Say what?!
There's a really cool saying by Yoda (from the Star Wars trilogy) which states something like this: "To learn, one must unlearn what they have already learned". I believe that this is such a true statement. In almost all psychology courses, we learn something about behaviors and personalities, about how we became the way we are, why we are the way we are, why we do what we do and everything else that pertains to people's actions and their reactions. In attempting to do a Driving Personality Makeover, we must always keep in mind, that in order to learn it, we must unlearn everything that we learned about it. Although it may not make sense right now, I'm sure that it will become more clear and understandable after reading this. We learn to drive the way we do because we are constantly reinforced by our environments such as movies, the way others drive, and from our own desires (motives) for whatever they may be. It is also safe to assume that our unconscious minds and morals also play a role in determining how we drive and act the way we do. A good example is the difference between the way teenagers and adults drive. The teens usually speed and drive like it's the "in thing," while the adults drive with such caution. I remember when I was a teen, I used to drive like a maniac (and I still sometimes do). Now that I'm a bit more older (and somewhat more mature) I drive with a bit more caution.
Top? | Bottom? Top? | Bottom? Top? | Bottom? Top? | Bottom? Top? | Bottom? Top? | Bottom? Top? | Bottom?The Force is With You
From what I was able to read, gather, understand and find out about the Driving Personality Makeover, I feel more than confident enough to know that I could do one and become very successful in maintaining it over the period of time while I am still able and capable of driving. Although it may take some time to accomplish it, I know that I can and will succeed (when and if I ever do get myself into doing a Driving Personality Makeover). But like Yoda said, I'm going to have to "unlearn what I have already learned in order to learn what I have not yet learned". The first step that I have to take is to accept that I need a makeover. The second step is to find the inner drive and motivation to begin with the long and arduous journey for the makeover. The third step is to "keep up" with what I have learned about the makeover. The fourth is to reinforce (reward) myself for the positive things and punish myself for the negative things. The last and final step is to continue on with the learning and incorporating it into my life (every aspect of it). The Dark Side of the Force
I believe that almost everyone will show some resistance to this kind of makeover because it entails change. Not many people view change as a positive affect. For some, change is the last thing they would want in their lives. They sometimes forget that change can be for the better, but of course, it could also be the direct opposite. It all depends on how one wants to perceive that particular change. If one person can make a difference while driving on the road using this makeover, then I'm sure the whole entire populace that drives can do the same thing. It just boils down to "wanting" to achieve it. One must not forget that there are others who are involved as well, so the change will not only benefit just one individual, but those around that particular person. The Training...
As a first time user to the online generational curriculum in traffic psychology, it was quite difficult to grasp the work and so forth. But it was more than a unique experience for myself. Though I knew about this course and its requirements, I never believed, thought, or imagined it would take up this much time. I knew that there was a way to make a Homepage on the Netscape and all, but I just wasn't sure how to go about doing it. I will be very honest and truthful about my experience using the online generational curriculum in traffic psychology, I thought it was too overwhelming as well as it being a pain in the buttocks!!! But after finding that it wasn't all that bad or hard, I started to enjoy myself using this format for a class...maybe I've lost my sanity or something, but I really am enjoying working on the computer. Although I don't have a computer of my own (for reasons personal) I do spend quite a bit of time using the resources available here on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The reasons as to why I found it to be too overwhelming and a pain in the buttocks is because I'm not into this "new technology". The only thing I know how to do is send e-mail and receive it. Ask me about anything pertaining to Netscape, and I honestly cannot help out in that department. I'm not computer illiterate or anything, but I'm just not used to using the latest technology. Now that things are rolling in the class, I'm a bit more tolerant and understanding of it. Let's just say that for now, things are on a smooth road...
Future Visions
Personally, I feel that this is one of the more interesting and most unique courses that I've taken. Although I may hesitate when recommending it to my friends, I will tell them how much fun I had while at the same time, I had lots of work to do. I'm positive and very convinced I would personally support the continuation of this type of curriculum because given the present age and time that we live in, I can envision the future as being a great time for the use of computers . In the beginning of this summer session, I thought that I could do well and a lot and that I would catch on, but to no avail has that happened. Although I'm just a little upset with the amount of work and the scarce amount of time, I'd recommend my friends to take it during the school year instead of the summer because I like the fact that it's not like other psychology courses where you go to lecture, take notes, study for the exams and what not. This class is more than just the typical lecture stuff - we get to work on the computers, learn about the new information super highway and actually be a part of it. The best part of it is that everyone else in the class is at the same level (or I hope). We all have to rely and depend on one another in order to do what is required.Learn from the Mistakes of Others...
I feel that people can get a lot more from classes such as this one because you're able to read former students' reports and its always going to be there at the touch of a button (or the clicking of a mouse). Another advantage to this type of class is that you get to work on the computer to do research and write out the paper on the computer while browsing through the other reports (documents) both at one time. We can atually read their personal accounts of what they went through while they took this Psychology 409 (or 459) class. Although there are some disadvantages to this approach. One of the disadvantage is that the students must do the work on their own while keeping up with the rest of the class. The directions on "how to do" is not really given in class. Instead, we must go out of our way to find the answers and so forth. Another disadvantage is that this class is very time consuming (especially during the summer where there's only six weeks to do all the work). The third disadvantage is that people who aren't computer literate will have a hard time working on the assignments. The fourth disadvantage is that there's not much class interaction between the students while they're working on the computer because they get too involved with the work. Although this may be the "wave of the future," I believe that this still needs some improvements. Even with all the new technology that we may have, it cannot be compared with the old way of doing things. Both the old ways and the new ways have their advantages and disadvantages.The Road Ahead
Just to make things easier for students, I believe that if they had a working partner to work with them on these kinds of projects, it would help them to understand it a whole lot better. One person teaches one chapter a week and they rotate the chapters between the two so that neither of them will feel as though one is doing more work than the other. Another suggestion would be to stop using so many different programs to write out the one thing. What I mean by that is we have to type this out in a "Word" program and then convert it and then format it so that it's readable by the netscape. If there was just a program within the netscape itself to type our reports that would make it so much more easier. The hardest part of this is the address that we have to look under for the different reports which also consumes that much more time. Even with the new technology, there are still glitches, bugs, and little issues that have to be resolved. Like the saying goes, "Every rose has its thorns." Who's Learning What?!
To learn in this kind of setting in one thing, but teaching it is another. I'm both depressed and yet happy about this kind of instructional setting and being a part of it. I like the fact that it gives us a way to spend more time on the computer, but I don't like the fact that it's so complicated to do. There's so much memorization and everything else involved. It's kind of a "hands on experience" teaching and learning style because while we learn, so does the teacher. From what we learn we can teach the other students as well as the teacher. This type of learning and teaching style goes a long way back...how long? I really don't know. In terms of integrating this type of teaching and learning style at the high school level, I'm not sure if it would work. I know for a fact that most high schools as well as junior high schools do have computer courses, but in terms of working on this kind of project is something else. As a student, I believe that this type of curriculum would work for those who really wanted to learn about it, but as for those who don't want it, that's another story. It would be pretty neat if somebody could duplicate this type of curriculum in a high school setting for a trial period and then find out if the high school students "learned" anything from it. If it so happens that it is a success, then the Department of Education should implement it as part of the requirements. I'm sure that this may be brought to the attention of someone in position to make it a "guinea pig" project. From there, only God knows what will happen. If by chance that this project works and is successful, then I'm more than sure that it would be a big part of the curriculum in all the high schools (and maybe the junior high schools) once it expands and catches someone's attention.