Habits of Lifelong Learning

Reading about the Lifelong Learning habits, I have been able to isolate several of these traits I possess.

If I have to choose one strength, I would choose "Use technology for your advantage." I have been an early adapter of technology (as much as my finances would allow) for as long as I can remember.

I remember my first computer, a Commodore 64 that I received for Christmas in around 1984. It had no monitor and had to hook up to the back of the TV with coaxial cables. I would write programs using BASIC, but since the computer didn't have a hard drive (or disk drive) at that time, I would have to turn it off each time my dad wanted to watch TV. That was terrible.

I remember getting online for the first time ... I think it was 1991. My friend Trent and I punched in the number on the computer and then left to make sandwiches. By the time we got back (it felt like a half hour), we could read the static page about the upcoming cars from Ford. It was novel, but didn't compete too long when we had Sierra games like King's Quest V and Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time-Rippers.

Video gaming was a primary motivation for my following technology. I have owned video game systems in every generation of development, beginning with the Atari 2600, and proceeding through the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Playstation 1, Playstation 2, Xbox, and now the Nintendo Wii (which is awesome). [As a side note, does anyone know which NES Classic features the enemy that is my online avatar – the Eggplant Wizard?]

I think that bringing high speed wireless Internet access to people around the country will be a great way to level the playing field. Wireless is the way of the future, with computing occurring in less centralized locations, including in handheld units such as phones and portable gaming systems. [Have you seen the new Nintendo DSi? It should have complete online capabilities.]

If I had to spot one area for growth, it would be to “have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner.”

My main trouble is impatience. For example, when I was attempting to learn Spanish in college, it wasn’t enough that I was learning how to name colors and count; instead, I had to compose short stories. This led to frustration and my subsequent abandoning of this learning.

So I have to work on my patience with lifelong learning and give myself the opportunity to make mistakes (and the permission to correct them).

Anyway, I’m happy to be embarking on this voyage of discovery with my coworkers.