Generation 5 Summaries:

Reactions and First Impressions of the Generational Curriculum

Kathy Fujii	Gaile Nakano	Travis Abe	Ryan Shintani
Dan Hamamoto	Kristie Kwon	David Kahoaka	Marini Singh
Asako Shinagawa	Chari Tamashiro	Leslie-Ann Francis	Naoyuki Maruya

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Kathy Fujii says:

"My impressions of the Generational Curriculum were overwhelming. I thought that there were too much information for us to "sink into," but it was worth reading. It was interesting to see other people's home pages and also their reports on traffic psychology and also cyber-psychology.

I especially enjoyed looking at other people's pages. I thought that it was cool to see different graphics and images. I was impressed with the student's creativity and images. I really liked the images that moved on your screen. By having this experience, it gave me some ideas on how I can make my home page more attractive for the viewers to see.

I read the article, Cyberpsychology: Principles of Creating Virtual Presence, and I really agreed with the point about the level of communication between people has risen. Some of my friends are in the mainland and I think that e-mail is the best way to communicate because it gives the person the information faster and easier. You also wouldn't need to pay for stamps nor pay for shipping charges. By having e-mail, it made my communication with my friends easier in such a way that it seems as if they are on this island instead of a thousand miles away from me. By having e-mail at work, it is more convenient to talk to my friends instead of calling them up or writing to them."

Gaile Nakano says:

My first impression of the Generational Curriculum was "oh my God, how am I going to get through all of this?" The first page that I looked at was the Generational Curriculum Principles for Assignments which stated the intent and structure of the class. The one thing that caught my eye while reading through this was "generational virtual superdocument" because now I realized that not only was I taking Psychology 409, but now I was part of the "generational virtual superdocument." The topic "generational virtual superdocument" sparked my interest so I clicked on it, but sadly, the link did not work.

After reading through all the text, I wanted to see what kinds of things the previous generations had done so I went to the student's home page. There were a few home pages that really impressed me. The first was Christine Kealoha of Generation 3. Her background, pictures, and content was very well done, you all should check it out. The second home page was Dan Hamamoto of Generation 4. He had all kinds of pictures and images that it was a fun way of going through while reading what he had written. I also viewed my friend's home page and got to see what she experienced and learned while taking this class.

In the section on Virtual Reality, I really liked the analogies of how cyberspace is like the mind, and the brain is like the hard drive. These all are fascinating ideas of how the mind and cyberspace are similar in their interactivity and organization. Technology has and still is increasing the similarity between human and computer. Isn't that a scary thought?"

Travis Abe says:

"Looking through the Generational Curriculum, the first impression I got was "This is choke stuff!" It was interesting to see how the information was presented to me. With ALL this information on one site, you don't want to just throw it all at a person reading it. You need a sense of direction which is informative, yet not BORING! Leon James' page starts as a table. I remember him saying that CGI maps weren't allowed, so the table will suffice. It is pretty well organized, with colored backgrounds and stuff in the cells.

I always thought of this place as overwhelming. Even with a tour guide and HUGE index, I still feel lost. But I guess that is natural, since after reading what the students from other generations thought, it appeared they felt the same way.

As a memebr of Psy499, I am required to work on the DRA, or Daily Round Archives. I think it is a cool idea to bring the student's past work onto the on-line community. Soon we will have access to see reports done by students from the 80s... The Daily Round Archives section is definitely worth a look...

I also read the Cyberpsychology page of creating virtual presence. I thought the basis of the on-line community was like just an idea or something. After reading the article, it appears to be much more that that... I truly see now where it has its place in the Psychological realm. Have you read it yet? Geez, that thing is LONG!

In general, I think the GC could use a bit more organization. I mean, it is easy to get lost in there. The navigation in finding something specific would be kind of hard to do... But I can't think of anything that could remedy this. This place is very deep and diverse. Perhaps some computer junkie will create a search engine SPECIFICALLY for Leon James' work. That would be cool. Laters, dudes."

Ryan Shintani says:

"I just finished reading prof James home page. I guess I was putting it off because it looked like so much information to try to digest. At least my prayers were answered because it wasn't boring and I didn't fall asleep while I was reading the articles.

