No one who''s the parent of a teenager has to be told their kids have creative energy to burn. Writing in journals, drawing and painting, joining fan clubs, discussing movies and television with their friends-these are the kinds of things kids have been doing for decades.
Some adults seem to think so.
Books such as Don Tapscott''s The Digital Generation are written to explain to adults the impact of the digital age on its younger participants. Often, the experts encourage parents to give their children the computer advantage, claiming that the new media is in fact shaping young minds to create a newer, more open society in which the values of knowledge, creativity, and inclusiveness will be highly prized. To them, that day is here, and all you have to do is check out their more creative sites to feel the same way. Their responses to questions about their digital adventures suggest that, far from keeping students away from worthwhile pursuits, computers are giving kids the tools they need to explore their passions and their options. Mike''s been into computers since senior kindergarten, when his father brought home the family''s first computer.