Blogging and the key competencies

Managing self | Relating to others | Participating and contributing | Thinking | Using language, symbols, and texts

Managing self

• Establishing personal goals
• Planning work
• Setting high standards
• Acting appropriately in a range of settings
• Becoming aware of own actions and the effect of words on others
• Setting high self-expectations
• Developing a range of strategies to become a successful learner
• Making well-informed choices

This could be supported by:

• using blogs as a form of e-portfolio with goal setting
• cataloging ideas and resources within a blog by using tags
• subscribing to blogs through RSS feeds
• using a blog to work through a problem or research question
• establishing blog 'etiquette' - understanding that what is said in a digital environment affects real people.

Relating to others

• Interacting with a diverse group of people
• Interacting in a variety of contexts
• Being an active listener
• Recognising different viewpoints
• Negotiating and sharing ideas
• Being more open to new learning
• Cooperating in team situations

This could be supported by:

• forging connections between home and school through publishing and dialogue on a blog
• being aware of different audiences for different types of blogs, and how to behave appropriately in each
• gaining understanding of the power of the network when blogging and finding like-minded people and non-like minded people
• using blogs as sounding boards - leveraging the wisdom of the group and leveraging the wisdom of the individual
• learning how to give constructive feedback through comments.

Participating and contributing

• Being aware of local/national/global communities
• Understanding the purpose of these communities
• Responding appropriately in a group situation
• Making connections with others
• Taking on a range of roles
• Displaying an awareness of local, national, and global issues
• Being actively involved in community issues
• Understanding the importance of balancing rights, roles, and responsibilities
• Making decisions
• Contributing to social, physical, and economic environments

This could be supported by:

• becoming 'part of the conversation' - reading and commenting on other blogs; finding out how to connect with interesting blogs
• understanding the benefits of 'getting your ideas out there' - how this enriches your own teaching/learning
• the power of creating content and getting feedback on this from a global audience
• collaborating with blogging projects between students/classes.

Thinking

• Being intellectually curious
• Taking risks with learning
• Actively seeking new knowledge
• Using critical/creative/metacognitive thinking strategies
• Making decisions
• Reflecting on own thinking/asking questions
• Challenging perceptions and assumptions

This could be supported by:

• reflecting on the teaching and learning within the classroom or learning environment
• challenging ideas and refining own thoughts around education in the process
• effectively summarising the key lessons learned and saying how this impacts on their own learning (learning logs)
• beginning to understand multiple perspectives and the importance of individual voice.

Using language, symbols, and texts

• Interpreting and using words, numbers, images, movement, metaphor, and technologies in a range of contexts
• Understanding how people respond to communication
• Using ICT confidently
• Exploring a range of literacies to communicate within a blog, for example, multimedia.

This could be supported by:

• using hyperlinks to add extra layers and depth to a blog
• learning how to write a post that communicates the message clearly and appropriately
• looking at other ways to communicate a message other than text.

Digital citizenship at home: Key competencies in a digital age