Here are some excerpts from the statements given by each panelist on their position about the theme for tonight, "Growing Up Digital" read by Linda:

Mamie Rheingold. Author, professional performer of Theater and star of a popular children's CDROM, who also happens to be the 13 year-old daughter of author Howard Rheingold:

Uses a PC for homework. Doesn't have time or interest in hanging out just to meet people online.

Douglas Rushkoff. Author and specialist on the Cyberpunk genre:

Growing up digital makes young people harder to coerce.

Jeff Hawkins. Creator of the famous Palm Pilot and Entrepreneur:

His two daughters use email and the web, but technology has little affect on child behavior.

Jane Metcalfe. Creator and pioneer of the famous Wired Magazine and online definitive standard for Web sites, Hotwired:

Growing up Digital is a misnomer, kids incorporate digital stuff without knowing it's "cool".

Larry Cuban. Author and illustrious Stanford University professor:

New technology may help teach reading and math, but there is little proof of improvement over the traditional methods that help build the teacher-student relationship.

Linda read some quotes and asked the panel to comment on the Pro's and Con's of using Computers for Education in schools. On the positive side, we have access to information in a new way, meeting different cultures. On the negative side, we have Cyberstalkers and misinformation.

Larry's response dated back to 1986, when he wrote that TV was used in schools as a filler to break the pace.

Mamie gave the perspective of someone still in school, remembering a third-grade project for History class, that prompted her to create a map to click on objects in a Hypercard stack. She used the Internet to interview owners and managers of retail stores who were glad to help.

Getting back to Larry, Linda asked him to comment on the vision he wrote of in his very thin book [as she held up a slender copy for us to see]. Regarding teachers and students searching for information together, Larry answered there has been too much money spent on getting the equipment and connections into schools, but only a small percentage of teachers know how to use this new equipment.

Parents, he continued, are driven by hope and fear. Fear of automated jobs replacing people, [namely themselves] and hope that a computer will give their kids an edge in the workplace.

Jeff added that teachers are also driven by fear of looking dumb in front of the kids.

Linda asked Doug to comment on Jeff's statement, if teachers are afraid of losing their authority figure by failing to understand computers?

Doug qualified perhaps a certain kind of authority is lost if a kid learns online, once the teacher is no longer the sole source of information. But teachers could help kids de-mystify messages from the media, which bombards us with information supplied by everyone from McDonalds, to the President.

Linda asked Mamie if Programming was taught at her school?

Jane interrupted excited about this topic, exclaiming that the number of students, especially women, getting engineering degrees, has declined recently, and dramatically.

Doug explained that in the early days of mainframes, they had to learn programming, but now, he mentioned the Waldorf schools do not allow technology. He then added they also don't allow Sesame Street!

Jane added with a sneer, they were one color short of a whole pallette.

Linda held up a stack of magazines proclaiming today's so-called "Heroes" one of which showed a smiling Bill Gates, as she asked Mamie to comment on her idea of a role-model for today's youth.

Mamie began by politely declining to list Bill Gates, but instead won the hearts of the Peanut Gallery [and a brief enthusiastic applause of approval] for listing her parents and some of her teachers, and concluded with Bette Midler and Jody Foster as role-models to her, as an aspiring actress.

Linda proceeded to introduce a clip from Mamie's CDROM, an interactive story, starring the voice of Mamie as an adorable mouse, directing children to click on objects to follow the story.

Mamie described her experience including the surprise education in how voice tracks are laid one person at a time, without the benefit of the other actors to play against, demanding much concentration and imagination. She expressed her hope that parents will not simply sit their kids down in front of the monitor abandoning them, but urged them to help their children learn and play.

Jane added that she sees the same reaction in her little boy Orson, to voice and visuals on the PC, as he had to reading a "real" book.

We were treated to another clip, this time of a virtual classroom held at a museum, built by students from a city in the US and kids at a distant museum linked from Mexico City. In the virtual classroom, as students from either country picked up and used a hammer, they could all see the effect.

Linda asked Larry for his reaction, and he answered that clearly learning is not limited to just schools.

Doug introduced a term to us as

Propreoception

He explained that Virtual Reality gives him the same sensation.

Larry argued whether he would get the same reaction from kids as from adults?

