How to Blogging and RSS fit into the Common Core Standards?

Blogging and RSS are extremely valuable technology tools that have already begun to infiltrate classrooms across the country. As we prepare to roll out and adopt the new Common Core Standards on a national level, it is important to think about teachers and students can use tools, such as these, to meet these standards, and better prepare our students for college and careers.

Here are some highlights from the CCS that seem to lend themselves to the use of tools such as RSS and blogging:

The CCS state that students who are college and career ready will “Use technology and digital media strategically and capably.” Additionally, beginning in kindergarten and all the way up to grade 12, the Writing standards in the areas of “Production and Distribution of Writing” and “Research to Build and Present knowledge” are perfectly suited for using blogging and RSS.

For example, you can see the progression of standards under  “The Production and Distribution of Writing” section by looking at how they are articulated in grades K, 5, and 12.

Kindergarten

6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Grade 5

5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

Grade 12

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information

When looking under the section of standards entitled “Research to Build and Present Knowledge,” blogging and RSS are also clearly suited for helping students achieve these goals.  Although there are goals in this area from K-3, these goals are developmentally appropriate, so we start seeing the use of digital sources a little in grade 3, but more in grades 4 and up.  

Standards for “Research to Build and Present Knowledge”

Grade 5

7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Grade 12

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation

To me, it seems that the CCS really show a developmentally appropriate progression towards very sophisticated research skills, in which technology is essential. RSS seems like such a streamlined and efficient way to accomplish research, and it is something all high school students should know about before they can be deemed “college ready.” Additionally, students are going to need a lot of exposure to technology so they can become well versed and comfortable in this area. Students need to be able to integrate what they gather online, with what they already know, and what they find in other media and print sources. If we teach students to use technologies like blog and RSS, we are giving them the tools to know how to learn in the 21st  century.