For those interested (multi-tasking):
The following are abstracts of PubMed articles. PubMed is an online collaboration and publishing website between worldwide researchers. We had free access to the articles (and not just the abstracts) at UoA. So I don't have full access now. At least, not from home. They usually talk about really specific proteins/systems that I haven't learned in class... yet. But I only gave PubMed articles because those are really the most 'solid' evidences for or against multi-tasking. I personally don't take conclusions or research done by the psychology field as 100% solid evidence. My experiences with psychology have left me highly disappointed and dissatisfied.
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18154942?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
This first one shows that surgery learned under multi-tasking showed slower performance as opposed to ones that did not have verbal instructions along with practice. Overall: AGAINST MULTITASKING
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16307711?ordinalpos=29&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Using the Virtual Errands Test, they found that performance dropped under baseline during 'dual-task' conditions.
Overall: AGAINST MULTITASKING
There were some more about humans multi-tasking but the abstracts did not mention what the results were relating to performance or the ability to multitask. 80% of the articles that popped up from the keyword search of 'multi-task' were about proteins and receptors multi-tasking and how that affected systems in the body.
Here are some general information links on multi-tasking. Be warned, they don't suggest that multi-tasking is possible:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_multitasking
Wikipedia states that scientists believe in a 'bottleneck' effect where humans are limited to one task at a time for efficiency.
(2) http://www.apa.org/releases/multitasking.html
This article states that humans, when shifting 'gears', will take up too much time and energy to be fully efficient
As for me, and based on the evidence before me, I believe that multi-tasking may not be fully achieved at 100% for each task but that it can be close based on (1) how familiar you are with doing both (or more) at the same time, and (2) how related the two tasks are.
Taking notes during a lecture is a multi-tasking skill learned by everyone from school and used regularly. Also, the subject material is the same (you're inputting and outputting the same content). Listening and writing are closely related since they're both based on language. This, I believe, would make it easier to do with less loss on efficiency. If, however, you had to do listen to math problems, play Free-Cell, and tap a complicated beat with your feet, I'm pretty sure your efficiency will drop quite a bit.
I'm sure, however, that there can be exceptions to this. Everyone's brains are wired differently, that is fact. So some people may have their brains wired so that IMing 5 people, listening to music, talking to a friend on the phone, and watching some YouTube clips at the same is the most natural thing in the world. If I had ever gone into medicine, I would have really liked to try neurology and the Ph. D. programs to do studies on the human brain. Not that I can't do that as a teacher...mwahahaha...
Assignments
• Day 1
Read the Horizon Report (2008).
Post a blog on what technological trend you feel will become most prevalent in K12 learning within 5 years and why.
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 2
Please watch both of the Sir Ken Robinson videos linked below. Then post two slides on the shared presentation: 1) one way schools kill creativity, and 2) one way schools foster creativity.
Do schools kill creativity?
Creatively Speaking
• Day 4
Assignment 1 - Wikipedia - see post below.
Assignment 2 - Colliding Forces - see post below.
• Day 5 and Day 6
Live Broadcast - post a response to the blog below on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Day 7 and Day 8 - Surprise.....
Your assignment is optional - you will receive credit whether you email me yes or no, but you do have to email me. I do not believe in zeros, nor in failure as an option. However, you get what you put in, so I encourage you to say yes....;-)
If you email me yes, here's what you are committing to. Give me your email address at work, what grade level or content area you teach, whether you are an administrator, whatever. What school you are at and a short resume/introduction of yourself. I will leave your name and contact anonymous until I find another teacher/educator/administrator in PVUSD who might like to work with you on REACH, and in turn you with them. I will make an intitial email introduction of each of you to the other - from there, you are on your own to put into practice the communication, collaboration and creativity of 21st century teaching and learning, using information technology to bridge time and space constraints.
REACH (Real Experiences Advancing Childhood Humanities) is an initiative our district is implementing with other educators/administrators outside of our walls. We are connecting students/teachers/administrators, from differing classrooms, differing schools, cities, states, countries, using technology to communicate/collaborate/create in whatever ways possible and appropriate to postively impact student learning - totally up to you and your PVUSD counterpart on what you think would be useful - how big, how small, how deep, how thin, is up to you.
