Thing # 1

     The lifelong learning habits were an eye opener for me in determining what my easiest habits are and what my hardest habits are.  I'll begin with my easiest lifelong habits.  The first easy habit was beginning with an end in mind.  I found this easy because as a student, I am constantly thinking of finishing my goals and thinking of how the outcome will be.  My next easy habit is the ability to accept responsibility for my own learning.  No matter what I do in life, I have to accept the responsibility of what I do.  In my academic life, if I fail a test, I know that it is my fault because I could have studied more or asked for clarification in areas I didn't understand.  Having confidence in yourself as a competent and effective learner is mostly easy but can be hard.  For example, making an A on a test boosts your self esteem in their studies whereas a bad grade can make you feel horrible.  The important thing to remember and practice is to always be confident, especially as a teacher, because the confidence that you emit will no doubt have a positive impact on your students.  Creating your own learning toolbox was an interesting habit but one that is no doubt easy and efficient to use.  I essentially see it as the Web 2.0 tools, which everyone can benefit from by using blogs and brainstorming together for a common cause.  I hope to master the basic skills that Web 2.0 has to offer in the forms of blogging and sharing articles.  Teaching and mentoring others is a great habit to always have.  Learning and obtaining knowledge is one of the greatest gifts to give and receive.  As a future teacher, it will be my job to ensure the success of my students by how much they learn from me and even how much I learn from them.  Lastly, the easiest habit is to play, and who doesn't love that!?
     I found that my hardest habits were with viewing problems as challenges and using technology to my advantage.  To begin with the first part, I can't help but think of my fear of solving math problems when I see the words "problems" and "challenges" in the same sentence.  I suppose when this comes to me in a classroom setting I will have no other option but to confront it, instead of walking away.  So to that I say challenged accepted.  My most embarrassing and also my hardest habit is in general the use of technology.  I have no problem admitting that I am not good at anything technological and quite frankly it makes me nervous.  However, through my time in this Education course I plan to conquer my fear and use technology for my advantage. 
      Essentially the thought of setting up a blog scared me to death.  I thought it would be difficult and I would not understand it to the point of being embarrassed to ask the teacher.  However, I was wrong and found the process to be relatively easy and actually enjoyable.  As I write this blog and do my assignments, my confidence is increasing because I'm able to do this and not be embarrassed about it.  I look forward to learning new and innovative ways to keep learning fun!