For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. — Aristotle
EppsNet Archive: Learning
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. / I learn by going where I have to go. — Theodore Roethke
Ruby on Rails for Rubes
The biggest headache in software development is that most programmers can’t program and don’t want to learn anything. I recently finished up a MOOC called Software Engineering for SaaS, offered by UC Berkeley through Coursera. For a modest investment of a few hours a week for five weeks, I learned some Ruby on Rails — a well-designed platform and a lot of fun to work with — as well as tools like GitHub, Cucumber, RSpec, SimpleCov and Heroku. Over 50,000 students from 150 countries signed up for the class. According to a final email from the professors, about 10,000 students attempted at least one assignment or quiz. Or to look at another way, 80 percent of the students gave up without even trying. Approximately 2,000 students, or 4 percent, completed all four of the assignments and the three quizzes. One of the enrollees who gave up without trying is a… Read more →
If You Want to Be Great
If you want to be great, you need to learn about all the possible relevant ideas that have worked for others. You need to create new ideas, blend, adapt and prioritize them, and constantly test the best ideas to see which ones work for you. Only then can you fully implement — while continuously adjusting — the ideas that really work. — Apple’s People Have Dented the Universe — Can You? | OpenView Blog Read more →
“Am I a Success or Failure?” Is Not a Very Useful Question
To be overly preoccupied with the future is to be inattentive toward the present where learning and growth take place. To walk around asking, “am I a success or a failure” is a silly question in the sense that the closest you can come to answer is to say, everyone is both a success and a failure. — Karl Weick Read more →
Learning Patience
I’m learning that when I feel like I have to say something and if I don’t say it I’m going to explode, that’s a good sign that maybe I shouldn’t say it . . . Read more →
One Eye on the Path
A young but earnest Zen student approached his teacher, and asked the Zen Master: “If I work very hard and diligent how long will it take for me to find Zen?” The Master thought about this, then replied, “Ten years.” The student then said, “But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast — How long then?” Replied the Master, “Well, twenty years.” “But, if I really, really work at it. How long then?” asked the student. “Thirty years,” replied the Master. “But I do not understand,” said the disappointed student. “At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?” Replied the Master, “When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.” Read more →
The Professional Programmer
The single most important trait of a professional programmer is personal responsibility. Professional programmers take responsibility for their career, their estimates, their schedule commitments, their mistakes, and their workmanship. Read full article. Read more →
Don’t Look Back
In uncertain conditions the main question should not be: “Why didn’t your performance yesterday conform to the original plan?” Rather, it should be: “What kind of feedback can help you learn faster and perform better tomorrow?” — “Ninety-Nine Rules for Managing ‘Faster, Better, Cheaper’ Projects” Read more →
How Can I Help You?
How can I help you succeed? How can I help you ask strong questions, take wise risks and deliver great content? How can I help you prosper? Most importantly, how can I help you learn and make new connections? How can I help you serve the larger group, of which we are both a part? — Marcia Conner Read more →
Twitter: 2009-12-02
Learning how to write http://sachachua.com/wp/p/6863 # Read more →
Just Trying to Learn
I’m not trying to have a career, I’m not trying to be rich, I’m just trying to learn. — Francis Ford Coppola Read more →
Twitter: 2009-07-23
RT @KathySierra: Don't learn PPT/Keynote, learn how the brain works. Learn storytelling. Study filmmaking. Apply learning theory. Inspire. # RT @OCWeekly: A very special OC Weekly farewell to Gidget the Taco Bell chihuahua http://tinyurl.com/n6k4mq # Thank God it's Friday! Wait — what? # Read more →
What Did You Learn? What Did You Teach?
What could the world be like if each day we asked ourselves, “What did you learn?” & “What did you teach?” (Disclaimer for learning purists: until there is a shorter phrase for “create a context for someone to learn”, I’ll use “teach” as shortcut) — Kathy Sierra Read more →