Why Your Kids Aren’t Spending Too Much Time Online

In the old days, you used to hear parents complain about their kids watching too much TV.

Times and technologies have changed, of course, but the worries haven’t disappeared. Instead they’ve morphed into more modern beefs that students are wasting time on the computer or the Net, and not paying enough attention to their homework.

But that may not really be the case, according to one expert. What mom and dad may not realize is that in an increasingly web-connected world, going online often is homework.

“They have a whole new culture that’s one of innovation, creativity and speed and collaboration,” explains Don Tapscott, whose book “Growing Up Digital” addresses the techno-generation gap. “So what do we do? We stick them in a cubicle and try to manage them like Dilbert and we take away their tools.”

Instructors are also becoming increasingly aware that honing web skills is vital to the future graduates, as the Internet stretches its tentacles into more and more workplaces.

“Our students are different students from the way I learned, from the way my parents learned, from where their parents learned,” agrees teacher Marissa Largo. “So we can’t have these traditional forms of education for this new type of learner.”

She encourages her students to blog, master html and post photos online, all in the name of education.

The kids appreciate the approach, even if their parents don’t get it. “My mom was will always be like, you’re not doing that right, you’re playing video games, you’re not really working on your homework,” one 17-year-old gripes. “But to be honest I am working on my homework. They’re just making assumptions because like they’ve never seen that before.”

But it’s not just moms and dads. Largo’s school once blocked the web service Blogger, which allows students to set up their own blogs, until she convinced the board it was a learning tool. 

Another classroom encourages kids to pass notes – but only through MSN.

“Them calling us stupid just because we have our own way of doing things is wrong,” the teen relates. “Just because they want us to go about it the same way as they did.”

But parents seem wise to be wary, after hearing stories of Facebook bringing down grades, Wikipedia spreading inaccurate facts and Twitter being a total time waster.

Tapscott is anxious to debunk those theories. “Are they the dumbest generation? They’re graduating from university more than ever before. IQ is up year over year for two decades actually. SAT scores are at an all-time high.”

He believes the Net and the computer are not only great learning tools but ones that actually work. “I don’t think there’s any more powerful force to change institutions than this massive generation of digital natives.

“Exhibit A,” he concludes. “They just elected the first president.”