Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Finally Got the Nerve

As an educator I am always encouraging students, workshop participants to risk. It is through mistakes we learn. When I was an ed tech teacher I had a sign in my lab
"An expert is a person who has made the most mistakes in a very narrow field - Niels Bohr"
Mistakes were celebrated as an opportunity to learn. Yet how many teachers risk and are willing to make mistakes. Our culture doesn't seem to celebrate those.

While I am not a risk taker in terms of sports, I have always pushed myself out of my comfort level when it came to trying new things with students, allowing myself to say to them, "I don't know, let's figure it out." And since I left teaching I have blogged and joined all kinds of social networking sites just to see what they were about. But a video blog! Oh no!

So here is my first - not inspired, but a first attempt and a willingness to put myself out there. Isn't that what we have to do? Learning isn't about doing over what we already know, it's about confronting our beliefs, listening to others, pushing our thinking and trying new things even if at first it is beyond what we thought we could do. Isn't that how we learned to drive or to learn any of the many things that our now in our repertoire.

So here it is.
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Much to learn but I had to start somewhere.

3 comments:

  1. Bravo! And it is well done. Great device to talk and walk. I feel awkward just sitting and talking to the screen, too. I saw that @cogdog used the device of welcoming his viewers onto his porch. I will have to come up with a strategy for myself. Which method of blogging takes more time typing or video?

    Thanks for sharing,
    Julie

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  2. Way to go, Susan! Your risk has been rewarding to me. I'm on a similar learning path, and your vlog and comment on my first attempt at vlogging have encouraged me. Thanks, and I trust that you too will feel encouraged.

    Gratefully,

    Scott

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  3. Anonymous5:35 p.m.

    Susan,

    I'm still working up a vlog plan... just wanted to let you know that I hadn't forgotten. :)

    Alison

    ReplyDelete