Category: Learning (Page 2 of 2)

Muddling through

There is this realization that dawned on me for quite sometime now:

I’m not doing okay

I’m not 100%. 


Which led me to think: What is “Okay”? What is my “100%”?I had no answer to that.

Will I ever feel “OK”, or regain my “100%”? 


I had no answer to that, either.


However, I’m okay not being “okay”.

A lot of my plans foiled, my hopes were shattered and I was left utterly disappointed.  There weren’t many options left.

I don’t know another way but to push forward. There is no romanticizing it.

Life isn’t a fairy tale

It struck me at a rare moment of clarity.. I might not be “happily ever after”. That those fairy tale endings might not be for me. What startles me is that I accept that realization much easier than I thought. 
I’m unsure about a lot of things lately. I always thought of myself as a person who knew what he wanted exactly, down to a pinpoint accuracy. Not anymore that is! I accept that as well and do very little to change it.

The art of muddling through

I found myself muddling through a lot of challenges and obstacles. The end result is not pretty and no where near perfect. And I accept that as well. 

To a former self proclaimed perfectionist this is a serious problem. These two methods are contradictory and don’t work well with each other. Yet they are coexisting and happening side by side in my life.

Constant improvement

I strive to make myself a better person everyday, inching towards my goals and perfecting my methods, so when I notice things that contradict my core values. I need to stop for a while and mull things over in hope of finding a suitable answer.

I don’t have an answer to these questions at the time of this writing.

An identity crisis

The scariest question of all is: What’s left of me to be me? I’ve thought of this before and find that the damage has been done already, I’m not who I was before and chances are, I’ll never be that person ever again.

And you probably guess what I’m going to say here as well..

The path

The path, does it choose you? Do you choose the path? Again with philosophical dilemmas. I realize that my path had nothing but struggles, and I’ve muddled my way through as well as I could. I don’t know another way to go by, it seems like it’s the only thing I know how to do.

Old habits die hard

Even if I had another way to go I’d probably choose the rough path just to prove I’m worthy. Or to push myself even further and defy the status – quo. 

It’s a rough treacherous path, the path of the nomad, the path of the warrior.

Sad realization

I realized also that it’s not easy being with me, I tend to like my space and hate being controlled, I also get myself into weird situations and sometimes don’t fix them properly until they explode! 
And I can drop everything at a moment’s notice and ride into the sunset. 


It’s probably not too late to turn the situation around and start fresh, right?

Well, it’s not as simple as it sounds..

What if I’m content with this path of adventure? I might not be ready to get off the roller coaster just yet. It’s probably not fair to ask for something I can’t give, which is certainty..

I pray for more clarity and a sense of belonging soon enough. This whole thing is starting to drive me insane.

Metamorphosis

No, this isn’t the a review of the novella by Franz Kafka! I’m addressing some personal changes and feel like reflecting on them in this post.

 

Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis

People come and go

This is a difficult one to process – for me at least – , that the people in my life are temporary – In sense everything is – and for that reason, I must not rejoice when new people enter my life, or feel like it ended when others leave my life. I started to think of it more like a public transit vehicle where people come on the cart and others go off of it. I also left some people’s life and left a place, that’s how things go.


I’m not always right

While this one seems like a no-brainer, it took me a while to comprehend that the other party might have a more convincing argument than mine, and that I might be completely wrong. It’s true that I’ve been treated unfairly in the past, however that doesn’t mean I have a fair cause all the time!

The change is real!

I no longer resemble my former self, I have enough self awareness to tell that much. Am I better or worse however? Have I made progress or have I regressed as a person? I cannot answer this clearly from this perspective and level of consciousness. Quite frankly I don’t know what to think or how to feel about these changes? Should I succumb to the overwhelming changes?  Or should I resist and hold on to scraps of an old identity?

“The only constant in life is constant change”

Trying to resist change is a change in itself – no matter how nonsensical this phrase sounds -, people change and I am no exception to the winds of change. It’s both exciting and terrifying to morph into someone new, even if it happened gradually and almost unnoticeably.

