Thing 1

Hello!

Welcome to my first official blog post.  Below are the 7 1/2 habits of being a lifelong learner.

Begin with the end in mind.
Accept responsibility for your own learning.
View problems as challenges.
Have confidence in yourself as a lifelong learner.
Create your own learning toolbox.
Use technology to your advantage.
Teach and mentor others.
Know the value of play.

The most challenging habit for me will be "Viewing Problems as Challenges."  Often times we can be very busy and see all NEW work as a problem because it is distracting your from other work you need to do, however it would be best if we could see these "negatives" as "positives" and work through them and come out stronger than ever.

Another challenge I think I encounter is "Begin With The End In Mind."  This habit requires thorough organization which I admit isn't one of my strong suits.  The problem I have is that I have the end in mind, it's just all the parts in the middle that sometimes get lost.

I've acquired a lot of these habits, which makes me feel like a lifelong learner, which makes me happy.  One that I do a lot is "Teach and Mentor Others" and "Know the Value of Play," in my field of work I am constantly showing others new technologies and showing them how to use them in fun ways, which is like play.  I am confident in myself as a lifelong learner as I am always learning new technology and new ways to teach it.

As I work through this course, I need to focus on "Beginning with the End in Mind." Taking a fully online course on a beautiful summer day can be distracting, without goal setting and time management I will struggle with this course.  However, I am confident in myself as a lifelong learner and know that I will overcome all distractions.

Thanks for reading!

John D.