Seven and half habits. Might've been a full 8, but...

I do understand that "podcast" is identified as a critical emerging technology, and therefore there's an inherent value in pushing users to experience the format. So yes, it was worthwhile listening to the 7 1/2 habits podcast -- but certainly less time effiecient than just reading it as a powerpoint or plain text file. It's true that William Crossman, founder and director of the Institute for the Study of Talking Computers and Oral Cultures, http://www.compspeak2050.org/Pages/IntroPage.html, makes a serious case that within 50 years, text will no longer be a meaningful medium for information transfer, that all will be audio and video. We shall see... but that's not the case now. And the irony is that a discussion of how persons have different learning styles is presented in only one medium, when multiple media would be possible. Anyway...

The hardest of the 7.5 things for me: Beginning with the end in mind. It's really philosophical, I suppose. I'd suggest that being open to the changability of tools, missions, and goals is critical, because change is constant, and faster than the best lesson planners. Also, that whatever goals you have for your lifelong learning project, it may well turn out that the benefits you derive may be to meet needs you had not anticipated -- as new needs emerge all the time. It's akin to Clayton Christensen's point in the book Innovator's Dilemma (New York: HarperBusiness, 2000); if you focus on the problems you're facing now, you can miss tomorrow's opportunities; which is why the leading horse and buggy manufacturer didn't end up leading the auto industry, and why Microsoft ground DEC, IBM, and Wang into the silicon dust.

Habit 2: Accepting responsiblity for your own learning. This is great and "easy" for me, but in an organization like LCPL it's also important to accept responsibility for the learning of those around you. The 23 things program is an good example of keeping an eye out for the learning of others as well. I'm glad to have the opportunity to work with others as I learn.

A side note: for a google product, the signup interface of blogger is really weak. Comprise could probably do better