Abstract
Today’s adolescent is a native in a digital world to which adults can only hope to immigrate (Prensky, 2001). Students live in a world of instant communication, infinite information, and ever-changing technology. It is crucial that schools prepare their students for a 21st century literacy that goes beyond reading and writing text. Today’s literate individual utilizes higher order thinking, is creative, is at ease with technology, and can work collaboratively. Gifted students typically possess skills that are particularly effective with and enhanced by current technology, and it is incumbent upon educators of the gifted to incorporate technology within instructional practices. Benefits of applying constructivist theory and technology to teaching gifted adolescents as well as an example lesson plan are provided to illustrate successful use of technology with gifted middle school students.
Introduction
Education must prepare students for a technology-driven world of which many educators and adults cannot even conceive. Technology is changing daily. Cell phones are now utilized as cameras, music players, and organizers. Instant messaging, text messaging, and blogging enable communication with previously unthinkable ease, speed, and regularity. Teaching students to merely utilize today’s technology is insufficient; the innovation is often obsolete as soon as it is developed. It is necessary in today’s evolving world to prepare students to be proficient using technology in an academic and thought-provoking manner, to think critically, and to become creative problem solvers—in other words, to develop 21st century literacy skills (Burkhardt, et al., 2003).
The Gifted Digital Native
The modern teenager is a native in a digital world. Teens are coming of age in a communication era, at ease with a vast array of available technology and media. Unlike their adult counterparts, who must learn this new digital culture, adolescents are already a native in this new world (Prensky, 2001).
According to a 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation Study, children ages 8 to 18 typically spend a third of their day, approximately 8.5 hours, using media including screen media, music, computers, gaming, and print. Of this time, one-quarter, or approximately 2 hours, is spent multi-tasking or using multiple forms of media. The most often used media format is screen media followed closely by music. Although third in exposure time, children aged 8 to 18 report using a computer over 1 hour each day, doubling the findings from a similar 1999 study (Roberts, Foehr, & Rideout, 2005).
A 2005 Pew Study reported that 87% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 use the Internet, up from 73% in 2000. Of this 87%, half use the Internet daily. They communicate differently than their adult counterparts. Of the online teens, 75% regularly utilize the Instant Messaging (IM) format, nearly double the 42% of adults who use IM. When instant messaging, teens are sharing more than text; they are using multiple functions and attaching pictures, links, and documents to their messages (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005). Current adolescents are comfortable in the digital world. They are able to download and share music, images, and documents, and they communicate effortlessly with others, utilizing a variety of formats. It is this familiarity and ease with the digital world that makes technology a vital component in education. Though adolescents may enjoy using technology and are comfortable with a variety of formats, they do not necessarily know the most effective ways to apply technology as a student and a thinker. Essentially, they need to develop 21st century literacy skills. The gifted student is no exception.
The definition of giftedness has progressed from conservative definitions, relying on IQ scores, to more liberal definitions that incorporate student potential and performance (Clark, 1997; Renzulli, 2002). In Renzulli’s (1977) three-ring conception of giftedness, giftedness is the intersection of above-average ability, commitment to task, and creativity (Reis & Renzulli, 1985; Renzulli, 1977, 2002). By conceptualizing giftedness in this manner, students whose talent may lie outside traditional verbal tasks can be recognized.
Renzulli’s Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness
Students whose ability, creativity, and task commitment fall within the technological fields are categorized as either programmers or interfacers (O’Brien, Friedman-Nimz, Lacey, & Denson, 2005; Siegle, 2004b; 2005). Programmers typically prefer to work alone with a computer, creating programs and developing web sites. Interfacers enjoy assisting teachers and other students in trouble-shooting, working with software applications, and improving out-dated technology. Although students can be specifically talented in the technical fields, all gifted students benefit from opportunities associated with evolving technology.
Gifted students are as heterogeneous as any group of students. However, there are some cognitive characteristics that have been identified in many, if not most, gifted students. A full listing of cognitive traits as identified by Clark (1997) is found in Figure 1. These traits can be summarized into five general trends in cognition. First, gifted children typically demonstrate above average verbal ability. They are able to use word play, see connections, speak extemporaneously, and communicate their ideas. Second, gifted students often appear sponge-like, soaking up and retaining large quantities of information, thereby demonstrating a vast array of knowledge. Third, gifted children posses the ability to think quickly, processing information more rapidly than their same-age peers. Fourth, gifted students typically demonstrate high levels of flexibility in thinking. They are able to develop various solutions to problems and readily see alternative perspectives. Finally, gifted students demonstrate originality and creativity in thought and product. These students are able to “think outside the box.” The gifted child’s ability to process large quantities of information, to think creatively, and to effectively communicate ideas enables him or her to process and work through the vast amount of information available on the Internet. Current technology, especially the Internet, provides the classroom teacher with a tool to challenge the gifted student’s cognitive abilities.
