Thing #3

Blogging as an educational tool would be extremely beneficial.  I like the idea of using it as a tool to communicate teaching ideas and strategies to other teachers.  I think it would come in handy to be able to see what works for other teachers as well as to gain creative ideas that I could employ in my classroom.  I also think using a blog in order to communicate with parents would be amazingly helpful.  It would benefit myself and the parents of my students to be able to use a blog to post homework assignments and answer any questions the parents might have.  Having a blog as an educational tool would also be beneficial because I could post examples of the work that have been done in the past so that my students would have a concrete example of what is expected of them right at their fingertips, any time they need it. 

Thing #2

Setting up this blog took a little bit of time.  I wouldn't say I had a difficult time doing it but I also wouldn't say it was easy.  I think the problems I had were more along the lines of trying to rush through everything and do a quick setup in the time alotted to us in the classroom.  Once I got home and had more time to sit and play around with the program, it was actually kind of fun.  I enjoyed getting to create a page that fits me.  For the name of my blog, I just chose my first name.  Nothing too personal, just simple.  I wasn't sure of what to title it, as this is the first time I've ever done anything like this.  I honestly think the title is a little boring and will probably change it if I ever come up with something more creative.  For the address of the blog, I chose predsfan22 because (if it wasn't obvious) I am a huge Nashville Predators fan and my favorite player is Jordin Tootoo.  It has absolutely nothing to do with education, mainly because in the rush of trying to set this up and get it registered during class my brain just didn't think that far ahead.  I wanted something that pertains to me but not something personal and usually when I'm in a rush and trying to think of something in that category, the Preds are the first thing to pop in my head.  As far as the avatar of the blog...it looks nothing like me.  The only similarities are the brown hair and eyes.  I think the overall experience of setting up the blog was a good one.  Like I said, once I got the time to play around with it, it became more fun.  I am also beginning to enjoy the whole blogging experience, something I never thought would happen!

Thing #1

When going through the presentation for Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, the phrase "I will..., I can..., I do..." caught my eye.  In order to do anything in life you have to have that attitude.  You have to commit to doing something, believe that you can do it, and then just go on and do it. 

 I believe that out of the seven habits, number three: "View Problems as Challenges", is the hardest for me.  No matter how motivated I am to complete something, if I hit a wall and run into problems that are not solved rather quickly, I tend to think about the idea of quitting.  If I stick it out and complete whatever it is I am doing, I am always glad in the end but it's getting to that point that can be a problem.  I am someone who likes to map out a plan beforehand and I try to stick to that plan as meticulously as possible.  If things do not go how I imagined they would, I tend to get frusterated and that's when I can run into trouble.  I have to learn to just stick it out and push through to the end. 

The habit that comes easiest for me is number two: "Accept Responsibility for Your Own Learning".  No one can do my work for me and no one can force me to do the work.  If I want to succeed I have to be the one to do it.  Accepting responsibility for that comes easily to me because I know that whether I succeed or fail, that falls on me and no one else.  It is my job to do it and even though I may not feel like it at the time, or maybe it is not what I would consider "fun", I have to buckle down and do the work.  The rewards of completing what I have started will far outweigh everything else.