People with relatives overseas can use the Internet to make cheap online phone calls, saving lots of money and allowing families to stay in touch more easily. Pulling up a chair next to a child and searching the Net together provides a far better chance to develop a child's critical thinking skills. Yes, Virginia, there are different ways of measuring the population of Tibet. When children cruise the Internet, they're reading, analyzing, evaluating, comparing their thoughts, telling stories, collaborating and innovating. It is not just sitting in front of the boob tube.
Kids become the initiators, the learners and, with the right interaction, the debaters.
Unfortunately, too many parents use the computer as a substitute baby sitter. Parents need to insinuate themselves into their children's computer activities. To start, they need to become computer-savvy themselves. You can't supervise effectively if you don't understand what your child is doing online. The more you use computers, the more human contact you need, the more guidance and the more conversation.