Report 6

Through the years....

For a method to show improvement, see Rodney Sanbei's chart one and chart two...most impressive! He devised a rating system using numbers to rate the pages of previous generations. Check it out!

As it is for any new project, there comes a time for evaluations. This holds especially true for Dr. James' generational curriculum.

In relation to quality, depth, richness, and scholarship, there have been vast improvements from the very first generation on the Web. This is due to the fact that capabilities on the Web are constantly growing at this very moment. In fact, right now, someone could be designing a new way of presenting information on the Web.

One way to evaluate these four measures is through length. Generation One, only consisted of one continuous lab report according to Joleen Lai. Her lab report was approximately 20+ screens long. There were interesting subheadings that would catch my eye every now and then. There were constant breaks in her report to get to her original home page or to the instructor's home page. The links on her page were not very descriptive, although they were relevent to the topic that she was discussing at the time. Since the topics in Generation One seemed to be completely subjective, there was much detail and emotion in her paper. This made for an interesting paper. As for integration into psychology and science, I did get to read about a Dr.Kuhlthau's research in this paper. Lai talked about her alot and I did get to hearing about construct theories and cognitive and affective processes.

Generation Two also showed an improvement. I followed the reports of Lori Morita. This time, each report was separated by weeks, so it was much easier to read. She had approximately four pages per report, give or take a few. Although I failed to see any subheadings...she did have paragraphs. She had information on the links that she had in the report which were interesting to see and read, of course. Like the previous generation,the assignment was to write what was felt while visiting certain pages. Everything was in detail and very interesting to read.

Generation Three showed a gradual, but prominent improvement. While reviewing the reports of Sondra Blake, I saw subheadings with anchors. A deep detailed explanation of each topic interested me even more. I saw a reference to Dr. James' Driving Personality Makeover, which although I already knew what it was about, got to read about it once more. Her definition was in detail and with much explanation.

The last generation, so far... I think we have come a long way since the first generation and even since the last generation. I used Dan Hamamoto's page of Generation Four as an example. His page was of an effective length, clear, and detailed. Each report was approximately 3-4 screen length's long. There were many references to outside sources and they were greatly explained in detail.

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As for the artistic side...

Generation Two's home pages had a bit more structure and life to them. Again, to be truthful, I really enjoyed Lori Morita's home page. Although there was not a whole lot to it, it was sufficient enough to catch my eye. There were no navigation button, just links. Just the way her home page was set up was like a house. Nice striped background, kind of like wallpaper. And a painting that looked like something you'd want to hang in your house. Just the whole atmosphere seemed to welcome me and it did not hurt the eyes. Very nice, very nice, indeed. I did see besides that one painting gif, and the backgrounds; bullets. It only added to the "aura" of the page. I failed to see an index in her page, though her page still seemed to be very well-organized.

We're coming along nicely, now aren't we?

I saw much more of everything as I suspected in Generation Three. As for links, I saw them all over, in the reports, on the home page, I was link crazy. The home pages, I thought were made with more creativity (due to capability at the time), and more imagination (as was allowed). I looked through Anthony Chung's home page. I saw much more gifs, and it was obvious that the knowledge of more html was useful in this department. It was nice to see a huge Welcome sign, along with a few pleasurable links. I'd have to say that the cyber-atmosphere (as coined by Dr. James) was nice, and certainly not overwhelming. I did see an index in a select few members of Generation Three.

Phew...breathe....

In Generation Four, I will review the home page created by Travis Abe. Upon reaching his page, it seemed very professional. The cyber-atmosphere was again welcoming and I especially liked all of the animation. His use of navigation buttons were well-placed. They seem easier to use than a just a regular link. I don't know why, it shouldn't be that way, but that's just how I feel. There were many animated gifs, but not too many, and this is what I think makes the page. His table seems to be a great introduction into his page and who he is.

The generational curriculum was a project started by Dr. James and Dr. Diane Nahl in 1975. Twenty-one years later, it has become a collection of reports on various topics done by students over the years.

So much thought and effort was required by the creators as to who the exact students would be to make this experiment work out.

The principles are the basis for which this generational curriculum operate on. In a way they're like rules, only their not. This is because it's the truth. The principles mainly dealt with the reports. It's saying that the reports are the student's reports. Since the future generations are going to be the main audience, the reports should be targeted to them. Also, the definiton of a team report is defined. Our generation did not have these "team reports," though they sound tedious.
A topic that he brings up is the idea of plagarism. Since it is easy to plagarize when no one can catch you, these principles remind us that these reports are going to be up on the Web. Everyone can see them. If an idea is not your own, name the souce, link if possible so at least credit will be given where credit is due. Basically, these principles are what helps guide the generational curriculum.

If I were to ask everyone how they felt about class in the beginning of class, I'll bet anything the words out of their mouth would be negative. Now, after all the work is done, here are their words about how they feel about being a member of the latest generation of this generational curriculum.

Leslie Agena states she sees "many benefits of being a member of the generational curriculum. (Also that she) hopes to help others understand the Web better, (since) she knows more now. (She's also feels that) it is important to keep up with technology, (because) computer technology is changing so rapidly."

On the other hand, Candice Real, she states that she feels like she's a part of a "special community, (where)no matter what the goals of the individual we come together as a team to help each other achieve that success by learning from and teaching each other."

Conrad Moreno, takes yet another perspective. He states that one of the benefits of being a member of the generational curriculum is that he is able to "look at all the mistakes the previous generation (has) made and learn from them...He also had a great sense of accomplishment."

As you can see, many of the evidence that I found was positive. Whether it was an advantage, or a special feeling, even one dealing with the future, everyone felt that there was something that could be gained from this experience.

Another way to overcome feelings of frustration comes from the first generation on the Web, Beverly Diaz gives two words of advice:
1. "When you unsure of things, ask questions or
2. If something goes wrong, try to figure out what went wrong or take a break to get over the frustration."