Thing #1

Going through the 7 and 1/2 Habits activity was quite the interesting experience. I found that there were a couple that I thought I was especially good at doing, but one that really stood out to me as one I have a very hard time doing. One of the hardest habits for me is looking at problems as challenges. All to often, I opt to freak out rather than find a creative way to solve the problem / let the problem be solved. In fact, I have a very BAD habit of freaking out when facing a problem (something that will change the way things are going in a major way). That was very obvious this week when my dear fiance and I had some awful car trouble. Insurace decided they didn't want to do anything about it and I immediately freaked out because of the amount of money I knew we'd be expected to pay to repair his (dear fiance's) car. Turns out, the insurace company made a huge mistake and everything will be taken care of. I could have relaxed, but freaked out as soon as I was faced with the issue. This is, however, not the case for all problems of which I am faced. It seems that when I am faced with "problems" related to my career in education / the classroom, I am better prepared to view them as challenges. This bad habit is more of a personal life issue.
I have found that one of the better habits I have is using technology to my advantage. I have always enjoyed learning and try to learn something new every day. Since I am not able to make it to the library/a lecture on a topic every day, I turn to the internet as a learning environment. I consistently participate in mail groups and teacher boards, read news sites and personal / professional blogs, and e-mail with "pen pals" across the nation for the purpose of increasing my knowledge base. I believe this is one of the easier habits for me because I am so interested in technology and the internet. I enjoy searching for new information and reading about things I have never heard of before. Personally, this is definitely using the internet for my advantage.
One of the things that I would really like to learn when exploring the Web 2.0 tools is how to take what I am learning and apply it to my every day [classroom] life. Many of the Web 2.0 tools would be highly beneficial in the classroom, and I would like to be prepared to use them as effectively as I possibly can.
Setting up this blog was not really a difficult task. I have 2 different personal blogs that I frequently write on, so this is just another to add to my list. :) I did enjoy creating something new and learning about myself as a lifelong learner.