SyllabusCriticsSpring2014

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Advice
At the end of the semester, Practicum Block students were asked, "What advice would you give to someone who's going to take this class?"
 * Get an agenda book and __stick to it__! -- Kristen A.
 * Stay on top of your work. If something in life happens to put Practicum second, tell the professors before you get overwhelmed. They are really understanding.
 * Get lots of rest, work ahead if you can go in with an attitude of having fun with it. -- Brittany C.
 * Remember to put your mental and emotional needs first. Talk to the professors, they understand it is a stressful semester. -- Alyssa Mc.
 * Don't try to get an A in the class; try to learn as much as you possibly can, ask questions whenever you have them, and aim to grow as a person, communicator, and educator the grade will follow and will be worth much less in the long run. -- Alyssa Mc.
 * Don't freak out. It's a lot of work, but don't freak out. Due dates aren't "recommendations." Take another class with practicum; it will be harder but you'll appreciate the variety. Don't freak out.
 * Organize your life: make time to relax, nap, and spend time with friends; get your work done early; ask for help.
 * __Time management!__ Always look at wikis for homework! Do not assume you remember what to do for homework. Always check the wikis to make sy=sure you do not miss anything.
 * Don't miss a class! (You can easily fall behind.) Be open minded! Don't be afraid to use technology...embrace it! Do you work ahead of time (not at the last minute). Also try to get ahead on your assignments (you won't be as stressed out later). Don't be afraid to get to know the people in your block (they are only a little insane. :-)
 * Do everything early. Lesson, chapters, projects, EVERYTHING. You'll save on time and stress.
 * Have time to have fun. It can get crazy but remember to have a life.
 * Don't worry about first impressions. You'll have time to make it up.
 * Stay on top of reading reflection because they really count for a lot. __Never__ miss a class because you'll fall behind. Communicate with instructors.
 * Have fun!
 * sleep > social life
 * Don't take a course or have a job along with practicum.
 * Don't do block 1 if you procrastinate.
 * Have fun with blogger. Don't stress. Look at Dr. Overall's wikispace more than once.
 * Take another class at the same time. It's possible.
 * Don't let it be daunting! Not even the blog posts, of which there are many.
 * Appreciate your time in the field.
 * Sleep is for the weak.
 * Go see Dr. Theresa if you want your grade changed.
 * Surprise yourself; do all the work and do it well. it will surprise you at how much you are capable of. -- Andrea C.
 * Take advantage of the reassessment option.
 * Don't turn to candy during stressful times. It just makes you feel worse.
 * Do a certain amount of work every day so you aren't suddenly overwhelmed the day before it's due.
 * Start a physical activity or go to the gym. You may think you don't have time, but it is the best way to let off stress and unwind.
 * Do everything ahead of time. Ralph P.

Surprises
At the end of the semester, Practicum Block students were asked, "What surprised you most about this class?"
 * Practicum isn't that bad as long as you communicate with Dr. T, Dr. Grace, and Beth, and always do your work at least the day before it's due.
 * How easy it is to think like a teacher.
 * I was surprised by the people who are in practicum. Some were good surprises and some were not.
 * I was surprised by how on top of things I managed to be for a while.
 * I was surprised by how many times I napped or went to bed before 10pm.
 * How much I learned about technology and using it.
 * How close I became with all of my peers.
 * How many different theories, outlooks, and styles there are to teaching.
 * how much I learned in a short period of time!
 * I was surprised by how much technology we use in class. I never realized how much technology is pushed in schools.
 * the workload, the amount of reflections, lack of sleep, the ability to use technology in ways that I have never thought of (education wise)
 * Teaching can be frightening, emotional, irritating, fun, amusing, frustrating, sad, happy, but __most of all rewarding.__ -- Chris C.
 * How close we all got in the blocks. How much I have grown personally and professionally. How much I know that feels like simple common sense that I didn't know at the beginning of the semester.
 * I was surprised by the amount of interest I have in technology in the classroom considering my thought before the class.
 * I was surprised by the creativity this experience allowed though in hindsight I shouldn't have been.
 * no tests
 * We actually have to teach a class.
 * The course load was a lot more than I expected.
 * I was surprised at how easy it is to fall behind.
 * That I know more about technology than I thought I realized. -- Ralph P.
 * I was surprised by how much I could actually get done and how motivated I was to do it.
 * I was surprised by how quickly everything came together at the end.
 * The amount of work I could complete in such a small window of time.
 * Creating websites is easy!
 * How much technology there is! relationship with peers!
 * How many different technologies can be used in lessons.
 * How great we are at making movies. Becoming a family.
 * These people really do become your family regardless of how lame/cliché that may sound. I love them so much. Utilizing them as resources, both personally and professionally, saved me this semester. -- Lacey!
 * Becoming a family
 * The amount of technology I learned. The relationships I built with peers. The amount of work I accomplished in one semester. Happy teaching.
 * How much reading we had to do. How much work we did. How awesome, effective, and smoothly group work went. -- Anna L.
 * what good friends we all became
 * I was surprised to find some new programs I didn't know existed, such as Inspiration. I found I would actually use them in my classroom.