What I particularly liked about her report from the onset of my review was first, her uniqueness and secondly, her sense of organization.  I found her report to be well structured, well organized, and easy to read.  Cynthia Yap's report also seemed very simple for me to read, understand and report on. To me, her simpleness gave me a sense of  her personality - something I  feel is important in successfully critiquing her work. For example, her choice of icons (Mickey Mouse).  She was also very creative in that she incorported background music which was something I found to be unique to her report.      
 

Finally, after searching through several generations, and after skimming pages and pages of reports of several students, and only after nearly feeling I didn't know which one to do, I  moved onto one of the remaining generations I had left out --Generation 2.  I clicked onto Cynthia Yap and there I knew I wanted to do my work based on her report.  She had background music and I was sold. The next step for me was to bookmark it so that I can easily get into her page.  And there you go...and here I am. 

Cynthia Yap's report comprised of five topics that focused on:

          1)  Age
          2)  Tailgating
          3)  Convoys
          4)  The Accordian Effect

She began with a general introduction stating how she planned on carrying out her report.  Her report was not only broken down into topics, but also further broken down into paragraphs with each paragraph assigned to make mention of what a particular student from prior generations had to say regarding each topic.

Age in relation to reflex was reported as being an important factor in ensuring the safety of all on the highways. She, as well as other students used for her report, suggest that reflex tests would be a good method for filtering out all those drivers that have poor reflexes, particularly the elderly.  She acknowledges that many rely on driving as a mode of transportation and that each case may be different. Cynthia Yap also proposed that should there be such a test in use, all drivers should be tested and that there be no exceptions.   

Tailgating was agreed by some to be dangerous yet they all  in one way or another expressed feelings of wanting to do so to get a point across.  There were also statements made by previous generations about how you could avoid any trouble by simply letting the person tailgating pass instead of stepping on the breaks when you know you are being tailgated.  Comments were also made about how tailgating should be made illegal and that accidents would drop if it was enforced by the police.
 
Convoys was another topic in her report.  There was quite an agreeance as to the reasons why people drive in convoys. There are two:
 
          (1)  to avoid speeding tickets 
          (2)  to avoid sticking out.

One student mentioned that slow drivers that drive in packs are different from the convoys of fast drivers.  Slow drivers in packs, according to the view of Ota, drive this way because they feel safe and away from those that speed, while fast drivers go in convoy to avoid the law.      

The Accordion Effect was yet another topic also important in which she addressed.  The accordian effect was nicely put by Reisner as being "a quick separation and union of convoys through stop and go traffic."  This is an important concept because many accidents can occur because of this.  Other students have similar definitions.  Allen describes it as it being similar to that of a domino effect in that when one brakes, all the others behind must do likewise.

Backseat driving was defined as being someone who is constantly commenting on the way you drive without consent of the driver.  This term is not limited to only those passengers seated at the back but also to those seated at the front.  She wrote about how passengers tend to "use" the imaginary break pedal and how even though most drivers hate having passengers of that nature, they too tend to be just that...a back seat driver.

The take home message is clear cut, yet very complex. It is obvious that all the factors mentioned above play a major role in our well being, but we do not realize the dangers involved in these risks. Therefore, understanding and recognizing the dynamics of these factors is important. But what is the big picture? In answering this question I have to point out the caveats involved. First, these factors are not mutually exclusive, rather they overlap. For instance, our reflexes are slower with age yet for many driving is the primary mode of transportation.  And, with our busy schedules, being behind a slow car can have us tailgating in hope that the driver realizes that he/she is slowing down traffic. Situations such as these are all important to consider.  We have to realize that we all use the highways and that in doing so, we lean on trusting other drivers with our safety - and that includes you!

I Chose to do my second report on Kristy Kato's "Being A Driving Buddy -What It's Like."  She was a 459 Traffic Psychology student in generation 6.
 

Kristy began her report by defining a driving personality make-over according to G4 student Shane Cobb Adams.  He defined it as a process of becoming aware and adjusting to good and bad driving behaviors, and that it is a two step process.  First is Self-witnessing, then Behavior modification.  The first requires drivers to become aware of their driving, with special attention given to affective, cognitive, and sensory-motor behaviors. The second requires drivers to actually recognize and modify those behaviors that are in need of improvement.

