is it a place to build ideas, but it could also serve as a place to get students to discuss and gradually build upon a topic. It would take many students some time to get used to, because it is an ongoing "project", but on the other hand, it could also serve as a layed-back method to keep them interested. With any new technology in the classroom, it would take time to have social bookmarking take off, but in the long run, I feel that it could be very successful in helping students learn.