“A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.”

I am a result of my actions and choices. All those little things I gave no thought, and the major life changing events fall like the sand in an hourglass, shaping my identity and the course for the rest of my life. And that is something I must learn how to deal with.

The path

If things were as simple as having two clear paths to choose from, one for the “light” and the other for the “dark”. Life is so much more complicated than a binary choice setup, and the former choices are often shrouded in doubts and clouded in mystery.
I only hope that when the dust settles, I maintain what matters of myself and lose all negative traits and flaws. The term purify by fire comes to mind.

A complete transformation

In moments of weakness I prayed to wake up changed into another man, stronger and more confidant in myself. Such a drastic change can’t possibly occur overnight. If only things were that simple!
However as the old saying goes: “Careful of what you wish for”.. Now the wish is granted, but not for the man who made the said wish!
With change our motives and wishes change as well, that’s why timing is critical, I do believe that dreams and wishes have an expiry date to them ..


Searching for the holy grail

A question I ask myself often is: “Who am I?”. I am beginning to think that there is no definite answer for this question. Identity is ever changing. ever shifting, being shaped by everything a man encounters and experiences. The answer itself changes from the time the question is asked to another.
Finding the one true answer would be like finding the holy grail, the greatest treasure a man could find in himself.

Until the day I find what I’m looking for, I’ll continue asking, searching and growing.

التعلم الذاتي على Goodreads

التعلم رحلة لا تتوقف لأي شخص يطمح في الوصول إلى مراتب عالية في وظيفته، من المؤسف أن كثيرَا من المهندسين والموظفين تنتهي علاقته بالكتاب بمجرد التخرج من الجامعة. وإن حدث وقرأ فإما أنه كتاب أثار الجدل ويريد رؤية السبب، أو لمجرد المطالعة الحرة.

هذه التدوينة حول تجربة شخصية للمدون مع موقع Good Reads وكيف أنه ساعدني في تعلم بعض اﻷمور كمنصة تعليمية!

كنت قد دونت عن موقع Goodreads في تدوينة سابقة وصلت فيها لعلامة الـ 500 كتاب، لذلك أنصحك بمطالعتها قبل تكملة هذا الشرح.

 

التعلم على الانترنت

توجد العديد من المنصات والمساقات (كورسات) يمكنك الإلتحاق بها لتعلم أشياء بلا حصر، بعض العيوب في هذه الكورسات هي أنها ليست مجانية، وخدمة الفيزا ليست متوفرة للكل (إن كانت السيولة أصبحت حلمًا بعيد المنال)، كما أن عامل الوقت في الكورسات قد لا يناسب الكل، كذلك شحن الشهادات من الخارج إليك (سأورد تدوينة عن الشحن في اﻷيام القادمة إن شاء الله وأربطها هنا)، لذلك هذا لا يناسب الجميع.

كيف يمكن أن يساعد موقع GoodReads

يمكن بسهولة إيجاد العديد من الكتب التقنية العربية المجانية على شبكة الانترنت، أذكر منها موقع وادي التقنية (الذي سبق لي شرف التدوين عليه من قبل)، هذا الموضوع يحتوي 44 كتابًا نشرها الموقع وهي في تزايد كل يوم. كل ما عليك فعله تحميل الكتاب على جهازك بشكل مجاني، ثم بواسطة حسابك على Good reads متابعة التقدم بشكل يومي أو حسب ما تستطيع عليه.

صورة لتقدمي المفصل في أحد الكتب التقنية التي أدرسها ببطء

مميزات استعمال موقع Goodreads كمنصة للتعلم

1. يمكنك من متابعة التقدم بشكل مرئي.

2. يجمع لك كل الكتب خاصتك ويمكن تشكيل أرفف للمناهج المختلفة.

3. بما أنه موقع إجتماعي، هذا يضع نوعًا من الضغط والمحاسبة، لأنك لا تتعلم بمفردك فيمكنك “التنصل” من المنهج عندما يزداد صعوبة أو تتراكم عليك المشاكل.

