Myth One- Multitasking

Let me continue with my summary of the article: "You Say Multitasking Like It's A Good Thing". The first myth that Mr. Abate looks at is the idea that multitasking is efficient. He discovered that research proves that multitasking is not very efficient. Our brains can only focus on one task at a time if it involves high-level thinking. "the interruption of one task requires us to remember when we stopped, so that when we return to this task we can resume the activity".

Multitasking is actually a stop and go process. In a study submitted to Neuron, Vol 52 (December 20, 2006) researchers actually used magnetic resonance experiments to show that the brain has bottleneck areas that slows down the learning process. This bottleneck effect actually limits people on their ability to carry out higher-level multitasking. So there is a solid reason that people make a to-do list and check each line off as they progress on their tasks.

Multitasking

One skill that digital natives may have is called multitasking. It's a learning skill that I would like to know more about it. My Neatoday magazine came, the March/April 2009 edition, and it had an article entitled "You Say Multitasking Like It's a Good Thing". It was authored by Charles J. Abate. In this article he brings out new research about multitasking.

Most people think that multitasking is an enviable skill that young people are good at using. Multitasking is the ability to juggle many tasks simultaneously. This article tries to refute the idea that multitasking is both practical and productive. What do you think?

According to this article, research draws the conclusion that the brain is a linear device. Yes, we can walk, chew gum, and listen to our Ipod but when it comes to conceptual learning- the type of learning that takes place in the classroom- we can only focus on one conceptual learning task at a time. In other words our brain does not learn very well when there is constant interruptions like that of multitasking. How about you? Do you pick up things very quickly when you are watching TV, writing a paper, and texting friends?

Let me take a little time and write about my RSS feeds. If I'm out working such as mowing grass or doing wood working or just riding my bike, I like to listen to my MP3 player. I basically listen to the NPR podcasts. I use a software program "Ziepod" to subscribe to the different programs on NPR. I check my subscription folder and download new transcriptions to my MP3 player. It takes about ten minutes to download over 2 hours of listening. Try this web page to find NPR podcasts: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

A Faster Pace

I'm taking a computer class from CMU. It is edu 653. Our current discussion theme is digital natives vs digital immigrants. I believe that the young people today have brains that are wired differently than those from the older generation. Digital natives get their information from sources like ipods, email, web, and video posts. Even though I am old school I like the fast paced stream of information that the digital natives use. I say "why be bored?"