She wrote about her personal view on driving and also disclosed how she felt she rated as a driver.  Kristy was happy to report that she had improved her ability to parellel park from a 5 step process attempt to a 3.
 
Driving buddy was defined as a passenger that keeps the driver in order.  This person serves as a "coach"  and is allowed to make comments and suggestions on how one is driving.  A driving buddy is different from a backseat driver in that a buddy is given permission to act like an assisstant.  A backseat driver, on the other hand, is a passenger that without the permission of the driver,  makes comments and may criticize the way one drives.

Kristy wrote about her experiences as being a buddy.  She explained how she observed a friend of hers drive in a rush to an appointment that she was already late for.  She observed the driver make wrong decisions and commented on her risky behaviors.  On the second day of being a buddy, Kristy encountered a mild disagreement that was settled in compromise.  Her friend was driving thirty-five on a twenty-five zone.  When she commented on this, her friend was in disbelief that she would even make a judgement call on it.  It was all resolved when they both agreed that she, the driver, would not go beyond twenty-eight.

She recommended that future generations conduct similar exercises but that it be done with the opposite sex.  She wondered if her friend complied easily with her suggestions only because they were good friends.

As I was reading Kristy's report on back seat driving, I realized that I Do fall into the category of being a backseat driver.  I realized this when she differentiated between what it meant to be a backseat driver from that of a driving buddy.  Sometimes I just can't help but question the person driving me.  It is not that I say negative things about their driving to them necessarily, but I often make sure they do see the cars breaking ahead.  As I sit here and question my own behavior, I feel myself answering it by saying "because if I don't, I would feel blamed for not warning you!"  As a passenger, I think I should be a co-pilot.  Seated at the front beside the driver, I know he sees what I see, but often drivers take their eyes off. Therefore, I feel like the third eye to the driver.

Kristy Kato did an excellent report in both defining and describing what it is to be a driving buddy.  As I read her report, I was taken away by her excellent writing skills.  Even thought her report was shortest of all, I feel that she managed to report the value of being a driving buddy, and the experiences she had being one.  Her report was very easy to read, but more than that it was fun.  I did not feel reading her report to be a chore.

Kristy's report was far more to my liking than most of the other members in her course generation.  For some, simply reading the reports were difficult because of the colors they had chosen as background in contrast to the colored text.  Others were written so impersonally that with a topic like Being A Driving Buddy, I prefer a report that I can easily relate to; a report that as I read the pages I laugh or think of moments wherein I had similar experiences.  Kristy Kato's report did precisely that for me, and I think it would you.

My third selection on Cyberspace and Mind: Identifying Some Characteristics of Virtual Reality: My Impressions was written by Kristie Kwon, a 409 student of generation 5.
 

Having book marked the Community Classroom Generational Curriculum saved me a lot of time.  Whenever I wanted to go in after a days work, all I would have to do is go into bookmarks and select it and it would bring me to the list of links to both the traffic psychology and Cyber-Psychology prior generations.  There I would choose from a list of generations. After clicking on to any, I was brought to a list of students that were in that generation.  I selected Kristie Kwon from the names.  I was satisfied with Kristie's but I thought I would go ahead and take a look at the others but even after my search, I decided to stick to Kristie Kwon's report.  I decided this because her report was simple, direct, and to the point but also because she too had little knowledge about computers - something I can relate to. 

Virtual reality was quoted from Dr. James as being not a "physical" thing but rather a thing of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that takes its place in cyberspace.  She mentions the relationship between the mind and virtual reality and how the two come into play.  Hypertext Navigation, Communal Mind, and Virtual Book are three other ideas mentioned.  Hypertext was explained as being a rapid moving text that can refer you to someone or somewhere else. It is said to be a useful tool for it allows you to electronically interconnect giving greater access to the minds of others. 

