As the master's program is rapidly coming to a close I find that I am reflecting on lasting learnings from the program. One of the things that this program strongly reinforced for me was the value of being a lifelong learner. This is something that I feel like I hear about a lot, in conversations among colleagues, in professional development, in the blogs. I've never thought about the discipline it actually takes to be a lifelong learner. "Learner" implies that one is learning something new or increasing skills and knowledge in some way. For many of us, we are comfortable in our "comfort zones" and pushing ourselves outside of that takes a commitment and a leap of faith. One thing I have learned in this program that will help me be a lifelong learner is the importance of keeping up to date on new ideas and approaches and new technologies. The best way I have found to stay up to date on these things is through my Twitter network. Twitter is where I get the links to the blogs or the articles about what is happening in educational technology. It's a hotbed of resources for new ideas and approaches to try in the classroom. Without the push of class assignments requiring me to explore these new ideas I'm worried that I won't be as motivated to do so. Keeping up on Twitter will help. Taking advantage of learning opportunities that come my way is another way that I hope to keep up on the latest and greatest. I came away from the CUE Conference with ideas as well as network connections. Not only do I have new tools and approaches to implement in class, I also have a network of educators to reach out to for guidance and support. I guess "it takes a village" to be a consistent, and effective lifelong learner.