I found that if you don't use a system to keep track of where you have been you can find yourself going over the same links. I know that when you use a link that it changes color and that should be a easy way to remember where you have ventured before. The thing is that I don't use netscape a lot, so I didn't know that it keeps a record of the site and what links that you have clicked on already. So when I first found prof James' home page I just clicked on most of the links to see where it would take me. Thinking that it would revert back to the original color the next time I visited the site. WRONG VERY WRONG!!!!!!!! So I found out the hard way that it keeps a record of your movements. So I had to use a pen and paper to keep track of what links I had already been on. I think that it would have been easier if I had gone in a clockwise fashion in using his links. I didn't do that either. I just went to the topics that I thought would be interesting first and left the boring ones for the last. I learned from that experience so I will try to use a more logical search pattern when I visit other peoples' sites from now on.

As for the home page itself, I thought that it was constructed in a way that made it look well worked, but it was simple to use. Everything was a button to click on and the titles on the buttons gave a good idea where you were headed. The page loaded up rather easily, even from my home terminal. I have gone to a few home pages that take half a year and a day to load up. I mean they had a lot of cool stuff on their pages, but the time it took to load really didn't make it seem worth the wait. One girl's site that I went to made the wait a little easier to bear. She had loaded midi files to play while you waited for the page to be loaded on your screen. So the thing that I learned was to keep your home pages simple.

The other thing I liked about prof James' home page is that you can source his page and it gives you a lot of the stuff that he is asking for in the assignments. So I just had to read the script lines and copy the ones that I wanted to practice using in my own home page.

I really enjoyed reading all of the things on prof James' home page. Even though it was a good page it still doesn't compare to ESPN's home page. Now that is the best home page on the Internet today."

Dan Hamamoto says:

"The first thing that I noticed about the generational curriculum is how it is improving and expanding with technology. I noticed that in the first generation there were hardly any pictures and no backgrounds. It was kind of sad in that they did not have the abundance of information we now have access to on the Internet. As I traveled through the generations in chronological order, I noticed that the home pages improved in appearance. Generation 2 started to color their pages with backgrounds and pictures. Generation 4 included many animated gifs, and Edward Sugimoto even included java script. I am stressing the appearance of the home pages because I think that it is very important. It gives the visitor a first impression, and, ultimately, it may be the deciding factor whether or not the page is to be visited again.

Another thing I thought about while viewing the generational curriculum was the amount of information it contains. The amount is information is overwhelming. Even though this is my second class I am taking from Leon, I still have not explored every link in the generational curriculum.

As I looked at generation 3, I liked the idea of the WIB (World Ideas Bank.) I thought that it was pretty cool that the students in that generation were trying to obtain responses from people around the world about certain issues. For example, a student was given a topic like "relationships." The student then wrote a short paper about that topic, then left forms for visitors to fill out. From what I understand, the WIB was advertised through search engines. I am puzzled as to why it did not attract the attention of many people.

Browsing the generational curriculum can be kind of confusing. Finding specific information was quite difficult. I noticed that Dr. James has three introductions to his home page: an index, a tour guide, and a search through Alta Vista. But, I was curious as to why he did not have some sort of introduction, or organizer to the HUGE generational curriculum.

In all, I thought that this site was pretty neat. It is very unique to have a community on the Internet. I have yet to see another site that is similar."

Kristie Kwon says:

"WOW! There is my first impression. The work that the past generations have done on their home page is just amazing. Did you see the graphics on those masterpieces? I am still new to computers and haven't been on the Internet and now I realize how much fun I have been missing out on. This is so cool. I still can't stop raving about how wonderful the students' pages are. It looks as if they did some hard work. I hope when I'm done with my home page, it will look as good if not better.

I thought at first, what the heck am I doing taking a course on computer. Believe me, it's not easy. However, it's very interesting. I am learning so much in this class it's amazing. Can you believe it, I am actually part of Cyberpsychology in the works. Other people, strangers are able to probe and poke their eyes into my work as I have done to theirs. I am so flabbergasted by the connections we are able to make with one another through our mind and thoughts.

Besides the home pages of the previous generations, I've also viewed Cyberpsychology. It was interesting how I was able to see all the internet words such as "virtual reality," "cyberspace," "communal mind," and many others which I only heard of. I learned quite a bit here, especially on virtual reality. I really liked that one. If I am correct, virtual reality is like creating reality on-line into the computer or our cyberspace, right? Soon, we will be able to create all the things we want in a person, a pet, or even a place the way we like it. Wow, am I the only one who feels that this Internet thing is advancing so very fast?"

