[mathjax]

効用関数を次のように定める
　y=x(2-x) (0≦x≦1)
　y=1 (1<x)

1/27

No kidding. It can be especially daunting for people who are trying to find their way through the cyber jungle in their second language. I speak from personal experience.

⁑ Alvarez: The coronavirus pandemic has had serious and long-lasting consequences for the whole human race. Hundreds of thousands of people have died, communities have been devastated, and businesses have gone bust. The social and economic damage will take a long time to fix. But there may be a silver lining to this crisis.

⁑ Nissen: Really? Things have been rather grim of late. ⁑ Alvarez: Well, it’ s forced us to use the internet the way it was always meant to be used: to connect us with each other, to share information and resources, and develop solutions to problems that affect all of us.

⁑ Ueda: Yes, the internet has proven to be a very useful tool in helping people who feel cut-off and alone as they experience prolonged self-isolation. It’ s been a vital lifeline for seniors, people with disabilities and people who live alone.

⁑ Alvarez: Definitely. We need to create virtual spaces on the internet that can sustain our sense of community and togetherness while it’ s still inadvisable to physically meet.

⁑ Nissen: The internet has been playing a critical role in spreading the word about the need to take sensible precautions that will keep us safe and help flatten the Covid-19 curve.

1/28

There are lots of websites that track the latest official data about the pandemic. And there’ s tons of useful information online about numbers to call for advice and consultation, symptoms to watch out for and steps you can take to prevent infection.

⁑ Lyons: There have been so many changes to everyday life. Universities have been moving courses online, businesses are asking employees to be cyber commuters and work from home, and shoppers are placing orders for groceries online to spend less time in crowded spaces.

⁑ Ueda: Some states have taken steps to make it possible for people to apply for unemployment insurance online. But of course to do that, you need access to the web, and you have to know how to fill out and sign forms online and send them. Not everyone has that degree of cyber literacy, unfortunately.

⁑ Nissen: The digital divide also reflects class divisions in American society. People generally don’ t like to talk about them, but they’ re very real. Lower-income people are less likely to have fast, reliable broadband connections. That has put them at a distinct disadvantage during the coronavirus crisis.

⁑ Ueda: Yes, the pandemic has underlined the need to democratize the internet and eliminate the digital divide.

2/3

Ueda Shota: I was surprised to learn that more states are requiring students to study money matters in high school. ⁑

Nancy Alvarez: Yes, more students are having to take courses in personal finance in order to graduate. It’ s about time. I think everybody should be responsible for their financial future. ⁑

Ueda: What do personal finance courses consist of? Alvarez: They usually cover topics like budgeting, saving, borrowing money, interest rates and crucially, paying for college. There’ s been a lot of research recently that shows how high school students lack basic financial literacy. ⁑

Chuck Salmans: Yep. The average American teenager has very little understanding of basic financial concepts, I’ m sorry to say. ⁑

Pat McMillan: I think financial literacy classes should also deal with topics like using credit cards, investment strategies and insurance. But the first thing students should learn is simply how to save money and plan ahead. ⁑

Salmans: Yes, they need to have a firm grasp of that kind of thing. It’ s important when they’ re trying to save money to go to college. ⁑

Alvarez: Good point. A big reason for the increasing interest in financial education is concern about the huge rise in student debt, as well as the growing shift to the gig economy. ⁑

2/4

Alvarez: Individual retirement accounts are replacing the traditional pension in corporate America. People need to stay on top of that by developing good math and financial management skills. ⁑

Ueda: Absolutely. I think it’ s especially important for students from lower-income backgrounds to develop the skills they need to be financially literate. That will help their families too. ⁑

McMillan: Indeed. But shouldn’ t children learn about handling money matters at home? ⁑ Salmans: Yes. In an ideal world, children would be taught basic financial concepts by their parents. But that’ s not necessarily what’ s happening in today’ s America. I’ ve seen one survey that found two-thirds of parents are hesitant to discuss money topics with their children. ⁑

Ueda: Just why is that, I wonder? Is it taboo or something? ⁑

Alvarez: Well, in the case of my folks, they were reluctant to talk about such things in front of us kids. You see, they’ d made some bad financial decisions in the past. While I see where they were coming from, I think parents should be upfront with their children when it comes to things like buying a house or a car.

⁑ McMillan: We all agree that parents should talk with their children about things like drinking and driving, as well as drugs and sex.

2/5

McMillan: But discussing money still seems to be tricky in many families. It seems to be a common middle-class mindset — as if talking about money was something indelicate or crass. ⁑

Ueda: I’ ve heard that some parents think that discussing things like inheritances will make their kids less motivated about making their own way in the world. I understand their reticence, but it’ s counterproductive. It’ s in everyone’ s interest to calmly and rationally discuss matters that affect the whole family. ⁑

McMillan: Let me play devil’ s advocate for a moment. Does learning about personal finance actually help students make better decisions? Alvarez: They may think it doesn’ t have relevance to their daily life. But when they become full-fledged adult members of society, they soon realize just how important it is to have a good financial skill set. I have friends who have charted a wise financial course since their college years. Then there are others who have made bad or misguided decisions about money matters because they lack basic financial literacy. ⁑

Salmans: I couldn’ t agree more. The survey I mentioned showed that high school students who took courses in personal finance were much more likely to make smarter decisions about budgeting and saving for college. ⁑

2/10

Salmans: They’ re better prepared to find financing options that suit their needs, apply for loans and get grants. And they’ re less likely to rack up a big credit card bill. ⁑

Alvarez: I learned the basics of money management when I had summer jobs in high school. They’ re a basic rite of passage for American teenagers. Having a summer job helps you develop a mature attitude about money, as well as boosting your self-confidence. ⁑

Ueda: Yes, it’ s a good way for young people to learn how to appreciate the value of work. A summer job is kind of like a rehearsal for the serious responsibilities of adulthood. ⁑

McMillan: Teenagers can learn lots of valuable life lessons from summer or part-time work — like who they are and what they want from life. ⁑

Salmans: I have nothing but good things to say about kids having summer jobs. While my folks were loath to talk about the sordid realities of money, I got a solid grounding in personal finance by working as a paper boy in my neighborhood. Up at the crack of dawn, on my bike to the paper shack in all kinds of weather, and all around the neighborhood. ⁑

Ueda: How cool. It sounds like an old movie.

2/11

Salmans: I guess I look back at my days as a paper boy through rose-colored glasses. But at the time, it was a hard slog. ⁑

McMillan: I worked for my uncle’ s firm of builders a couple of summers. I learned a lot about people, and that not everyone was lucky enough to come from a stable, middle-class home. It made me appreciate what I had. And I learned the glories of digging holes, hauling bricks and watching a house slowly take shape. ⁑

Alvarez: But fewer teenagers are doing temporary or part-time work these days. They’ re more likely to be taking summer courses or doing an internship. ⁑

Salmans: Tougher high school requirements and greater pressure to go to college mean that for many students, summer classes are the new summer job. ⁑

Alvarez: It’ s also common during the summer months for high school kids to burnish their college applications by volunteering in places hit by hurricanes or forest fires, or honing their sports skills. ⁑

McMillan: Yes, they’ re likely thinking that those kinds of experiences will impress college admissions staff more than having a summer job scooping ice cream or flipping burgers. ⁑