Thing #1

I am a firm believer in lifelong learning. One should strive to always learn, you will never be too old or too educated that you can not learn. Although it has kept me up way too late at night, I love that I am relearning mathematical methods for solving math problems. It could be something as simple as helping my son with his homework or learning how to do home improvement projects, it does not bother me that I will toss and turn till I get it figured out and have solved the dilemma before me. An idle mind is a waste. My easiest habit of the 7 1/2 would be #2 accept responsibility for your own learning. It is easy to make excuses and stare at a TV, but the reward of discovering new things by far out ways the time you “veged“ out. I do not like the “I can't” type of attitude. I understand that everyone has his or her own obstacles, but there is no reason to ever discount your self by saying “I can’t”. Say you can and do the best that you can. Habit 6 will be my hardest, I have no problem using a computer to do research or write a paper, but other then that it is not the first tool I consider. I tend to shy away for technology, but I am fully aware as a lifelong learner I need to become comfortable with technology. I am excited to be a lifelong learner and hope to be an example for the students I will teach and that they too will gain the desire to be a lifelong learner from me.

I would like to be comfortable with using web 2.0 tools. At this point in time I prefer to avoid working with the web 2.0 tools. For me just to learn the basics of what web 2.0 has to offer and be familiar with the tools and have a comfort level where it does not cause me to procrastinate. I would like to be efficient enough to preform beneficial task successfully. If I have to pick one tool it would be bloging. I have been enjoying the blogging and following others blog.

It was not hard to set up the blog. Learning to navigate around blogspot is rather easy. I did have some trouble with the layout, but I was able to complete a blog that I feel is personalized and is pleasing to me.

Thing #4

You can think of a blog as a phone call. You would not just call someone up and expect to only sit and listen and never add to the conversation. Blogs are intended to be interactive exchanges. If people did not comment on blogs there would never be an interactive exchange. The difference between a phone call is, they are limited to our inner circles of people we know. Whereas, blogs connect you to people you have never met, they could be across the country or across the world. By commenting you are giving others another point of view. Blogs allow us the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds through the commenting interaction of blogging.

I found it interesting when I read it is important to set up the complete profile. This is not something I like to do, but by not doing so people would not know anything about me. It is important to know something about a person you are communicating with to establish some type of relationship. I also believe it is important to follow blogging etiquette with your comments. Before you post you should stop and reevaluate what you are adding. Are you making concise points or are you just rambling to be heard. You also want the post you are commenting on to be something you truly have an opinion about. You want to be able to add to the conversation by showing it in a different light. Comments are a direct reflection of you and who you are to other bloggers. As I have read in others blogs do not comment just to be posting onto others blogs.

The blogs I have chosen to follow are Amy Monson - 23 Things, Andrea's 23 Things, Brown 3040, Education Class, and Melissa O's 23 Things for the education blogs; and Army Blogger Wife, and Erika and Brittany Status for the two of interest. The reason I chose the education blogs that I did was; one of them is my neighbor in class and am interested in reading and learning more about her, the other ones from what I could tell from their blogs they are much like me, a non-traditional student with children. As far as my two blogs of interest I chose Army Blogger Wife due to the fact I am a army wife and they too are at twenty years, but have chosen to retire, so I am interested to read of their transitions that they are embarking on. The Erika and Brittany Status is a blog of health updates on two young girls in Alaska who were involved in an accident. My husband in I lived in Fairbanks from 2001 to 2004 and we went to church with them and their families. I heard of the accident when it happened and they have been in my prayers and heart everyday.

I made comments on Army Blogger Wife, Amy Monson - 23 Things, Andrea's 23 Things, Brown 3040, Education Class. The reason I posted on these was because I felt that I could relate to what they had posted. Army Blogger Wife has to approve my comment first, but I commented how I have enjoyed reading about their transition in to civilian life from the military. This past August Tim (my husband) could have retired, and in some ways I wish he would have. On Amy Monson I posted about School 2.0 and that it has endless possibilities. Andrea's (well she is my niece) and I never had an idea that she was a blogger all along, plus I really like the design of her blog. Education Class I posted about the google tools and how 23 things has made me a fan of google.

Thing #3

Blogs can be used during the teacher education program for peer groups to correspond with one another. We can use our blogs to share our experience and seek guidance when we need a little help. In the classroom a blog could be used to communicate with the parents about homework or up coming events. You can also link helpful study sites to your blog for the parents to use when working with the student at home. In either setting, classroom or during the education program you can share your thoughts and gain incite from viewing others blogs.

Thing #2

I prefer not to use my real first or last name for public viewing on the internet, so I took a combination of my last and first name. I like the way it sounds with the letter t at the end, it gives a strong pronounced sound. Creating the blog was not hard. The only problem I had is my own comfort level. I would consider myself a private person, and I am reluctant to doing a blog. It does not bother me for my thoughts or opinions to be viewed by friends or people I know, but I have always been reluctant to the idea of it being available so publicly. With the internet I think what you post is out there for everyone and anyone to see, and it will always be there.
I created my avatar to favor my idea of me. I consider myself conservative and a modest dresser. That could have something to do with my age, but I can recall back to when I was much younger and I was a modest dresser then too. However, with the avatar I do not feel the hair or eyes favor mine as much as I would have liked. That would be one complaint I would have, is that there was not many options to truly make it as personal as I would have liked.