Boo!

There were a lot of sites that I was not aware of that I thought were pretty cool but the one that stuck out to me was G.ho.st, the web-based Virtual Computer (i.e. Virtual Machine). The nice thing about it is that it's basically like any VM that you can run on your PC, although everything is Web-based, as it doesn't run Windows programs, and they give you 5 Gigs of storage space (and 1 additional Gig for every person you invite to the site) . The UI is very similar to Windows and every program is a web-based equivolent. For example, instead of having AOL Instant Messenger installed, it uses Meebo, which allows you to access several messaging programs without having to download the program to your PC. A nice feature about it is that you can access this anywhere at anytime. The only thing I'm not sure of since it is browser based, is if it uses your local PC's processing resources, or the host's. I think Library patrons who cannot afford to purchase a PC could use this tool to maintain a small desktop of their own wherever they go to write papers and other documents, manage email and conduct research (it has its own web browser) and save their findings on their VM.

Rounding up to 8

I was never a math genious; I always had to study extra hard to get good grades in those classes. Not that fractions are difficult to understand, but I like whole numbers. I don't think play should be considered a half-habit. Both children and adults learn from play-whether it's matching the square peg to the square hole, or learning to play an instrument. My college had always pushed the theme of lifelong learning in it's mission as a university. One thing that I have noticed about lifelong learners is their desire to read, yes other forms of media are informative, but there's something about reading a book, aritcle, blog, no matter what it is, that broadens your horizon or sparks your imagination like no other.

In respect to the "8" habits, I find for me the most difficult one to acheive is to look at your problems as challenges. Once I am knowledgeable about a certain subject I do see problems as challeges because I have the skills to do what I need to overcome it. On the other hand, I can become frustrated and discouraged if what I am trying to tackle is out of my league, though I still try even if I'm making zero ground.

Habit #2, which is "Accepting Responsibility for your own Learning", is what I am best at. I am a curious person by nature, not nosey, but curious about the world in many ways. In college I was a very good student and several of my classes I actually enjoyed going to. These days I don't have homework anymore but I still try to stay informed, granted now I can choose what I want to read and not what I am required to. One thing I have learned is that you cannot cheat yourself into learning something; you must go through and test yourself or be tested to truly learn something. Such is the case when you mentor or teach someone else. I would want to make sure I know my stuff when tutoring others; it's not really beneficial to pass on inaccurate information. When you don't know the answer to something, when your mentee asks you a really good question that you aren't positively sure of, you lookup the answer and add that new information into your mental database.

All in all I think these habits are key to being a lifelong learner. One particular habit, having confidence, Habit#4, is the most important behavior: you need to believe in yourself and your capability to learn in order to practice lifetime learning. Oh and if you're not enjoying yourself then learning isn't as fun which is why I'm rounding up to 8.