Effective Blogging

The Manaiakalani Programme on which the Toki Pounamu Programme is based, was established in 2007 with these specified goals:

• develop the personal voice of each child
• develop an authentic audience
• deliver 21st century education to 21st century learners
• raise student achievement outcomes
• have participants who are confident, connected, actively involved life-long learners
• develop the employable skill level of its student population

These goals have led to the purposeful cluster inquiry into and development of effective blogging practices and systems from 2008.

Purpose of Blogging

Blogging has become an important way in which our young people share their learning with the world. Blogging empowers our learners to establish an authentic audience for their learning outcomes and personifies our cluster goals (see image below) and learn, create, share pedagogy. Over successive years an impressive portfolio of learning develops.

Blogging is also a key component of our Cybersmart Curriculum.

Toki Pounamu Blog Protocols are based on the Manaiakalani Blog Protocols

Toki Pounamu and Manaiakalani have protocols for digital learning not only to meet our duty of care to parents, whānau and Boards of Trustees but also to empower our young people as cybersmart learners.

• Class and individual learners’ blogs are created within your school's domain using a blogger administration account.
• Teachers will receive an email inviting them to their class blog and their learners’ individual blogs.
• Once the invitation is accepted teachers will be upgraded from an author to an administrator of these blogs.
• Learners will be emailed an invitation to their blog, either by their teacher or the blog creator. Accepting the invitation includes creating a blogger profile.
• Once learners have accepted the invitation learners will remain as authors of their blog.
• Blog invitations generally expire within 24 hours of sending.
• If you have any questions about the creation and administration of your blogs please contact your school’s blog admin person (lead teacher) or facilitator.