My daughter has been using the computer since she was a preschooler. She is extremely technologically savvy, having begun building her own web content, etc. by the time she was about 10-11. Certainly she finds it liberating to be able to type rather than laboriously write out research papers, and to use the multimedia capabilities of powerpoint and other programs to create presentations. She loves to use the computer to produce animated short films.
It has been somewhat freeing for her. BUT.
I'd also caution that doing things without technology is important, and just like using a calculator to do basic mathematics, the technology can actually prevent kids (even gifties) from learning some of the skills that they need to develop.
Neuroscience has shown pretty clearly that computer 'writing' is definitely not the equivalent (biochemically) of doing so manually. It is for this reason that I still insist that my daughter MUST do note-taking on paper.
The difference in what she retains is astonishing.
I'll also say that when you are dealing with an HG+ child and technology-- oooooooooo.... it's a VERY scary (virtual) world. We all recognize that adolescents frequently do and say things on the web that are inappropriate/dangerous-- but remember that our gifties are intellectually more capable... and often as not, emotionally and executively asynchronous. That's a VERY toxic mixture.
In other words, I have a 12yo who has the ABILITIES of a college sophomore with the impulse control and life-experience of a 12 yo. It just doesn't really occur to her that there are child-predators in the world, or that other people would LIE in chat rooms and on message boards.
She's entirely capable of defeating any and all parental limits/controls on her computer usage, and that virtual world is extremely seductive, because it opens up the world of ADULT communication and on-level interests/information to her without the "you're just a kid" judging from others that can come in real life.
I guess what I'm saying is twofold:
-- a computer is no substitute for alternate methods of real-world discovery, but it can become so preferred as a tool that it's easy to discard the others entirely (which is a costly mistake in the long run),
and perhaps more importantly,
-- we as parents may have trouble placing controls on usage because our kids have the skills to do things to work around them, but not the maturity to know why they shouldn't.
Last edited by HowlerKarma; 05/24/11 10:40 AM.
