Mining the Generational

Curriculum

Looking Back to Move Ahead

Table of Contents:

Instructions For This Report

Psychology of Online Virtual Relationships

By: Susan Chon, 409a, G8, Fall 1996

With so many generations to browse and reports to chose from, I decided to look for reports with topics I could relate to, or at least am interested in learning more about. I know of many people who have gotten involved with or are currently in a relationship with, someone they met online. I, on the other hand, am weary of the whole chat room phenomenon, and can't imagine falling in love with someone I've never met. You never really know who you're talking to! Despite my narrow-mindedness, I was interested in learning what Susan had to say about the subject.

The first thing I did was go to the Index of All Generations located on the G13 Homepage. I then selected Generation 8 under the list of 409 generations. This led me to the G8  Main Page, where I then selected the 409a class homepage. After browsing around a few other pages, I clicked on Susan Chon's Homepage and selected Susan's Report 1: Psychology of Online Virtual Relationships.

In her report, Susan addresses four issues related to online romances: False Identities, Online Interactions, Expectations and Internet Addiction. Besides trying to explain the possible motivation behind certain behaviors of Internet users, specifically behaviors that may be displayed in chat rooms, Susan relates the information to herself; she shares her opinions and comments on the issues presented.

I'd also like to add that Susan admits that she too is the cautious type and can't see herself falling in love with anyone she meets in a chat room, and I quote, "For all I know, he could be my own brother! Yuck!"

I really enjoyed reading Susan's report. It was well organized and very easy to understand. Her report wasn't too long and didn't contain sooo much information that I got lost...or bored; she got straight to the point.

There was a lot of interesting (and some disturbing) information presented. Is there really such a thing as being addicted to the Internet?!

Some of the other reports I came across were very long; it can get difficult to follow along or remember what you've read, but Susan kept her report short and simple. I also liked the fact that she included personal reactions and comments. It made the report more enjoyable to read and showed that Susan had a real interest in the subject.

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Gender Differences in Driving: True or False?

By: Liza Finta, 409a, G10, Fall 1998

I've often been in driving situations (where I was either the driver or a passenger), with people who have made comments about bad drivers we come across on the road. Most times, the comments made suggest that women are naturally bad drivers. Many people I know believe and expect that women can't drive as well as men; if someone is going "too slow" or takes a wide turn, it is automatically assumed that the driver is female. As a result, I was interested in learning more about the subject of gender and driving and to see what kind of information Liza had to share about the topic.

I first went to the Index of All Generations located on the G13 Homepage. I then selected Generation 10 under the list of the 409 generations. At the Generation 10 Main Page, I selected the 409a class homepages. After looking through some of the other pages I   selected Liza Finta's Homepage and selected her Report 1.

The focus of this report is gender and driving. Liza investigated whether gender and the way a person drives possess any type of correlational relationship. She shares some of the stereotypes that people put on both male and female drivers and shares a previous report that had been done on the topic. Liza tries to find out of there is any truth to the assumptions that people make about gender influencing driving habits.

Liza's report was very informative. She presented the information in a non-subjective manner so that you could form your own conclusions; she didn't make any prejudgments or try to force any of her opinions on you. Her reports were very well-written, organized and easy to understand.

I appreciate the fact that Liza's conclusion about gender and driving reflects her knowledge about the field of Psychology. One of the things that has come up over and over in my Psychology classes is the idea that everything has a multiplicity of influence. No behavior is ever determined by just one factor; it is the combination of multiple factors that affects the way a person behaves. Liza believes that while gender might have some influence over the way a person drives, there are other factors such as culture and cognitive patterns, that need to be taken into consideration and I agree with her.

I enjoy reading reports that are easy to follow and understand. Although there were many good reports done by the students of Generation 10, some of the people failed to express themselves or their information clearly. Liza's report however, was very concise and I had no trouble comprehending what she was talking about. I enjoyed reading her report more than some of the others because of that.

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Music and Driving

By: Jeff Takiue, 409a, G10, Fall 1998

Music is a big part of my life; I listen to music all the time. I especially enjoy listening to music while driving. Sometime the music I listen to is fast and loud, other times I listen to slow and easy going songs turned down. I've tried driving with the radio off a few times but found it difficult to drive in silence; it was too...quiet.

I know that listening to music while driving can influence how aggressively you drive, depending on tempo, volume, etc. However, I wanted to learn more about this subject and chose Jeff's report because he explores a topic that I can relate to my own life.

I first went to the Index of All Generations located on Our Class Homepage. I then selected Generation 10 under the list of 409 generations. At the Generation 10 Home Page I selected the 409a Class Home Pages. I then clicked on Jeff's Takiue's Home Page and selected his Report 1.

The main topic of Jeff's report is Music. He discusses how music affects mood, how mood affects your choice of music, and how music can affect behavior, depending on the tempo and volume. Jeff also describes his "music history," sharing various past experiences and observations about the role that music has played in his life. Finally, Jeff provides access to various reports and information related to music and driving and lists a number of resources people can look up if they're interested in researching this subject further.

I've always known that doing other things (like listening to music), while driving can be distracting as well as dangerous. I'm also aware, due to personal past experiences, that listening to music that's upbeat and loud can lead to aggressive driving. To be honest though, these issues don't cross my mind while I'm blasting the radio and speeding down the freeway. After reading Jeff's report, I came to the conclusion that I need to change my ways. I'm not saying that I'm going to begin driving with the radio turned off, but I do plan on staying more aware of how the music I'm listening to affects my mood and driving. It may not sound like much, but keep in mind that we can only monitor and modify behavior that we are aware of.

The reason that Jeff's report stood out above the other generation 10 reports is the amount of work and reflection he seemed to put into it. The report covers a lot of areas but isn't difficult to comprehend because it's so well organized. Some of the information that Jeff presents doesn't contain a lot of detail or in depth, but he gives the reader a chance to do more research on the subject if they want to by providing links to other reports and listing resources that are related to the subject.

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Collecting Data on How Drivers Communicate With Each Other

By: Kyle Michibata, 409a, G11, Spring 1999

What the heck is up with drivers nowadays? People cut off one another, tailgate, etc., etc. (The list goes on and on). I especially can't stand it when people don't bother to use their signals when changing lanes or turning. It's rude and inconsiderate. I think that sometimes people forget that they're sharing the road with other drivers. Kyle's report explores a subject that everyone needs to keep in mind while driving...how to be responsible and courteous on the road.

Finding Kyle's report began at the Index of All Generations located on Our Class Home Page. After selecting Generation 11 under the list of 409 generations, I came to the Generation 11 Home Page. I then selected the 409a class link and I clicked to Kyle Michibata's Home Page where I read his report 1.

In this report, Kyle discusses different communication techniques drivers practice, (some good and some bad), in various types of situations, including changing lanes, making turns, merging, and racing. The possible relationship between the type of car being driven and the methods of communication drivers practice is also explored.

I found Kyle's report to be very informative and educational. It's wonderful that he emphasizes the importance of being considerate to fellow drivers on the road, but his information can also help people to be more cautious. We need to be aware of the different types of communication drivers use, (and don't use) so that we can avoid dangerous situations and dangerous drivers. Knowing that people aren't always courteous and can sometimes drive recklessly makes you realize just how much more careful you have to be when driving nowadays.

While Kyle's report wasn't the best written, grammatically speaking, I did find his report's subject matter a little more appealing than the others. It was a subject that everyone is affected by and can relate to. Some of the report topics people choose are hard to stay interested in because I can't relate to it. while many people of Generation 11 did thorough and well-done reports, I can use and apply to my life the information given in Kyle's report. I can't say that about all of the reports that I read.

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