Thing #2: Create a Blog, Add a Post and an Avatar

Creating my blog was much easier than I had anticipated, because I already had a Google email account. I think most of my nervousness prior to setting it up came from the fact that I had no prior experience with blogging. I wrote in a journal for class in high school, but that was pen and paper in a classroom where I could talk to my teacher if I didn't have any idea what to write about. As it turns out blogger and Mrs. Wall's instructions made setup rather easy. My posting name for my blog was chosen simply because that is my name and that made it easily identifiable as mine for teachers and classmates. My avatar, however, is a whole different story. I struggled to find things that I liked and ended up settling for something that looked like a rather skewed version of myself on a work day. Putting this in perspective, that is how I look most days, as I work 6 days a week.

Thing #1: Lifelong Learners

Prior to viewing the slideshow which discusses the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners I sat down and contemplated what habits I could identify in my own life already. I identified habits such as spending too much time stressing over details, not allowing myself to enjoy life on a frequent basis, and using my iPad for absolutely everything. Little did I know that some of these habits would perfectly align with the 7 1/2 Habits, while others would perfectly contradict them. Below you will see the two that do exactly that.

Habit #6 is by far one of the easiest for me. My first Christmas after college began I was given an iPad, and since the day I received it I can think of very few days I didn't catch myself looking for ways to use my iPad to improve my daily life, especially during the times I was taking classes. From iBooks to CourseSmart eTextbooks to the myHomework app they have helped me to organize and keep track of all my school assignments and the majority of my documents that I use for school. During my EDUC 2100 class I learned how many features my gmail account offers to assist me with school as well.

As strange as this will sound Habit #7 1/2 is the hardest for me. I have two jobs in order to support myself while being enrolled in school full time. Between working 6 days a week and attending school 2 days a week I have difficulty setting aside time for play. I allow myself to become so enveloped by my daily workloads between the three that other than taking my dog for walks and caring for her I don't leave myself much time for play. This often leads me to a stressful semester that I don't enjoy. I hope that keeping the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners in mind will help me solve this problem that I create for myself.