On the one hand, as a real beginner, I am not qualified to give you instruction on canopy control. On the other hand, as someone who has just in the past few weeks gone through the same feelings and concerns that you have, I feel I am justified in offering my perspective.
First, I think you were smart to practice freefall in the tunnel before doing it for real. You will feel much more comfortable in the air, and you will be better able to focus on deployment and canopy control if you have had a smooth and easy flight.
Second, if you are really nervous about landing like I was, then you should first choose the right day to try it. A clear day during the week when it is less crowded is better than a weekend, and also pick a day when there is a moderate wind, say around 5 - 8 mph. If there is no wind, you might be landing faster than you are comfortable with, and if there is a high wind you might get rattled on the final crosswind leg of the approach when the wind is buffeting you a bit and the slider is making loud flapping noises.
Next, if you can afford it, you might consider investing in a digital altimeter. I found the Altimaster clock style alti to be pretty hard to read under 500 ft. This is not essential. Thousands of students do just fine with the Altimaster and after a few landings you will develop a feel for the altitude. But it might give you more peace of mind to know that you are making your final turn into the wind at exactly 300 ft. or whatever height your coach tells you to turn.
Remember that someone will be with you on the radio to guide you in if necessary.
As far as the approach goes, just ignore what all the experienced jumpers are doing and follow your student protocol exactly - S turns over the holding area, then downwind, crosswind and final turn into the wind.
The actual landing is the scariest part for a beginner. Practice your PLF's as much as possible before the jump. That's one thing I think my instructors skimped on. I only did about 3 during the ground course. Fortunately I had studied martial arts and already knew how to fall, so it didn't matter, but if you haven't had any training in how to fall, get some and then practice on your own until you are comfortable jumping from a height of four or five feet and rolling.
On my first couple of jumps my tendency was to flare too early and too fast, and I think this is pretty common, so I had to rely on the PLF. After I started waiting until about 5 ft or less before doing a full flare, I was able to stand up or run out the landing.
I hope this helps some, and good luck. Once you've done it a few times, you will find that the landing is really pretty fun.
