Week #1 and 2, Things #1-4: Blogging (7 1/2 Habits)

I think that this online tutorial was a wonderful way to begin learning the 23 Things of Library 2.0. I liked the various aspects of the tutorial, including the fact that there was a slide, sound, and text, so I could "rewind" the tutorial as I needed to review different points.

I am happy to report that, much to my surprise, I seem to embody the profile of a lifelong learner! Of the 7 1/2 Habits, there were only one or two that didn't immediately remind me of an aspect of my personal life and the way that I respond to learning or new learning situations.

The easiest habit for me is Habit #2: Accept responsibility for your own learning. I love to learn and am considering going back to school to work on a second Masters degree, but I find myslef learning new things everyday if less formal settings. The various aspects of this habit, including taking training or classes, being an active participant, reading, and asking questions, seem to be second nature to me. I am baffled by the amount of "useless" and highly useful knowledge I have acquired by reading; I find that there is no more empowering or englightening activity than choosing a book and reading to discover new lands, new characters, and new information. Being an active participant and asking questions are characteristics of many of my most diligent students. Rather than sitting back and letting knowledge come to them, they take charge of their own learning by volunteering opinions, facts, and asking questions, and I am happy to say that these are my own habits, as well.

The most difficult habit for me is possibly Habit #1: Begin with an end in mind. While I understand that this is probably a logical step, as illustrated in the example of learning to speak Spanish, I don't agree that a highly specific end is always neccessary. I began this course as a way to learn new technology and new tools that would allow me to be a better school librarian and a more informed person. This is fairly general. I have not set an end such as "Learn how to create podcasts and use them in my lessons." If this is an end result of my goal, wonderful! If I learn other tools instead, wonderful! I suppose that I do begin with an end in mind, but it's usually not as specific as the tutorial would seem to want from someone with the 7 1/2 Habits.

I am looking forward to learning more in Thing #2!