Travel Diaries of a Web 2.0 Newbie

Reflections on Lifelong Learning

I found it difficult to choose the one habit to comment on, as there were a couple I felt applied to me. In the end I opted for the “Create your own learning toolbox” one due to my tendency to spend an inordinate amount of time looking for new tools etc and never getting round to putting them to any effective use for learning. However, the habit about “Accepting responsibility for your own learning” also struck a chord. I have quickly realised that the very nature of this course means that this habit is going to be essential for me to have if I am to have any hope of completing 23 Things (is this really only Thing 3??!!) within the allotted time. My aim at present is to try and keep up with the things and not get behind – that would be fatal and would just lead to me submitting half-finished, poorly thought out work. I suppose this would be Habit 3: “Viewing problems as challenges”? Perhaps the advantage to this scenario would be that I could empathise more with my students!?

If it is possible to arrange, I think that my learning experience here would be rounded off nicely if I could do some sort of teaching/mentoring (Habit 7). Thinking I understand something and then finding myself halfway through explaining it to a class and suddenly wondering, “Hang on a minute…how does that actually work?” or finding myself struggling to answer a question on the subject that the class has asked  – both of these are situations that I know I can avoid if I have a chance to teach through or explain the material beforehand. It’s then that I find out what I only think I understand.

The habit I am a little wary of is Habit 6 – Use technology to your advantage. It is perhaps a little ironic that I am wary of this particular habit as, since beginning this course, I done more new things, in terms of technology, than I can remember for a long time (probably since setting up and sending my first email, or setting up and filling my iPod) – e.g. posting audio comments on the web; using Google Docs; using Whiteboard; and setting up and posting on my very own blog. But what I have found really encouraging is how easy and how free from technological glitches it has all been (wait and see now, that will have been the kiss of death!). However, the reason for my caution towards this habit lies in the phrase, “..to your advantage.” I find it very easy to “Use technology…” – I can tinker around with different resources, programs or other technological tools but mainly what I end up achieving is wasting my time, with not a great deal to show for it. However, I already feel that with the directed and guided nature of this course and the specific end-points to aim for in each Thing, my use of technology will be more advantageous.

Of course, there is also the completely different question of thinking through ways in which I can encourage my students to develop these habits. But that’s for another day.