Technologies for Gifted Students

The National Association of Gifted Children defines a gifted person as a person who demonstrates a high level of (a) aptitude to learn and/or reason and (b) performance. This aptitude and performance can be in any domain (academic, athletic, etc.). Individuals who are gifted demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence. These individuals typically function at or above the top 10% of the general population. Areas where giftedness might be demonstrated include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports). Because of their abilities, gifted students have unique intellectual, academic, and social needs that often require modifications in curricula, strategies, and resources. This entry first discusses opportunities that technology presents for gifted students. The entry then discusses how technology can serve as a motivator, the impact of technology on creativity, and potential changes in the brain as a result of using certain types of technology. Finally, the entry discusses some of the ways technology impacts the teaching of gifted children.

Del Siegle states that technology applications can address many of the characteristics of gifted learners, such as the capacity for depth and complexity, knowledge transfer, quick processing, and inductive learning. Technology is an ideal medium for gifted students, who can collect, analyze, synthesize, and present information using (a) the Internet to retrieve data and information, (b) spreadsheets to analyze data, (c) word processors to communicate the implications of their findings, and (d) multimedia presentation software to generate presentations of their findings.

Technology has afforded gifted students many opportunities, such as access to the Internet, potential for distance learning, the option of using a multitude of learning platforms, ready access to research tools, and an increase in opportunities for social interactions. However, technology has opened new issues and concerns such as a digital divide between gifted students who have ready access to technology and those who do not. For the gifted, many of the outcomes of increased and improved technology usage have yet to be determined as new 21st-century technologies rapidly emerge and inundate the lives and learning options of individuals who are gifted.

Because of the information available through the Internet, gifted students are provided numerous opportunities to consider the information trends presented through data, providing an opportunity for in-depth inductive and deductive analysis. According to Siegle, there are subcategories of gifted students who excel in the use of technology and technology applications. Gifted students who possess technological prowess can be appropriately challenged to encourage interest in learning, to grow in knowledge, and to engage in learning opportunities that address these unique abilities. Such technological giftedness may be expressed through expertise and passion toward computer programming or innovative use of software and hardware. Gifted students who are skilled in programming can use codes or computer languages to generate computer and Web applications. Highly capable technology consumers are efficient and effective in applying existing software and hardware packages in innovative and creative ways. Other gifted students may exhibit their giftedness through their skill in troubleshooting, assisting peers and teachers with using technology, and through their self-taught engagement with computers and peripherals. All types of technologically gifted students will likely find learning more [Page 708]motivating and applicable if advanced technological opportunities are a part of their curriculum.

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