It does not have to be high tech, with tons of technology - in fact, the technology is not the point - learning with and about others is, being creative and taking a risk is the experience. One simple internet connection and a Google account can do wonders (you should now know that), to connect students, teachers, administrators, whatever. I suspect your kids, your school will be richer for the adventure and you will cross into something I believe is profound and necessary in education - REACH'ing beyond the walls......
So, if you want to REACH, give me the details and I will personally try to connect you with an appropriate counterpart. Then, you have the opportunity to extend your coursework learning into actual practice - the point of taking a class. Email me yay with details, or nay. What I wish for you is to REACH beyond this ASU class, throw optimism into the wind and see what emerges in your participatory networking experience.
Jeff......
Read the Horizon Report (2008).
Post a blog on what technological trend you feel will become most prevalent in K12 learning within 5 years and why.
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 2
Please watch both of the Sir Ken Robinson videos linked below. Then post two slides on the shared presentation: 1) one way schools kill creativity, and 2) one way schools foster creativity.
Do schools kill creativity?
Creatively Speaking
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 3
Assignment 1 - See Blog entry on Web 2.0 Directory below for instructions.
Assignment 2 - See Blog entry on P21 Skills below for instructions.
• Day 3
Assignment 1 - See Blog entry on Web 2.0 Directory below for instructions.
Assignment 2 - See Blog entry on P21 Skills below for instructions.
• Day 4
Assignment 1 - Wikipedia - see post below.
Assignment 2 - Colliding Forces - see post below.
• Day 5 and Day 6
Live Broadcast - post a response to the blog below on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Day 7 and Day 8 - Surprise.....
Your assignment is optional - you will receive credit whether you email me yes or no, but you do have to email me. I do not believe in zeros, nor in failure as an option. However, you get what you put in, so I encourage you to say yes....;-)
If you email me yes, here's what you are committing to. Give me your email address at work, what grade level or content area you teach, whether you are an administrator, whatever. What school you are at and a short resume/introduction of yourself. I will leave your name and contact anonymous until I find another teacher/educator/administrator in PVUSD who might like to work with you on REACH, and in turn you with them. I will make an intitial email introduction of each of you to the other - from there, you are on your own to put into practice the communication, collaboration and creativity of 21st century teaching and learning, using information technology to bridge time and space constraints.
REACH (Real Experiences Advancing Childhood Humanities) is an initiative our district is implementing with other educators/administrators outside of our walls. We are connecting students/teachers/administrators, from differing classrooms, differing schools, cities, states, countries, using technology to communicate/collaborate/create in whatever ways possible and appropriate to postively impact student learning - totally up to you and your PVUSD counterpart on what you think would be useful - how big, how small, how deep, how thin, is up to you.
It does not have to be high tech, with tons of technology - in fact, the technology is not the point - learning with and about others is, being creative and taking a risk is the experience. One simple internet connection and a Google account can do wonders (you should now know that), to connect students, teachers, administrators, whatever. I suspect your kids, your school will be richer for the adventure and you will cross into something I believe is profound and necessary in education - REACH'ing beyond the walls......
So, if you want to REACH, give me the details and I will personally try to connect you with an appropriate counterpart. Then, you have the opportunity to extend your coursework learning into actual practice - the point of taking a class. Email me yay with details, or nay. What I wish for you is to REACH beyond this ASU class, throw optimism into the wind and see what emerges in your participatory networking experience.
Jeff......
Sunday, November 23, 2008
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1 comment:
Ehh.....Research on the "multi-tasking" subject attempts to make a sophisticated answer using tools that can only measure a gross approximation and then we draw profound conclusions based on a very limited knowledge base, called our current state of human intelligence on the subject. Give it 50 years and we'll be much closer to understanding the inner workings of over one hundred trillion, dynamic and living "snaptic" connectors. We're still at an infancy level on this topic......;-)
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