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Is the Internet Making School Kids Experts or Idiots?
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Is the Internet Making School Kids Experts or Idiots?

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In the Age of the Internet, school districts are laying off librarians.  Is that an appropriate way to save money, or will it deprive kids of the critical skills they need to assess and evaluate a welter of information? Also, threats and vandalism over the healthcare bill, and new rules will make it harder to discharge gays and lesbians from the military.  Will they pave the way to abandoning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?"

Banner image: Students work on their laptops during class August 31, 2001 at the Discovery Charter School in Tracy, California Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Making News

Healthcare Bill Leads to Violence ()

Today, the Congress and Senate are trying to finalize healthcare reform. Last night, more than 100 House Democrats met with Capitol Police and the FBI to voice concern over recent threats and vandalism. Ohio Democrat Steve Driehaus blames Republican rhetoric. Though he did not respond directly to that accusation, Republican leader John Boehner decried the violence, as did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Gail Russell Chaddock reports on Congress for the Christian Science Monitor.

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Main Topic

Is the Internet Making School Kids Experts or Idiots? ()

Almost every American student in K through 12 now has access to a computer. But public school districts are desperately short of money. What do they do in the Internet Age? They lay off librarians. Internet-savvy kids can do research on Google, but who's teaching them how to cull through that mass of information to separate fact from fiction? Boosters of the digitized culture say the Age of Gatekeepers is over, that the idea of authority is being overwhelmed by the prospect of freedom. Critics say that will leave kids to fend for themselves in world full of misinformation and propaganda. We hear both sides.

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Reporter's Notebook

Pentagon Relaxes Enforcement of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ()

Calling it a matter of "common sense and common decency," Defense Secretary Robert Gates today approved new rules making it harder to discharge gays and lesbians from the armed services. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" dates back to the Clinton Administration in 1973. Critics have said it forces service members to lie, when integrity is what the military needs most. Bryan Bender is national security reporter for the Boston Globe.

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