Design+Report



=GnT Connected: Social Media for Gifted and Talented Students in a Rural or Isolated Setting.= =//GnT Connected: A Social Media Platform designed to address the Social and Physical Isolation of Gifted and Talented Students particularly in a Rural or Isolated Setting. RF//=

It is difficult for teachers to adequately meet the needs of gifted students, when those students are in a regular classroom with students their own age. Furthermore, gifted and talented students face social and emotional risks, with many gifted students either having few friends, or sacrificing their academic achievement to make more friends (Reis & Renzulli 2004, pp. 121-2). It is our opinion that these risk factors associated with gifted and talented students are exacerbated by the isolation of attending a rural school. We are proposing a pilot program, named "GnT Connected" (Gifted 'n' Talented), that will utilise social media tools to foster social, emotional and academic growth for gifted and talented students in rural or isolated school contexts
 * Introduction**

Outline who our target community is. Emphasise the challenges of rural/isolated education, particularly the idea of G/T students in this setting Gifted and Talented students need to experience activities that are beyond the common educational level, these activities must provide enrichment and extend their understandings and skills in complex and challenging ways, thus allowing students to fully utilise their intellectual potential. Given that Gifted and Talented students are geographically dispersed in rural and isolated areas, it is necessary to develop mechanisms that allow the integration of these students in online activities aimed at supporting students from various localities in a more effective way. Thus allowing students to learn by participating in collective social actions where learners can establish social relationships of knowledge sharing to enhance their learning and reduce their isolation (Smith 2003, 2009).
 * The Problem - Our Target Audience**
 * Modif Start * C. Solis 22-05-2011


 * Modif End

GnT Connected is a learning community that groups Gifted and Talented students from different schools and geographic locations, who participate in various local and regional meetings and activities. The aim of the community is to provide extended learning activities in Reading, Logo, e-Toy, Software Design and Development, Artificial Intelligence and also coordinate local and regional meetings for its members. The implementation of a social network that allows members to interact synchronously and asynchronously will allow participants to have closer relationships with peers and teachers. Participants will be able to communicate using instant messaging, blog posts, email, text and video chat for the interchange of ideas, knowledge, comments and feedback. Members will also be able to establish academic and social interactions with peers from diverse schools and localities, thus reducing the sense of isolation of those students that live in remote and rural areas.
 * The Concept - Key Features of GnT Connected**
 * Modif start C Solis 23-05-2011





Clubs

Modif End

Outline what GnT is - should involve a brief explanation of what social media is, as well as the differences between closed and open social media. This section should also have graphics/diagrams that explain our community
 * A graphic that shows a timeline of implementation - meeting online, followed by regional meetings,
 * A graphic (probably a hierarchal graphic) that shows the features of the website, and the idea of clubs within a wider social community
 * A graphic showing the various features available to students/teachers

Given the geographic isolation of the members of the Gifted and Talented community, there are restrictions for weekly face-to-face activities and meetings. Therefore the facilities provided by existing social media give the opportunity to reach members of the community irrespective of their geographic location. Furthermore, participants can directly interact amongst themselves, at their own pace and with minimal time restrictions. Using social media it is possible to offer continued support to members, engaging members in daily activities directed to improving their knowledge and skills, assisting students to achieve their learning goals and further develop their social skills by means of daily interactions with peers and teachers.
 * Why Social Media? A Rationale for our Community**
 * Modif Star C Solis 25-05-2011**
 * Modif End ** Explanation of why we are using Social Media to solve this particular problem. Should be linked to research. Explain the idea of teaching social media by using social media (link to some of the various grey literature might be helpful)

Making explicit links between the research and our design. The previous section is a rationale about using Social media on a more general scale. This section will address our specific choices in terms of features and functions of our community
 * The Theory - Rationale for our Design**

This section hasn't been explicitly requested as part of our assignment. However, I think it is important that we show an awareness of some of these issues. I think it will be beyond the scope of this essay to offer solutions of suggestions to all of these issues.
 * Further Considerations - Obstacles and Challenges**


 * Conclusion**


 * References**

Colangelo, N., Assouline, S. and Gross, M. 2004, //A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students - The Templeton National Report on Acceleration//, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, viewed 22 May 2011, <[]>

Smith, M. K. (2003, 2009) 'Communities of practice', //the encyclopedia of informal education //, __[|www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm] __.

Reis, S. M. and Renzulli, J. S. 2004, "Current research on the social and emotional development of gifted and talented students: good news and future possibilities". //Psychology in the Schools//, vol. 41, no. 1, pp.119–30.