Week 2

It is only the second week of the winter semester and the pace of school is already faster then I had even imagined. The assignments, midterms, and presentations are all pilling up and it is time to get back into work mode. I thought the content in week two of ADED 1P32 was interesting and fit nicely into what is currently going on in my life right now. With all the work that I mentioned turning into a mountain as I speak, I feel it is important to understand how I work and what environment is best for me to get all that work done. Fittingly enough, this week in class focused on our personal learning environments and how our digital world affects these environments.   For the purpose of this blog post I am going to explore the current state of my personal learning environment (PLE).

To establish the personal part of my environment, I feel it is important to explore my past, present and future.  As discussed in my introduction and week one on my blog, I am currently a second year sport management student at Brock University.  I am passionate about the sports industry and show that through my involvement with refereeing hockey and umpiring baseball in Ontario. When establishing my future outlook in the next 10 years I use these two things as a guide and place to start my goals. In 10 years from now it is my goal to have my Level 4 in the baseball Ontario umpiring program. Along with my level four it is my goal that I am umpiring baseball at the university level in Canada, as well as given the opportunity to work a national championship by the time I am 30. In refereeing, it is my goal in 10 years that I am a referee in the OHA, which is junior hockey in Ontario. Attached to this goal is that I would have achieved at least my level 3 in the Hockey Canada program, if not higher.  

Like these goals that are attached to my “hobbies” in life, my professional goals are also attached to the sports industry. In 5 years from now, my goal is that I have graduated from Brock University with my sport management degree and have secured a job within the sport industry. At this point in my life, the job I have does not matter, it is just my goal that it is somewhere within the sport industry. In 10 years from now, it is my goal that I am working in a job within the sport industry sector that I genuinely enjoy. My goal for this job at this point in my life is that it would be able to provide both happiness and financial support that would allow me to think about more then just my personal needs.

In order to be successful the second import part to a PLE is the learning aspect. In order to achieve goals like one’s I talked about above it is imperative that I learn new skills and knowledge in a number of different areas. An example of this would be the knowledge I need to gain about the rules of both Hockey and Baseball. In order to obtain my level four in both refereeing and umpiring I will need to pass a written exam. This will require me have a great understanding of both rulebooks. Additionally, in order to achieve my professional goals, which include having a job within the sport industry, I need to gain connections and learn workplace skills and knowledge.  In order to learn these things and gain these connections it is imperative that I surround my self within the correct environment.  

Environment is the third component in the “PLE” and it is very important because it brings both the Personal and Learning together, which helps you in the process to achieve your goals. In order to achieve my professional goals in the environment I will need to surround my self in, is the working / sports industry environment. This will allow me to make important connections, which could lead to job opportunities down the road. In order to do this it is important that I volunteer within the sport industry as much as possible. Secondly, I will need to gain the internship opportunity offered in my fourth year to students who have a 70 average. This internship will give me the opportunity to expand my skill set and knowledge of the sport industry as well as make important connections.

In conclusion, it is important to establish your PLE for maximize personal success in the future. It is important as individual to know what your goals are and how you are going to achieve them. Without this direction and end in mind, the day to day “grind” of life can seem unrewarding and cause people to not achieve there maximum success possible.  

Esler, B. (CC) 2016

I found the word cloud tool an interesting tools that allows you to think more deeply about how you express yourself and what it truly means. When looking at the bigger words in the picture below a couple such as important, people, believe, and positive stand out to me. These are four words that I feel represent my outlook on life right now and how I try to live each day.

Esler, B. (CC) 2016