Designing e-tivities to increase learning-to-learn abilities

Summary In this paper we present a detailed set of e-tivities framed in a learning design context. The etivities use Internet tools for teaching Personal Knowledge Management skills (PKM) to adult learners. PKM practices and the related required skills are strictly related to learning-to-learn competencies, which have been identified as key to grow an adequate attitude to lifelong learning. Internet technologies, on the other hand, are seen as having an undisclosed potential to let people more easily and effectively jump into the “lifelong learning-to-learn” experience. The learning to learn competence makes people aware of how and why they acquire, process and memorise different types of knowledge. The results here introduced are rooted in the development of a theory related to Personal Knowledge Management skills presented in previous works, in which such competences are divided into two main groups: Basic and Higher Order PKM skills. The e-tivities introduced in this paper can provide an initial reference framework, both for the definition of the learning objects (through the specification of the Basic and Higher Order Personal Knowledge Management Skills) as well as for the macro design of the Skills Development Modules in which the PKM skills should be taught.