David Kahoaka says:

"After viewing all that I could possibly see in the past 4 to 5 generations, there has been much change. It is really interesting to see how something can change so different in just a matter of a few years. I kind of made me wonder that what I am learning at this very moment is going to be obsolete in a matter of a year or two. I guess this is one of those things where learning is a continuous process.

From Generation 2, I noticed a very plain (relative to the web pages that I see today) web sites. Their backgrounds weren't really something to brag about and they had hardly any graphics, not to mention any animated graphics that are just so popular on the web today. But as I moved on in the timeline of the web, I found a considerable change in both web designs and more or a personal touch to it. Very similar to what Dr. James said in class about that the web page is like a reflection on one's mind. It gives other people a chance to see what is exactly going on in your head. It is like a non verbal vent for some of us who are more shy and can't really express ourselves through speech, but rather through the web. I just thought that this was just so interesting.

Besides just looking at the generational curriculum, I also viewed some of Dr. James' links. What was interesting to me is that whole notion of me getting caught up in it. The Web can be extremely addicting. Like a drug, I just can't stop using it. It keeps me just clicking and clicking, and I find myself doing things that I would never dream of. The net is so big. Now I understand when Dr. James says to spend at least 10 hours a week, I think that is easy!!!

In short, I think I have learned a lot about technology and how something can get better and better over a very short period of time. I am hoping that it is not too late for me to become a part of this web we call the internet."

Marini Singh says:

"I was definitely fascinated by the Generational Curriculum. I found everything to be beyond amazement only because there really is no end to what you can access. There are plenty of links to delve one deeper into this phenomenon called cyberspace. My experience of reading has become enriched ever since I enrolled in this course. I have greater access to other people's thoughts, feelings, and creativity. The students from the past generations sure utilized more HTML cues and provided more indepth information as the generational community expanded. For instance, I observed more usage of graphics, text and background colors, and generous information about search engines, "netiquette," UNIX, ftp, and feedback on assignments completed.

It was reassuring to know that these students experienced the same frustrations, anxieties, confusions, and doubts that I am experiencing off and on now. Therefore, these are normal feelings. However, it was comforting to read that one is able to overcome resistance and this feeling of wanting to give up in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. I understand how you can see the benefits to yourself, explore your own interests, and obtain a sense of "personalization." The more I practice, the more confident I am to confront our assignments for the semester.

I found our professor's writings very extensive especially concerning spiritual psychology and Swedenborg. He concentrates quite a bit on virtual reality. I understand this as recreating something real in an artifical format. His communal mind concept is interesting. When people interact on the computer, their minds are striving together and sharing the same space. He seems to imply that we all create one mind in cyberspace by forming all our minds together. Cyberspace allows this.

I was impressed by the accumulation of writings Dr. James has produced throughout the years. He has literature ranging from semantics to bilingual education to cyberspace. I thought his traffic psychology profile was beneficial. I liked reading about the rules of the road and driving etiquette. There was so much information to browse, but I hope to indulge in his writings more frequently.

Finally, I feel excited to participate in the Generational Curriculum. It is a privilege to carry on the tradition. We are now officially part of a cyber-community on the World Wide Web. Go forth and conquer!"

Asako Shinagawa says:

"I feel like I am just repeating what others have already said, but I was also amazed to see how much stuff there was in Dr. James' home page. I can't even imagine how many hours Dr. James must have spent in front of a computer to put this page together. I tried to look at every page at least once, and it took me about 3 days. I was definitely exhausted after that and didn't even want to sit in front of a computer for awhile.

Did anybody read his Spiritual Psychology? Anyway, the thing that caught my attention was his discussion of a life after death. Basically, according to Dr. James, when you die, your spirituality continues to exist even when your physical body is not there anymore. I guess that is what some people call heaven, but Dr. James said that after the death of a physical body, one's spirit exists in virtual space or even in cyberspace. I didn't quite get how it is possible, so anybody interested in his theory, check it out.

I also looked at previous generations' home pages. Between generation 1 and generation 4, there was a big difference in how it looked. I personally liked colorful fun pages, so I felt bad for generation 1. I am sure they couldn't do much to improve their pages' appearance since the technology back then was limited. In the future, when technology advances even further from now and we become capable of doing a lot more stuff, I would like to come back to my web page and make changes."

Chari Tamashiro says:

"In completing the requirements for this section, the first thing I realized was that it contained a lot of information and would take a lot of time to go through on the computer. It was fascinating though, to read about the professor's opinions on various subjects dealing with cyberspace and to see the progression of the generations on the development of their home pages.