4. هذا أيضا به نوع من الدعم خاصة إن كنت تدرس في مجموعة.
5. يحفظ لك تقدمك في الكتب حتى مع فتور الهمة، ولا خطر من تغيير نظام التشغيل أو ضياع اﻷجهزة لأن الموقع لن يتغير بتغيير العتاد (وهذه مشكلة أعاني منها شخصيًا).

خاتمة هذه التجربة

هذه من اﻷمثلة التي تكون فيها مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي مفيدة ولا تضيع الوقت، طالما أنها تضيف لرصيدي المعرفي وتزيد من مهارتي فهي شيء أرحب به!

كما أنني أجد بعض الصعوبة في تكملة دراستي داخليا وخارجيًا، لذلك التعلم الذاتي يبقيني مشغولًا حتى أتمكن من الحصول على فرصة مناسبة لتكملة تعليمي. وإن كنت مقتنعًا تمامًا أن أفضل وأرقى أنواع التعليم هو التعليم الذاتي.

ما رأيك عزيزي القارئ؟ هل جربت موقع Goodreads للتعلم؟ هل تفكر في ذلك بعد أن اقترحته عليك؟ وما هي المواقع التي تستعملها للتعلم؟ شاركني بذلك في قسم التعليقات من فضلك.

Duolingo the best and easiest way to learn a new language!

Many of us dream to learn a new language but never actually do anything to do that! We are to busy

to take a course after work or simply won’t pay the cost for a course. Well today’s app has got you covered!

Let’s take a look at: Duolingo

Duolingo's opening screen

Duolingo is an application that helps you learn another language for free, forever, in a fun and addictive way that’s similar to a video game!

Learning on your Smartphone Who doesn’t have a Smartphone now days? Everyone has at least one and they stare at them all the time! So why not stare at an application that will help you learn a new language in an easy fun way? It’s better than checking Facebook or Twitter every 20 seconds! All you need is a good Internet connection and you are good to go! (There are some lessons don’t require an Internet connection, it is needed to keep track of progress and score.)

Duoligo's logo

Who uses Duolingo?

The app is cross platform and is available to Android, Apple iOS and Windows phone. There is also a web version so you can learn on the go and from anywhere! You can even use it in the class room for your students if you are a teacher, free of charge!
It is used by 120 million people around the world to use all sorts of languages, why don’t you join the ranks too?

Available languages

all you have to do is to download a version for your device, sign-up

with your e-mail and you are set.

Choose your native language

and see what languages are available for you!

Duolingo course list for English speakers

This list is for the English speakers, it scrolls down as it offers

many options, other languages don’t have as much options as Duolingo uses statistics to provide each region with the courses on demand, and I haven’t found any course for the native Arabic speaker on Duolingo’s version for Windows phone, but I found a course on the website aimed at native Arabic speakers who migrated to Sweden. 

Tracking progress

Set the number of experience

points you need to earn daily so Duolingo helps you keep track of your daily goal, you can set those from the settings, anywhere from 10 (casual) to 50 (insane).

Duolingo's settings
 You can also control getting daily reminders (I highly recommend yo keep those ON).

How does it work?

  • Duolingo

uses colors and sounds to make learning easy and fun and more game-like, by using a scoring system, ranking and rewards, similar to elements found in video games, and that’s where the name Gamification comes from.

  • The language
  • learning itself is based of quizzes and games that aims to teach you the language you plan on learning.

    One of Duolingo's exercises

    • This exercise i

    s very simple, you listen the word by touching the speaker icon, then choose the correct words from the choices below, each correct answer fills up the bar to the right, and a wrong answer takes a try (a heart) and when you run out of hearts, you repeat the lesson all over again! There are many other exercises and I’ll leave those for you to discover!

    Finally..

    Duolingo is a fun app that helps you jump start your language learning and have fun doing it, I don’t think it can replace the full learning experience or taking courses, but it’s a start!

    Will you download Duolingo? What is the language you always wanted to learn? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
     

    Newer posts »