Nevermind… figured it out… for the record, this is how I did it…
@task = Task.update @params['task'].keys, @params['task'].values
@task.each do |t|
if t.errors.full_messages().to_s == ""
flash[:notice] += t.name + " updated successfully!<br />"
else
flash[:notice] += t.errors.full_messages().to_s + "<br />"
end
end