[Air-l] New Generation Multi-Tasking

Sat Oct 14 10:01:52 PDT 2006

What a fun topic!

I want to throw a few thoughts into the gumbo.

Multitasking is a term used to describe modern computer operating systems'
ability to *apparently* do more than one thing at a time. Actually computers
can only do one thing at a time but give the appearance of doing more than
one thing at a time by rapidly switching between assigned tasks. There is
some overhead in the process of switching between tasks and much work has
been done to improve the efficiency of computers switching between tasks.
"Thrashing" is the term used to describe when the overhead to switch between
many tasks is more than the computer can handle.

Perhaps the *new generation* growing up with unique distracters have
developed methodology that makes them more efficient in task switching. Even
more intriguing is the fact that the human brain "parallel processes" as
compared to the serial processing of computers. Thus we are capable of doing
more than one thing at the same time. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences,
Jung's persona, and I forget what Freud called them all point to the
possibility that we are not one but many (E pluribus unum). We can walk,
talk, and chew gum at the same time.

I'm not suggesting that everyone can "multitask" but perhaps some of us can.
I know that I study best in a noisy and distracting environment. My wife
needs absolute silence. n=2, noting is proved.

Charlie Balch
LSU Doctoral Candidate, Instructional Technology
Arizona Western College, Professor of CIS
http://charlie.balch.org

-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Deanya Lattimore
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 9:31 AM
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: Re: [Air-l] email is 'out'

Sarah, I'm not disagreeing with you: That's why I asked the question, which
one will it be? I'm not convinced that future companies run by these
multi-tasking students will ask them to turn off their cell phones in
meetings.  I am, in fact, convinced otherwise: that these students will
create work environments that allow them to remain superficially connected.
I just can't predict what the outcome of such environments will be.

Jeremy, are you thinking it won't be possible for an Einstein to emerge with
a distributed brain processing model?  Does "Einstein-level" 
thinking require Richard's "deep cranial cogitation"? (LOL - thanks for
this, Rick.)

All I know is that different kinds of brains process information in
different ways.  Just because multi-tasking is a new model, I don't believe
that all people, even in the future, will do it anywhere near equally well.
Back in my day, some kids listened to music or watched tv while they did
their homework.  I couldn't.  I have to process information auditorily, so
side sounds distract me.

I keep trying to remember that we are all differently abled; I, for
instance, cannot see images in my head -- I have visual memory dysfunction.
I can't see pictures of -- "visualize" -- anything in my head.  I can't play
chess, because I can't visualize moves in advance.  
It was extremely hard for me to learn my multiplication tables because most
people use visual memory to do it, and my teachers didn't know any other way
to help me.  I still can't add two two-digit numbers in my head because I
can't remember that much information (eight places) without extreme effort
and concentration.

I think we need more research of how multi-tasking works with certain
processing skills before we can decide what percentage of the population
does it effectively.

Another qualitative story: I generally allow students (1st-semester
freshmen) to use laptops during class.  Last week, we were writing a
collaborative group paper on the overhead computer screen, and I asked
everyone not taking notes on their laptops to close them up.  We had done
similar activities before with very little discussion.  Several people after
class (laptop typers and non-) told me how exciting class was with all of
the discussion (so they noticed the difference without my saying anything
about it).

:-D.
Deanya
ps. becoming "unavail" to you people for a few hours now (  ;-)  Ellie)

On Saturday, October 14, 2006, at 09:22  AM, Sarah Robbins wrote:

> Deanya: I think I have to disagree with you about availability and 
> overall productivity. The "distributed attention" type model has shown 
> that today's students have a bit more ability to multitask well than 
> we do. There's no doubt that their ability to do this may need to 
> mature (ie they need to know which signals are important and which can 
> wait) but their digital print settings (lots and lots of simultaneous 
> windows) and their connectivity via phones, Blackberry, IM, email etc. 
> suits what the workforce is looking for which is people who can do 
> five things at once and do them all well. I teach my students to 
> discriminate between all of the signals (ie sources of info they are 
> connected to) so they can pay selective attention to what is really 
> important at any one moment.
> There's certainly a time to shut it all off and focus on one task or 
> one form of communication but as someone who multitasks all the time 
> myself, I can't with good conscience preach to them that they'll have 
> to ditch their connectivity to fit in to corporate culture.
> Just my opinion as a techno-addict.
> S
>
> On 10/14/06, Deanya Lattimore <mdlattim at syr.edu> wrote:
>>
>> Sylvia, you may be feeling old, but I'm sure that you're not looking 
>> it, LOL.
>>
>> This article should be renamed, "Email is for People Who Are Too Busy 
>> To Be Slaves to Their Blackberries."  Age as a variable is being 
>> conflated with responsibility, so the studies of usage are flawed atm.
>>
>> I teach freshmen, and one of two things is going to happen:
>> either they will learn that in order to be productive, they will have 
>> to abandon their "I'm always available" strategies OR the workforce 
>> will have to adapt to people who think it is perfectly fine to text 
>> message and step out of the room during meetings to take phone calls.
>> I don't know WHICH it is going to be, but my students don't seem to 
>> understand that being available all of the time means that one's 
>> overall productivity is substantially reduced.
>>
>> Which one's it gonna be?
>>
>> Deanya
>> :-D.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Saturday, October 14, 2006, at 08:16  AM, Sylvia Korupp wrote:
>>
>>> Just saw an interesting article that made me smile and look quite 
>>> old.
>>> SK
>>>
>>>
>>> Teens: E-Mail Is For Old People
>>>
>>> Excerpts: For some schools, the correct answer is: set up a MySpace 
>>> page. After all, there's nothing hipper for students than being 
>>> "friends" with your college registrar or school principal. The 
>>> intriguing thing about this method of reaching students is that it's 
>>> most often not "instant" at all; students receive messages when they 
>>> log in or they visit the school's MySpace pages - the equivalent of 
>>> using e-mail and a Web portal.
>>>
>>> * Source: Teens: E-Mail Is For Old People, Nate Anderson, ars 
>>> technica,
>>> 06/10/02
>>>
>>> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061002-7877.html
>>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Sarah "Intellagirl" Robbins
> http://www.intellagirl.com
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> Yahoo: Intellagirl
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