The 7 1/2 Habits

For those of you reading from home who aren't actually part of SCLD's Learning 2.0 project (Look Ma, I made a blog!) and can't be bothered to watch the tutorial, here are the (drum roll, please):

7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners
1. Begin with the end in mind
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
5. Create your own learning toolbox
6. Use technology to your own advantage
7. Teach/mentor others
7 1/2. Play

Some of these come very easily to me--play, accepting responsibility for my own learning (I've got a library card and I know how to use it! Beware my google-fu!), viewing problems as challenges, and having confidence in myself (I WILL figure out how to paste things under the cut, oh yes indeed I will!). Others...not so much.

In particular I struggle with #1--beginning with the end in mind. While I've usually got an idea of where I want to go with something, how I'm going to get there isn't necessarily so clear. I'm not very good at setting deadlines for myself, or following through. (Hello, my name is Cindy, and I'm a procrastinator!) I tend to breezily skip from point A to point G.

I also struggle with using technology, Yep, that would be #6. Sure, I can make boolean operators roll over and beg. And I've successfully downloaded mp3 audiobooks to my mp3 player. Which I bought specifically to see if I could do it. (Hello Habit #2--I learn through doing.) But if you can't connect your laptop to our wireless network, or you're having trouble with your digital camera, or your Nintendo DS, or even your cell phone, I'm not your girl. I've limited my tech knowledge and skills to what I've got at home. That, BTW, would be 35 mm film and a dinosaur of a desktop that doesn't have a CD burner and is still running Windows 2000. Some of the things our customers do completely baffle me because they're outside my realm of experience and they're not something I can easily replicate on a staff PC or my computer at home.

Which is why I'm really excited about Learning 2.0. This is allowing me an opportunity to play (I'm good at that!) with new tech (Hey look, a toolbox!) and try out some new things. I expect to come away from this with skills that will benefit not only our customers but also me when I finally get that laptop I'm saving up for. Good times ahead people, good times.