TAKING THE TAKING THE FIRST STEPFIRST STEP

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Fall 2014 Digital LiteracyFall 2014 Digital Literacy

Focus QuestionsFocus Questions• What does “success” mean to you?• When you achieve your greatest

success . . . – What will you have, – What will you be doing, and– What kind of person will you be

What is Success?What is Success?• Current high school/college students

– Getting all A’s & B’s– Being a great athlete, musician, artist– Having a great social life– Being the first person in my family to

graduate from high school or college

• Responses emphasize outer success– High grades, sports, victories,

popularity, diplomas/degrees

• Public– Visible achievements that allow the

world to judge one’s abilities & worth

• Former high school/college students– If you could repeat your high school/college

years, what would you do differently?• Focus on learning instead of just getting good grades• Take elective classes I had a passion for• Major in engineering, the career I had a passion for• Ask myself how I could use what I was learning to

enhance my life and the lives of the people I love• Discover my personal values• Learn more about the world I live in a more about

myself . . . Especially myself

What is Success?What is Success?

• Responses focus on inner success– Enjoying learning, following personal interests,

focusing on personal values, creating a more fulfilling life

• Private – Invisible victories that offer a deep sense of

personal contentment

• Success must occur both in the visible world & in the invisible spaces within our minds & hearts

SuccessSuccess• Success is staying on course to

your desired outcomes & experiences

• Primary responsibility in life is to realize the incredible potential with which each of us is born– ALL of our experiences, especially those

during high school & college, can contribute to the creation of our BEST SELVES

Your OpportunityYour Opportunity• Change the outcomes of your life & the

quality of your experiences along the way!• Create success as you define it!• Curious puzzle

– Two students begin high school at the same time

– Similar intelligence, backgrounds & abilities– One soars to their potential . . . One falls short– Why?

• Knack for achievement• Wander about confused & disappointed, unable to

create the success they claim they want

Essential Ingredients of Essential Ingredients of SuccessSuccess

• The Power of Choice

• Write a Great Life

• Assess Yourself

• Forks in the Road

The Power of ChoiceThe Power of Choice• Main ingredient in all success is wise

choices• Successful people stay on course to

their destination by wisely choosing their beliefs & behaviors– Chicken & Egg Story

ChoiceChoice• Once you choose a

positive belief or an effective behavior, you usually find yourself in a cycle of success– Positive beliefs lead to

effective behaviors– Effective behaviors lead

to success– Success reinforces the

positive belief

BelieveBelieve• May 6, 1954

– Thought• Impossible to run a mile in less than 4 mins• Roger Bannister of England – 3:49.4 mile• Many others achieved a sub 4-min mile

– Chose a new belief– Pushed their physical abilities & suddenly the

impossible was possible

Empowering BeliefEmpowering Belief• One student poor

math test score– I can’t do math– Self-defeating

behaviors• Skip class, doesn’t

complete assignments, gives up

• One student poor math test score– Believes she can pass

math– Chooses positive

behaviors• Talks with teacher to

get additional help• Goes to Scots Center |

Gets a tutor/help• Completes all

assignments– Cycle of success has

this student on course to pass math!

Each Have the Same/Equal Abilities in Math!

The Power of ChoiceThe Power of Choice• “If you keep doing what you’ve been

doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.”

• If you want to improve your life . . .– You may need to change some of your beliefs

& behaviors• Go home & do homework instead of going out with

friends during the week

• Once these new beliefs & behaviors become a habit . . .

» You’ll find yourself in the cycle of success on course to creating your dreams in high school, college & life

Write a Great LifeWrite a Great Life• High school & college

offers perfect opportunity to design a life worth living

• Journal = Time-tested tool – Written record of your

thoughts & feelings, hopes & dreams

– Explore your life in depth & discover your best “self”

• Self-awareness learned from journal writing– Enables you to make wise

choices about what to keep doing & what to change

Guided JournalGuided Journal• Copy the directions for each step into your

journal (just the bold print)– When you find later directions helps make sense

• Be spontaneous– Write whatever comes to mind in response to the

directions• Be honest

– Tell yourself the absolute truth• Be creative

– Add favorite quotes, sayings, poems; use color, drawings; express your best creative “self”

• Dive deep– When you think you have exhausted a topic, write more

Assess YourselfAssess Yourself• Take Self-Assessment

Questionnaire– Score will identify

behaviors & beliefs that support your success

– Point out behaviors & beliefs you may want to change to achieve more of your potential in high school, college, and life

• NOT a Test– No right or wrong answers– Be absolutely honest &

have fun with this assessment

• First step on an exciting journey to a richer, more personally fulfilling life

Pic of Page 9Pic of Page 9Successful Students . . . • Accept personal responsibility• Discover self-motivation• Master self-management• Employ interdependence• Gain self-awareness• Adopt lifelong learning• Develop emotional intelligence• Believe in themselves

Forks in the RoadForks in the Road• Eight choices shape may of the important choices

we make • Road of life forks many times each day

– At every fork we need to make a choice

• High school & college are just like life– There are always opportunities & obstacles– The choices we make at each of these forks in the road

determine whether we achieve our desired outcomes & experiences

Words of EncouragementWords of Encouragement• In Digital Literacy you will be . . .

– Taking a personal journey designed to help you develop the empowering beliefs and behaviors that will help you maximize your potential and achieve the outcomes and experiences you desire

Self-Check: What are You Self-Check: What are You Feeling?Feeling?

• I’m excited about developing the inner qualities, outer behaviors, and academic skills that have helped others achieve success in high school, college, and life.

• I’m feeling OK about this journey because I’ll probably learn a few helpful things along the way.

• I can’t say I’m excited, but I’m willing to give it a try.

• I’m unhappy, and I don’t want to go!

Reluctant TravelersReluctant Travelers• If that’s you . . .

– We understand your hesitation– We promise that if you do only the bare

minimum or, worse yet, give up, you’ll never know if this information/course could have helped you improve your life

– Our goal – persuade you to give this information/course a fair chance

• I don’t need this success stuff• I already know how to be successful• People like me don’t look inward/self-exploration . . .

It’s “touchy feely”

Give Your Best EffortGive Your Best Effort• Success occurs from inside out, not

outside in• YOU are the key to your success• Have a great journey