Thing #1

I'm very excited to start my 23 Things blog, and I know I'll learn so much in this endeavor. I have just viewed the 7 1/2 Habits for Lifelong Learners slideshow, and it inspired me to evaluate my learning habits.

Out of the 7 1/2 habits for lifelong learners, the easiest lifelong learning habit for me is habit 2, accepting responsibility for my own learning. I have encountered many great and inspirational teachers in my life, but I've realized that without taking responsibility for my learning, those teachers could not have taught me anything. Learning begins when I open my own mind, and no one can do this for me. Instead of relying on others to teach me, I must rely on myself to learn.

The most difficult lifelong learning habit is number 1, beginning with the end in mind. I tend to take steps one at a time, focusing on the task at hand and not necessarily looking into the future. For example, when I started college, I did not have a four year plan. I didn't know what I wanted to study, so I began taking my core classes and focusing on one semester at a time. I eventually decided to go into art education, and I love every minute of it. Not beginning with an end in mind hasn't exactly caused me to fail in learning, but I know I can be more organized if I can set goals from the beginning and stick with them until the end. If I had decided on a major at the beginning of my college career, I could have started on my art education classes much sooner instead of cramming them into my final years!

As I begin my 23 Things blog, I would like to set some goals. I want to become more organized with my learning and I want to better acquaint myself with technology to help me achieve this.