Extra Credit-Multitasking Forum

Emily Buttorff
Instructional Media Extra Credit
Section 01
3/2/2010
I attended the extra credit seminar on Multi-tasking. It really was not at all what I expected it to be. I really enjoyed it and I was able to learn a lot. First Dr. Pillai began talking. He discussed the fact that multi-tasking wasn’t even invented until 1966. His focus was is this parallel processing instead of multi-tasking? He made some great points about how the brain can’t really do two things at once. “Humans can parallel process but are terrible at multitasking,” he really got me thinking. Are we as humans really that great at multi-tasking? At the conclusion of his presentation he talked about the STROOP test. I remembered learning it but I never thought of multi-tasking in that aspect. I always thought of multitasking as being able to watch tv and do homework and never really associated it to involving the brain. Dr. Pillai’s speech had my mind rolling and ready to think for the next presentation.
The next speaker did not introduce himself but he was the one whose speech related to me and hit home. He pointed out a lot of facts I never really thought true. He talked about facebook, im, texting, etc. I found it interesting to hear that 93% of the students surveyed engage in non-computer activity multitasking. I guess I never really considered it multitasking when I did homework and texted or talked on the phone. His statistics were unbelievable I really couldn’t believe how many students schoolwork suffered because of multitasking.
Dr. Moore was the final speaker. He was very blunt about his information. The one statistic he shared was very alarming. He said that if you are driving 70mph on the highway and you are multitasking (texting) and you try to correct yourself you won’t correct yourself for about 60feet. I never realized the harm you put yourself in when you text and drive. He made a lot of great points that made me think twice when I drove home after the speech. He ended with a quote “If you switch you cost, you cost, you could cost a life.” I really enjoyed the forum I learned so much about multitasking that I never even thought about.

Emily Buttorff's Autobiography

My name is Emily Jane Buttorff. I am currently a sophomore with a dual major in Elementary Education and Special Education at Lock Haven University. I am from the small little town of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. I was born September 4, 1989 in Williamsport, PA. I work at a day care and a Dairy Queen. I hope to learn a lot of new information on how to incorporate ideas of technology into the classroom. I think technology is very fascinating if it is used in the correct ways. I am hoping to be able to teach some lessons and fun activities using technology without losing my class’s interest. My experiences so far with technology are not very in depth. I have a laptop, cell phone, and an iPod. That is about as far as my technology experiences go. I tried to use the Wii at my house and liked it but just found some of it challenging. I really enjoy getting on the internet and shopping. In my classroom the one main way I really want to try and incorporate technology is to involve the parents in the classroom. I think the parents are the most important part of a child’s success in school and by keeping the parents updated weekly on their child’s up’s and down’s through e-mail would help the students succeed. Also I would like to be able to use interactive worksheets and be able to involve the entire class in the discussion by having them all take turns using the smart board for example. I also might try to involve music and video’s to show examples of what I am teaching. I think technology has great potential for the classroom and I can’t wait to get started using it in my own classroom!