I eluded to the amount of work that would be necessary last week, and was correct in my assessment of the load. I spent over 16 hours. We had a full plate and I didn't complain about it. Luckily, this week was different. I didn't write a blog entry earlier in the week because I was recovering from the stressful load. I actually got the chance to play some soccer this week to relieve some tension.
I'll just summarize the class this week, and keep the entry short. We performed another SWOT analysis in class over the iPad. I honestly think that we have spent too much time doing the analyses in class. We have read 7 chapters over the semester coming in to week 3, but have really only talked about 2 of the chapters. I think that the material in the book is good, but it really is common sense, plus I had an intro to marketing class at UT. They are almost exactly the same concepts, but there have been some changes in the last six years that have been captured in the text. The only part of this course that feels like a graduate level course to me is the Facebook fan page competition, and the research papers. Everything else feels like Intro. I am a little put off by that, but I still find myself learning through repetition. Previously, I was reading the text word for word and trying to put all the data in my brain for easy recall, but have decided this is costing too much. I am now going to scan the chapters for the highlights, learn the concepts, and then use the textbook during the exams (open book).
The Facebook Fan Page project got ramped up this week, and I'm excited about the fact that we have, as a group, something we are excited to be fans of. It gives us a chance to have an experience that is relevant, even though I still haven't joined Facebook. I'll probably join at the last minute, just don't count on it.
Economics - Here's where my excitement comes from this week. First, I was riled up because we lost points on our first assignment for items that we felt should have been given full credit. I agree with the grading now, but at the moment I think I didn't want to be responsible for my group losing points. I realize that we can use that to grow now. I think my group trusts me still. I have been responsible for keeping the communication between members. The real excitement came after a member of another group asked to me to tutor her and that they would be willing to pay for my effort. This was flattering, but I declined based on the fact that I don't have the time for one on one tutoring. Instead, we asked this member to join us for our study sessions. We started our weekly groups by meeting at a Barnes and Noble this week on Tuesday. The first meeting was 2 hours and we got through Econ chapter 1. Thursday, we got together on Skype for another 2 hours and made it through chapter 2. I actually think my entire team could easily get through these chapters after we broke each of the equations into what they actually stand for. I find myself driving these discussions, but I'm hoping my group members start taking the lead at some point.
I really felt that this was a good break week for me as there is only one deliverable for the week, but we have been working on our long term projects as well.
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