Multi Tasking Assembly

Multi Tasking

On Wednesday, February 24, I went to a Multitasking seminar. While attending the seminar I learned some interesting facts about the world today involving cell phones.
The whole debate was about students being able to multi task, multitask being that the students are able to do multiple things at a time while performing them at their best, such as studying, listening to music, and being on the computer all at the same time. The first doctor to go argued that it wasn’t our ability to multi task that mattered; it was actually that we are parallel performing/processing, or the ability to carry out multiple tasks at the same time. Parallel processing is used when thinking of human cognition, particularly the ability of the brain to simultaneously process incoming stimuli or information. The example he used for this was to doctors who were able to count in their head but do different things while counting. One doctor found that he was able to count in his head and read a book at the same time but was not able to talk, while the other doctor found that he was able to count in his head and talk, but not read.
The second doctor talked of how statistics show that multitasking with cell phones isn’t the best way to learn things. He told of how experiments were done to prove that being on your cell phone while driving is more dangerous than being under the influence while driving, and also told of how most vehicle accidents are caused by drivers being on their cell phones while driving. This professor was the one who seemed most convincing to me.
The third doctor told of how students aren’t able to learn to their best ability while trying to multitask. He stated that multitasking can indeed be done if at the appropraite times. He said that a student who tries to text while being in class can not learn new information because his brain can only handle one task at a time. He also gave some statistics concerning how cell phones effect the way people drive which brought up the changes in speed the driver performs when texting, the amound of delayed reaction time a driver might have, and also how they are the ones put more at risk than older drivers.
To me, the assembly was very interesting. I learned many things that I wouldn’t have expected to ever know about multitasking. It taught me that I need to put my phone aside when trying to study and to put my phone away while driving. Overall, the debate was very effective and I hope to see another one soon.