Communal Mind was defined as literally meaning "striving together."  It is the uniting and working together under one common goal.  In this sense, all the minds of others are worked together creating one mind, unified yet the sharing
does not make the individual less unique.

Virtual Book was expressed as being somewhat similar to hypertext in that it too offers convenience to its users.  The virtual book serves similar to that of a diary in that the navigators are allowed an intimate view of pages and pages reflecting the personal life of the home page owner.

Generation 4 also had some important insights as to what cyberspace is.  They each expressed their personal views regarding cyberspace.  One student mentioned how unconventional Dr. James' class is and how he appreciates his unique way of teaching.  Another student defined Cyber-Psychology as being "the study of the relationship between the mind and the computer in a mental environment." She went on to suggest that in order for a person to understand the essence of Cyber-Psychology, one must be equipped with being informed, focused in their mind, the community, and the computer with an open mind.  She also warns that the world of computers can be just as drugs can be...addictive.

To Kristie, cyberspace is not a space physical in nature where in people may sit around chatting as they enjoy their cup of coffee.  In cyberspace, people are able to communicate with or without all the fancy clothing dressed to impress.  Instead, you can communicate under any condition.  You do not have to look presentable or even worry that you have forgotten to freshen up a bit.  Kristie also gave a little description on search engines available through the internet.  Yahoo, Excite, and Infoseek were the three examples she wrote of.

I think that Kristie's report was well written.  I thought it was nice how she not only spoke of cyberspace as being a place where minds can interact through technology, but as importantly, what it meant for her.  She wrote about her personal experiences as a navigator - what her thoughts were (to an extent), and also gave tips to free counseling from doctors.  This may seem as though it is not much when not given a lot of thought, but to someone who is least familiar with computers, the availability of such services via the internet can seem far from possible.  She gives the readers a taste of what is/can be out there - which I think is great! 
 
 

My fourth choice was on Acquiring Cyberspace Citizenship.  This report was written by Ann Huynh, Psychology 409; Generation 7.
 

I found Ann Huynh's report to be very different in that it was something that I would've wanted to read even if I didn't have to.  I knew her report would be interesting from the beginning because I recognized the ratings that I had to do as I was (still am) going through the exercises for this course.  I was interested in seeing how my ratings compared with hers and what her feelings were as she was going through the process.  
 

 

This report dealt with the emotions Ann Huynh had as she journeyed her way through the exercises.  She provided valuable, detailed descriptions about her thoughts and feelings and explained the reasons for them as she went along.  For her Overall Pattern of Affective and Cognitive Experience, she tells how she felt quite stressed out during the exercises she knew nothing about but that a marked increase in satisfaction was experienced when each exercise was successfully completed.

In My Thought of Seeing Myself as a Future Cyberspace Citizenship, Ann Huynh states that all of her experiences helped her realize that she can conquer much more than she had realized. I knew through reading her report that this course definitely challenged her.  In her Helpful Attitude For Internet Learners, Huynh recommended users to first not be intimidated and to believe in yourself and that if other generations were able to successfully complete the course than so can you.  Secondly, she advises the current generations to not think of all of this as being a waste of time for one day we will think back and appreciate every experience we had.  Later, we will be surprised at how much we know.

For Trials and Tribulations of Learning the Internet, Huynh looks into the reports of others and briefly describes how she can relate to each of their earlier frustrations all the way through their success stories.  Ann also wrote up on the Similarities and Differences of Experience in Comparison to Previous Generations and did a Comparison To Classmates' Experiences and Interpretations.  There she wrote further on how well she shares similar experiences with her class as well as with prior generations.   
 

Ann Huynh's report was different from others in that her report was of great interest to me. She expressed detailed information regarding feelings of frustration during difficult times through feelings of great satisfaction when she was successful.  I liked how she managed to convince me that what she was writing was true and not masked with the intention to impress others.  Additionally, I think that it was perhaps an even better report because I can relate to her feelings.  As I was reading her report I felt very calmed in knowing that others have experienced similar frustrations as I do, yet at the end a remarkable level of satisfaction was experienced. Ann Huynh was very encouraging to me and that is definitely something I am quite in need of.     
  

 

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