Fall2012

Advice
At the end of the semester, Practicum Block students were asked, "What advice would you give to someone who is going to take this class?"


 * "Do not save your digital story for your final reflection...generates a large headache and a very late night." - Cam Blouin
 * "Don't get behind. Keep up on all your work because the class becomes very intense very fast." - Unknown
 * "Manage your time wisely and explore technology prior to the class." - Anonymous
 * "Don't take another clas with this course. You have a ton of projects to do. Make sure all of your 3-2-1 is done before the final reflection. It's a pain to squeeze them in." - Anonymous
 * "Plan on becoming very adaptable to all sorts of technologies. Go above and beyond with projects, you'll learn more. Do not get discouraged with projects (remember the hardest person to please will be yourself)." - Anonymous
 * "Do your work and get it in on time, but also have something you can do once a week so you don't go crazy. Make sure you get plenty of sleep. A tired brain is useless in Practicum. WORK WITH YOUR PEERS AND HELP EACH OTHER OUT!!!" - Clayton Perry
 * "1) Do not take another class outside of Practicum. 2) Be prepared to have multiple projects running at the same time. 3) Get ahead on your work. There should never be any 'free time' when in Practicum. There is always work to be done. 4) You will get frustrated, but use your peers for support." - Tyler Rose
 * "Use your time wisely and don't fall behind. Everybody falls behind at some point but the longer you can push it off the better. Also do work while you are in the field, to get ahead." - Anonymous
 * "1) When you are struggling with a particular project or concept, your best resource is your peers. You will be amazed what great things you can accomplish through collaboration. 2) If there is something in your life that you want to do alongside Practicum, go for it. Whether it is another class, a club, stage managing a graduate level show...go for it. You will stress. You will cry. You will absolutely not sleep. But at the end of everything, you will be so proud of yourself, and so incredibly happy. It's your life - make it what you want!" - Nicole Clark
 * "Be careful when taking another class along with Practicum. Stay up to date on all blog postings. Take advantage of using the iPads." - Anonymous
 * "Keep up with all your work along the way. Do homework whenever you have free time." - Anonymous
 * "Don't procrastinate. Learn time management." - Anonymous
 * Get ahead! There are a lot of readings and blog posts that you can do early. You'll thank yourself later." - Anonymous
 * Go to the library every day for at least 2 hrs. Make this experience your own and never hold back, be passionate." - Paul Santamore
 * "If you are a non-traditional student - be prepared for the challenge of your life..." - Megan Hoffman
 * "Get lots of rest. Don't procrastinate. Be creative! Because having fun makes practicum 5000 times more enjoyable." - Anonymous
 * "Check wiki constantly. Many different assignments to keep track of. Time management - you will use higher-order thinking skills that will require time to plan. Back up EVERYTHING." - Chris Whitney
 * "Try to keep an open mind, you might find that your views on technology change after the course or a semester." - Anonymous
 * "Stay on top of the work (get ahead too, if possible) in order to avoid panic when assignments start to build up." - Carinne Haigis
 * "Stay ahead on your work and always pick partners with flexible schedules to meet." - Anonymous
 * "My advice, keep calm. This isn't as horrible as it sounds, unless you make it. Write everything down and breathe! Make sure to take one day for doing something for yourself. Finally, connect with your block. They are the best!!" - Allison Reynolds
 * "Look at rubrics before doing projects!!" - Anonymous
 * "Do __all__ work in advance (if you have time) and check the homework sections multiple times so that you don't miss a small step in the assignment." - Ashton Carmichael
 * "Back up sources. Meet with your teachers if you are struggling with something. Make the most of each module and field experience, because it goes by fast. If you're not organized, become organized immediately and don't get rid of or lose any handouts/papers/work." - Anonymous

Surprise
At the end of the semester, Practicum Block students were asked, "What surprised you most about this class?"
 * "I was surprised how much technology and programs I learned about. I see myself as being tech-savy so I was happy to play and learn with the new technologies." - Cam Blouin
 * "That my head did not explode." - Unknown
 * "The amount of technology and different tools to create projects." - Anonymous
 * "I was surprised by the amount of quality work I was able to produce while exploring and experimenting new technologies." - Anonymous
 * "How easy it was to work with different technologies." - Anonymous
 * "I was surprised by how fast technology is changing in the classroom and how hard it is for schools to catch up. As a technoskeptic, it kind of scares me, but I'll deal." - Clayton Perry
 * "One thing that surprised me was that working with my peers can be extremely helpful with almost anything." - Tyler Rose
 * "The amount of projects we did." - Anonymous
 * "I was surprised by how much this class change my views on what my future classroom should look like. I love technology, but I didn't see a huge place for it in my classroom. Now, I am bursting with ideas of how I can include it!" - Nicole Clark
 * "How much the technology we experienced can really help a class." - Anonymous
 * "1) I survived and I strived. 2) I learned a lot and gained confidence." - Anonymous
 * "I was surprised by the amount of technology that was being incorporated into the classroom." - Anonymous
 * "There will be a lot of little assignments and assignments that take much longer than you would expect. Check the wiki, ask questions, and plan your time." - Anonymous
 * "I was surprised by how well everything connected to putting students first." - Paul Santamore
 * "The professors are very accomodating and model good teaching." - Megan Hoffman
 * "The experience was INCREDIBLY BONDING!" - Anonymous
 * "The work is hard, but if you want to be a teacher, the work is meaningful and interesting. The confidence I gained from practicum was the most surprising thing. I feel so much more prepared to teach." - Chris Whitney
 * "Things can get stressful, and it can be surprisingly hard to navigate the wiki." - Anonymous
 * "I had no idea how close to everyone I would get through this class. The bonding and general silliness made it much easier to make it through the rough patches." - Carinne Haigis
 * "Telling a story about content while using technology. Digital story complexity." - Anonymous
 * "The technology surprised me! I thought I knew so much about it, but it is so vast! Have fun with the technology." - Allison Reynolds
 * "'Bring your own device' can be an incredibly effective way to integrate technology in the learning environment." - Anonymous
 * "Working with partners long-term can actually be a good experience." - Ashton Carmichael
 * "What surprised me most was the close bond everyone in the block formed with one another. It's a short semester that goes by fast and you really become close to your peers, which makes the experience even more wonderful." - Anonymous