Regarding the professor's home page and articles, I am beginning to understand his opinions and views about cyberspace and the mind, spirituality, and the issues that may well deal with each of our lives. I can see the correlation between the mind/cyberspace and the brain/hardware. It is an overwhelming thought, one I hadn't even fathomed until recently.

All of the other generational reports regarding cyberpsychology basically said the same things about the definitions of the sub-topics, all basically agree with Dr. James. The one thing I observed is that there were some that interjected their own personal feelings about what each sub-topic meant to them. For example, Michelle Alonzo from Generation 4 incorporated the concept of global or growing field of psychology on the Internet and Carol Ohta (also of Generation 4) interjected her experiences in dealing with each topic. There were some reports that did not "call out to me" but many did, reflecting what hopefully is their author's personality and feelings about the topics. The generational home pages were terrific! I never say, let alone surfed, the Internet before this class. I was impressed with all the care and work that each person did on their home pages. The colors, designs, and graphics were indicators to each person and their personalities. They were all fascinating!

However, I am inclined to the simple home pages with light color backgrounds (mostly solid color) with dark type and minimal graphics. The others with their amazing graphics, backgrounds, and color changes were wonderful to look at once I got them up (some took a long time), but I liked the simpler ones better. My reasoning is that the simpler home pages took up less time to boot up (I have limited time on the computer, I do not have one at home connected to the Internet) and were easier on the eyes. I do a lot of reading in my work and when I am exposed for prolonged periods to the computer, I have found that lighter backgrounds and darker type are easier on the eyes. But, I must agree, the graphics are eye catching. There are both positives and negatives to using more color and graphics.

I was also interested in the fact that each generation also progressed along the same lines. Each person went through a period of frustration, anxiety, then development and increasing skill on the computer, internet, and e-mail. It will be interesting to see if I will be able to progress as far as well."

Leslie-Ann Francis says:

"I had already started to look at the General Curriculum Navigation Table (i.e., Dr. James' Home Page) in order to get some ideas for my home page. As most of you have noticed, my table looks very much like Mr. Kai Hansjurgens' from Generation 4. I had already printed out a copy of the Cyberpsychology: Principles of Creating Virtual Presence for our assignment, so I didn't bother to go back into there. What caught my eye was the explorational tour which I immediately went to. Most of the links were to pages from other generations (mostly Generation 4 I think) which I had already seen, however the whole tour process was great in that it leads you in a logical progression. My tour was cut short, however, by a page which locked up my computer. I think it had a midi driver and midi files attached to it, which some people don't have on their machines - so it bombed! That was when my tour ended.

I also looked at Diane Nahl's Search Index page which had some really useful links. I especially liked the U.S. Postal Service Zip Code Searcher link. You can put any city and state, and it spits out the correct zip code for you. Very handy for those of us who don't remember zips (and half the time don't write them down-like ME.)

All in all, Dr. James' page was packed with information, maybe too much (in reading some of your summaries I see that we all agree.) However, in trying to think of how I would logically organize my numerous studies and interests, I would probably do about the same thing. Maybe rather than a table with lots of wasted space, I would simply use text and create interest by using an icon or two - like our 409a, 409b, and 459 home pages (except I would use the same size font at the bottom.) But then, that's just me."

Naoyuki Maruya says:

"At first, I felt that there was a vast amount of information and I thought to my self, how would anyone find anything? I especially felt this way when I visited the Complete Topical Index. But as I started to explore each of the Generation's homepages, I noticed a system of organization, and was very impressed. A page that really caught my eye was Edward Sugimoto's. It was very well organized and had a lot of nice graphics.

I took some time to read the article on Cyberpsychology and was also impressed. The article had personal relevance to me. I agree with the statement that the computer is an extension to the human mind. It is not anti-social to spend time on the Internet. My friends and I all have busy schedules, and we all have a hard time getting in contact with each other. Many times, the only time we can talk to each other is when we are on the Internet during work where we can talk to each other electronically over the Net. As for Virtual Communities, I have seen this phenomena first hand. I work at the English Computer Lab in Kuykendahl. We run a program that creates a Virtual Community allowing students to critique other students' essays and reports in cyberspace. Even though they have no persona name, they do develop a virtual identity and interact more freely than they would if they were not on-line.

I also enjoyed reading the traffic psychology pages with people's opinions about tailgating, the stages to a driving persona makeover, the taxonomy of driving behavior,etc."