I think the hardest habit for me to follow in the "Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners" is Habit 6- Use technology to your advantage. I was a teenager before computers became affordable in most homes and I was child 4 of 6 so getting new technology was not always a priority in my family. My parents were very fair and if they bought one of us a Discman then we all got one. I was 14 when we got our first family computer. I observed a history class last semester who used youtube videos to connect middle school students with World History. I was a little surprised because in all my thoughts of lesson plans I had not considered youtube as a resource. However, the kids loved the songs and memorized them. This simple and free resource really helped the kids learn several major parts of World History. I think the easiest habit I utilize on the "Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners" is Habit 1- Begin with the end in mind. I often examine the goal or key points of projects and then work backwards to figure out what I need to accomplish each goal. I am meticulous in my planning and I like to make sure I have ample time to complete my projects.
As we begin working as a class with Web 2.0 tools I hope to overcome my bad habit of not using technology to my advantage. I also want to become comfortable enough with the tools we are using to share them with my students allowing them to become confident and creative without costing my students or their parents absorbent amounts of money. As I completed these first few "things" I feel more confident in my ability to maneuver and create a blog , avatars, and free accounts with multiple websites. I will be honest and at first I found creating the blog and avatar a little hard since it is the first time I have ever done these tasks. I usually only use the computer at home to play games with my family, do homework, check my email and once in a blue moon check in with my family around the world with facebook. However, my family is already considering a family blog page to keep everyone connected.
I have a tough time beginning with an end in mind. I always want to jump right in and get started. I have a hard time thinking about what I want something to look like when it is finished and I am terrible at making plans to get things done. I would much rather wing it then plan. I hate making lists and goals and I dislike too much structure in my own life. I like structure in the classroom but I love things to be kind of crazy in my own life.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the personal nature of your blog. The description of your family and sense of fairness warmed my heart. I know you are a late bloomer on the Techno front. But, welcome to the battlefield. We will both be fighting side-by-side. Good Luck and see you in class! -clint
ReplyDeletePS- If you have any good texts for US or World History I can borrow, I would greatly appreciate it. :)