Mining the Generational Curriculum:
An Exploration into Past Generations
How I Chose the Following Reports
To begin my journey through the reports of past generations, I first went to an index to all generations. Upon arriving there I randomly chose a generation's homepage to view. Once at the class' homepage I started selecting names and seeing what their reports had been about. I think it all came down to the name of their report, if the name did not entice me with a subject that I wanted to read about, I would move on without even visiting the report. Is it wrong that I did not give some people a chance? I don't think so. I don't want to bother trying to read something that I am not interested in. If I am not interested in the topic, it makes reading the report a chore. I wanted to make this assignment as easy as possible for myself, thus I read reports on subjects that I found interesting and relevant to my life. So as a suggestion to future generations, make the titles of your reports as intruiging as possible if you want your reports to be read and enjoyed. I had wanted to do comparisons of reports from some of the first generations and some of the last, but I noticed that the early generations were not doing the same things as we are so it would be difficult to compare. Instead, I ended up taking a sampling of some of the most recent generations.
Tailgating-Is it OK?
Why I chose this report
As I said above, I wanted to read reports that were relevant to my life. Just the day before I picked this article, I was catching myself doing something close to tailgating. Normally this was not something that I do, I usually leave a large space between myself and the car in front of me. On this day, I was running late for a business apointment and the last first impression that I wanted to make was that I am someone who does not arrive on time. A sense of urgency washed over my body and before I knew it, I was very close to the person in front of me. Once I would realize this, I would back off until I realized that I was again too close. I couldn't believe what I was doing and I reprimanded myself for not having left early enough to get where I was going in a leisurely manner. So this topic was very fresh in my mind and I had an interest in hearing what someone else had to say about it.
Synopsis
Alma searched through past generations for references to tailgating. She posted remarks that she found into her report and then commented on whether see agreed with what they had to say or disagreed and then she would do a bit of an analysis. She also addressed the moral implications and dangers of tailgating.
My Reaction
I think that Alma's analysis of the comments made by previous generations made sense. She seems like a rational and intelligent person, able to understand the dangers of tailgating. I think that more people need to become aware of the danger that they create when they do things like tailgate. I think very clearly she says that it is not OK to tailgate.
Comparison to Other Reports
Alma is not the only one who has done reports on this subject and she has added links to her page which take you to two other sites where this topic has been addressed. One is Kisha Kawakami's. Kisha's report is very similar to Alma's. She too disagrees with tailgating but seems to take a more philosophical approach to it, asking questions like: Is tailgating justifiable? Is tailgating fair?
How Music Affects Drivers
Why I Chose this Report
Just recently I posted a comment on our QDC in response to a message about driving and listening to music. I thought that it would be interesting to hear what other people had to say about this subject so I read and picked this report.
Synopsis
Marilyn searched out what people had to say in past generations and in newsgroups relating to music and driving. She posted some of the comments that she found and made responses about how she felt about the comments.
My reaction
It pretty much encourages my idea that listening to certain kinds of music can influence a person's mood and thus their driving. I think people should refrain from listening to aggressive music while driving and focus on more calming music to help keep a relaxed mood while driving.
Comparison to Other Reports
Other people have also done reports on this subject and they all seem to be very similar in their format and content. Some other reports to visit are Robert Nakagawa's and Tami Hattori's.
Portrayals of Driving Behavior on TV: Good or Bad? Don't believe the Hype
Why I Chose this Report
I hadn't really thought about all of the bad driving that we see on tv everyday. Just seeing this title made me realize what we see everyday and how easy it is to find poor representations of how to drive poorly. I wanted to see what George had to say about all of this.
Synopsis
George found 10 examples of bad driving to comment upon from various things like TV, movies, and video games. He then expressed his opinion upon whether or not these scenes would effect people's driving.
My reaction
I think that George took the power of these scenes too lightly. He does not seem to think that they will have much effect but I have to disagree. I think that everything we see and hear about driving effects us in some way. Some people may take scenes that show poor driving and decide that they never want to drive that way, others may think that it sets the standard of how people should drive.
Comparison to Other Reports
George makes reference to some other people who did similar reports. They all seemed to take more seriously the effects of the media on driving. George just doesn't seem to get that people are impressionable. Some other reports: Travis Abe and Kristy Kato.
Psychology of Computer Viruses: A Deadly Encounter
Why I Picked this Report
The morning that I read this report, I received an email that warned me about a virus. I had never gotten anything like this before and I did not know how seriously to take it. So when I saw this report I knew that I had to read it and find out more.
Synopsis
Alona goes over what a virus is, what different types that there are, and how they work. She provides some very informative links where you can learn more about things like virus myths. She also explains where these viruses come from and why they are created.
My reaction
I really learned quite a bit from this report. I think after reading it, I can pretty safely say that the email that I received was probably someone just fooling around. I've never worried about viruses but now I will be more on the look out. The name "viruses" seems to give them a life of their own but these are man-made creations.
Comparison to Other Reports
There were a couple other people that did similar reports. They all were informative and very similar in their information although some did become more descriptive in their own reports with information that could have been found at the links that Alona provides.