Going Back to Week 1 - The first two Things

Well, I actually never commented on the first two things, and I certainly don't want to get through all this and find out that I can't get that little MP3 player because I messed up in my very first week or so, so here goes on Thing #1 and Thing #2. (Why do I keep thinking of Dr. Seuss whenever I refer to these various Things? Ah, the Cat in the Hat...)


When I first read about the Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0, I thought the program might be daunting, but now that I'm working on it, I'm really glad that I have this opportunity to stretch and work my way through these tasks. I think they look pretty do-able, even if I've never held a digital camera before or done a Podcast. Well, at least I've listened to Podcasts before, so I know what they are. This all kind of blends in with my lifelong learning stuff, because I have always felt that education all of one's life is essential to being alive. So this is my opportunity to learn about all of the stuff my kids already know about and to use these applications for myself. They might even make life easier for me.

This program will extend what I learned in a very good class at the University of Maryland on technology in libraries, by giving me practical, hands-on experience. In my everyday life, I have even found myself reading the "Circuits" section of the New York Times and actually understanding what is being written. For example, yesterday, I read an article about the shift of television from analog to digital - with the big change to occur on Feb. 17, 2009. So unless I get a converter or subscribe to cable, I may be in trouble, along with lots of other people in this country. But the point it, I understood what the issue was. Whoo, whoo for me.

If you'd like to read that article, here it is below:

Converters Signal a New Era for TVs

Week 2, Thing #3 - Oh those seven or so habits!

I guess of the seven and one-half habits, the hardest for me, at least on the job, here at work, is to view problems as challenges. Problems just seem to remain problems to overcome and to withstand. Challenges, on the other hand, are more of...well, a challenge, and more fun, if that's the right word, and when challenges are faced and overcome, the outcome is probably going to be better for me first. I might feel more satisfaction at the end of it all; I might feel healthier or happier or satisfied. Problems, on the other hand, are more urgent and far-reaching in their impact.
So what do I mean by all that? Well, if a worker confronts a problem, usually it needs to be addressed quickly to keep any damage from happening, to keep the expense down that a problem might cause to the work place or the system, in short, to find an expedient way to confront the problem and make it go away or at least keep it in check.
A challenge, on the other hand, calls for a more relaxed approach, one that lets a person experiment, one that is forgiving if an approach to the issue doesn't work out just right. A challenge by its nature calls for a bit of flexibility, patience, and forgiveness if a solution does not present itself or doesn't work out.
But keep in mind that those problems that are overcome reflect well on a person's job and performance, and when we work under a pay-for-performance system, I think it's harder to shift those problems into challenges. Do we have time to experiment? Do we have the luxury of patience and forgiveness from those who see our work performance as measures of what our next pay raise will be? I'm sorry, but the bottom line is that paycheck or at least some sort of recognition from the higher-ups, and a challenge faced but with not the expected results may just mean the difference between words of praise and words of "You need to improve."
Anyway, I'm glad we have this opportunity to say, OK, this entire LL 2.0 project is a challenge, not a problem, and the "71/2 Habits of Life Long Learning" emphasized this. Off the job, I have a much more realistic approach to challenges/problems, and I think these 7.5 habits will be pretty useful on or off the job.
Now, what's the easiest habit for me? I think I'm pretty good at organizing actions - so that toolbox looks like the easiest to fill for me. I might leave out some essential "tools," simply due to my inexperience and inability to see fully what I need in order to complete a task/challenge, but eventually, I'll get it together and fill my toolbox properly with what I need to complete a learning experience.