Thing #1: Lifelong Learning

I have really never considered what makes a person a lifelong learner....I guess I have always been of the opinion that learning is constant and happens whether you like it or not. There is really no escaping the fact that learning happens every day. The question then becomes whether or not that learning has a future use or purpose. I still believe that fact and I guess that is why I have always tried to approach learning in a way that is consistent with Habits #1 (Begin with the End in Mind) and #2 (Accept Responsibility for Own Learning). Those two habits are probably the easiest for me and come most naturally. The habit that is the hardest for me is actually 7 1/2 which is to play. That probably sounds really crazy, but I find that it is true for me. I think because I tend to be results or task oriented, I sometimes lose sight of how enjoyable the process can be. I never really thought of myself this way until I had children and really began to see how much they learn through fun and play and just being silly! They show me everyday how important this is for people of all ages. I think this will be key for me to learn to be most effective in the classroom. This is something I will continue to work on for sure!!

One way I see that I can work on this habit during this course is by learning more about the Web 2.0 tools. I look forward to learning more about them because there seems to be so many possibilities, with even more to come! I can already see how learning to use these tools will give me many good ideas for how to help my future students learn while "playing"!!