I think the interesting issues arise from the internet, rather than computers per se. A PC not connected to the net is a great tool for some quantitative subjects, especially at more advanced levels, and also makes it easier to write. But I'd guess its educational value in schools is modest at best - a glorified calculator and type writer[1].

The internet by contrast seems pretty mind-blowing in its potential. I remember doing history at school and struggling with the one text book provided, and the meagre related books in my parents' home. Now, when my son or I want to get some historical material on Henry VII or whoever, the amount of stuff available from a google search is amazing. It's even starting to get useful at a post-graduate research level. It's a cliche, but it is getting like having the British library in your bedroom. This can only be good.

The writer seems concerned about the social aspects of internet interaction and again these seem almost as revolutionary. To read bloggers in invaded Iraq, to interact with Germans about their recent election, etc. This is a pretty unprecedented widening of the circle of concern and connections. I think that's very enriching and educational. It is true that the internet gives the capacity to cause offense and walk away. But presumably this is just another form of social interaction that people must learn to cope with. I've certainly pondered over how to deal with people on the internet and if anything find that it hones certain social skills - you learn to be more careful and thoughtful in your interactions, when shorn of the body language that eases conventional forms of exchange. I'm sure kids will play out various roles on the net, not all of them responsible. But I suspect these interactions will allow them to develop their personality. I don't agree with the writer that they have to switch off the computer to do that.

[1]Given that computers are likely to be used mainly for non-educational purposes, I can quite understand that high usage lowers time available for educational purposes and hence hinders learning. The internet as a recreational device might be a similar time sink.