The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap

Accustomed from early childhood to using computers both at home and in school, the next generation is becoming more comfortable and technologically fluent than most adults. Papert shows us that this new-found independence in children's exploration of the world has profound consequences. Rejecting both the dire warnings of "cybercritics" and the fantasies of "cypbertopians", Papert addresses parents' most pressing questions on the formidable changes around us. He tells us how video games can be transformed into a positive learning experience; why much of "educational" software is contrary to the best principles of learning; why "cyberporn" is only part of the much larger issue of how the computer presence affects values; and, above all, how to bridge the digital generation gap that threatens to further separate children and their parents.