One Down, Five or Six To Go...

Yes, the first semester of the doctoral program is done! While it ended with an intense level of stress, I made it through unscathed. This past week and a half/ two weeks, I was a bundle of paper writing nerves. My wonderful wife of 13 years was an amazing support through this time.
First, we had to construct a Personal Leadership Development Plan (PLDP) for our personal leadership class. We were provided with a series of questions that would outline our paper based on our personal thoughts/ideas AND the theories covered in class and how we will apply them to our own lives. No page limit.
My PLDP was long at 20 pages, but I felt like it was a good honest representation of what I have learned about myself over the last semester and goals that I am setting for the future (which was probably the best part of writing that paper).
The second major assignment was a research paper applying a theory learned in class to a topic of our own selection. I focused on using Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and applying to veterinarians' behavior in the exam room. I did weeks of research on the topic and ended up realizing that applying emotional intelligence to veterinarians in the exam room is more of a dissertation topic than a simple research paper. I managed to pull off the paper, but did a disservice to the depth of research that COULD be done in this area!
The final challenging part of this last week we had to write a 10, oh strike that, 5 page paper in class. Thank goodness the prof cut it to 5 pages, because in 2 hours most of us BARELY got it done. Although after talking with the prof after submitting the paper, she was expecting less from us than we were expecting of ourselves. I personally cited four different works to address the question. She was only looking for a review of ONE work - well that would have been easier!
Anyway, it is over and now my role is to rest for two weeks (yep, that is all we get off) and clean up my desk area, which looks like a paper mill blew up!
Thanks for hanging with me on this first semester journey, next semester looks like it will definitely be interesting - stay tuned!

Learning is Everyday

I was reading through several of the blogs that I follow today on Google Reader. Several thoughts struck me. A year ago, I did not know about Google Reader and other than my best friend, I did not know anyone that blogged. When I started class in the doctoral program, I learned about Wikis, Twitter, Blogs and Google Reader. Now, I really enjoy opening my Google Reader and reading blogs written by people that I do not know, but whom write about corporate learning. Some days it is just a simple "yep, know that" kind of day, but other days, I am fully engaged and really expanding my own knowledge of technology or social learning or elearning methodology. For someone that loves learning, like me, opening Google Reader is like finding the prize in a Cracker Jack box! I love being able to learn something new every day (and I am not even in school!). Doesn't get much better than this!

Connections

Okay this is an odd post. I just allowed my brain to flow....

The lessons learned are woven throughout our lives. As I learn about communication through attending the Pfizer FRANK workshop, I learn about impact of communication in an exam room and how to raise awareness of communication skills through sharing and evaluation with peers. I begin conversations about Emotional Intelligence with a colleague after seeing a presentation he created. I begin my doctoral program at Pepperdine and am asked to read Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence at Work and how that can have an impact on the way that veterinarians connect with clients. For a class assignment, I am asked to develop an online course. The course that I developed is Communication in the Exam room and will be rolling out this course in another month. My research paper this semester will actually look at how Emotional Intelligence might enhance doctor’s ability to connect with clients and therefore practicing better medicine. My worlds are crossing over and interweaving to the benefit of all.

In class this evening, we discussed different learning theorists. It became a very interesting discussion around how their theories flow into and out of each other. From Piaget’s stage theory to Montesori to communities of practice from Lave and Wegner, and so on.

How time flies and oh, the things we learn

I am amazed at how quickly time flies! There are only two weeks left in the semester and I still feel as though I have so much more to learn. How can we be done already?

Anyway, I am feeling very accomplished right now. I decided as a part of an assignment for my eLearning class that I was going to build my personal website. Initially I did not think it was going to be nearly as difficult as it turned out to be, but hey, I am the one who purchased Dreamweaver and did not do it the "simple way". Needless to say, I have been glued to my computer and one of those learn everything in a book with pictures trying to learn the basics of Dreamweaver. Well...

I am definitely no web designer AND I am still a little leery as to whether or not anything I produce is web worthy (hey, wait - I know firsthand some of the "stuff" that is on the web - mine should be good enough), but I am days away from posting it on the web...

Keep your eyes peeled: www.christyritchie.com Original huh? I wanted people to be able to find me. Watch out Google - here I come... This should be interesting to say the least! All in the name of education!