Thoughts for Thursday: Technology and Parenting

I watched a neat little show called Frontline, maybe you all have heard of it. Ok it's not neat, but they do cover some interesting topics. The episode I watched was on growing up in the internet age. Since most kids now will never know what it is like to not have a computer, cell phone, tv and video games. It discussed how the quickness of the internet can/has made kids less interested in traditional schooling, ie lectures and a blackboard. They was info and photos now and don't want to have to wait for it. One school went so far as to have every desk outfitted with a computer and a large screen in front that the teacher would lecture from the web from. I was a little weird to me. Kids were discussing how they just don't have enough time in their busy schedule to read anymore so they have to use sparkbooks, the internet equivalent of cliff notes. I won't lie I have used cliff notes a few times, but I actually read 95% of the books assigned to me. Though I do love to read. I don't see how their lives could possibly be that much more busy than mine was. Sure I didn't sit and chat on msn or such, but I did spend a fair amount of time on the phone. But I guess you can multi task on the phone. Unless your texting, which is all the rage. I worry sometimes that we will not be able to have normal conversations with each other it will be all in this IDK and TISNF. Sure I use LOL and OMG, but I actually say the full phrase out loud not the initials. The show also discussed the social networking, Facebook, My Space and IMing. How this is their hang out now instead of hanging out at the malt shop.
I also read FatJ's blog about being a tech savvy mom, which got me wondering how tech savvy do we as parents have to be? I had a computer growing up, but the internet wasn't really available until I was in college and then we had those little box macs, do you remember those? I used what were then called BBSes and some research stuff. I consider myself fairly sufficient in getting around a computer. My stepson uses MSN and I have told him I will be checking over your shoulder now and then and he said mom does too. I will trust the fact that as the kids said on Frontline. We can tell when someone is phishing us by the stupid questions they ask. I'm going to consider they understand the "don't talk to strangers" of the internet world. I will hope he doesn't become cyberbullied. But don't think that if you post something that the world can see that is illegal, something you wouldn't want me to see, or the like and not think it will get you in trouble. The kids on the show were like it was and invasion of our privacy when a mom found a bunch of video on a photos posted of high schoolers drinking and such on their way to a concert and called parents. Um, you posted it on the freaking world wide web, where was your expectation of privacy. Privacy was another thing discussed, parents didn't understand why kids were putting so much out there. Are we losing that need for privacy, I mean here I am blogging. I could just be writing in a journal. So I think I've gone of topic, so I guess, What are your thoughts on Technology and parenting or technology and kids today. You pick, or just ramble like I do.