To which, Doug responded that kids are exploring the boundaries of the self.

Things began to heat up, as Larry insisted that Doug differentiate between Novelty and Engagement.

Jeff intervened before a Celebrity Death Match could erupt, by citing his own pet peeve, of schools that are wired and fully automated, such as Harvard, but an area they are really failing in, is reaching the parents. Helping kids to understand what is expected of them by their homework assignments, is what is missing.

Linda picked up the ball and got everyone back on track, asking Mamie what she did not like about the Internet?

Mamie warned us, you need to check and double-check sources before believing the information they post, because anyone can post anything on the Web, and it is not always credible! [Cheers from the Peanut Gallery].

Linda stirred the pot of controversy by informing us the Government is going into the home, using the Net Privacy Law, claiming to protect us from web sites collecting personal information by checking our systems without our knowledge or consent.

The Children's Online Protection Privacy Act goes to Congress to vote in November.

The FTC reported 90 percent of all sites collect personal information from kids online, but only one percent ask for parental consent. Linda asked the panel to comment.

Doug responded by explaining to us, the rich and powerful firms on Wall Street, already have this information. He reminded us a few years ago when Lotus and Oracle, announced their intention to sell a CDROM with virtually every listing from every phone book in a massive database. People were so outraged at that time, that Oracle cancelled making that information available to the public, so now, the only ones to have access to that information, are the Fortune 500 companies.

Jeff confirmed Doug's dark, foreboding message, noting that as soon as he came home from the hospital after the birth of his first child, he began to receive direct-marketing brochures for baby products. The hospitals sell birth information to marketing companies. [I pondered on Avatars from birth to burial.. in a CyberCemetary].

Jeff went on to say that he gives his MasterCard to strangers every day, everybody thinks nothing of going into a restaurant and handing our credit card saying "Here, go into the other room with this!" [to big laughs from the Peanut Gallery].

Linda started to ask Mamie, but then commented that for 13, Mamie was already too savvy to fall for a hustle, online or otherwise, so Linda turned to Larry for comment.

Larry answered that Education has compulsory attendance, so libraries monitor and filter information in the outside world. Entering the home, on the other hand, there is a clash of basic values, one side claiming to protect the child's interest, the Liberals argue against censorship, but both exist.

Jeff gave us a great story, remembering the early days of television, when Soupy Sales was fired by the censors for telling kids to keep a secret, and go get the green stuff out of Daddy's wallet and mail it to Uncle Soupy! [huge laugh from the Peanut Gallery].

[I think Soupy was sentenced to 20 years on Matchgame].

Jane quoted Whit Duffy, a Cryptographer at Sun, who once said "With increase in technology, comes decrease in privacy".

Linda told a heart-wrenching story of how, as a little girl, she had written to the President's daughter, Lucy Johnson, upon learning of Lucy's hamster giving birth and asked if Linda could please have one of the baby hamsters?

A while later, she received a polite letter apologizing because all the hamsters had found homes, but it had the "Real" Presidential Seal on the letterhead, and it had a "Real" signature from Lucy, so it was something physical to treasure.

Linda asked us to consider, with today's kids using email, what is there for them to treasure?

Doug responded enthusiastically, that he got his very first Palm Pilot signed by the inventor, as he motioned to Jeff! [and the Peanut Gallery exploded with giggles].

We were treated to another video clip, this time of strange beings I had not encountered before, called TeleTubbies. Munchkin-size wearing space-suits, their small antennae waving as they bounced and biotelevisions in their large, round tummies. Disconcerting large, black eyes with no pupils, and high-pitched voices [my first reaction, It's A Small World meets A Clockwork Orange].

Linda asked the panel for reactions, explaining that we had just witnessed the hottest thing on television for 18-month olds. Is this a way to use Technology for Teaching?

Doug further explained to us that in Europe, "Ravers" are kids who stay out all night at a party, come home in the wee-small hours of the morning, and turn on TeleTubbies to wind down. Consequently, the censors got wind of how popular this show was among Ravers, and deemed it Psychadelic!

Jane pointed out with a trace of sarcasm, that what it does, is it empowers 18-month olds to speak incorrectly [some heartfelt applause of support from a small part of the Peanut Gallery].

Larry sat looking slightly stunned, and responded that it was his first exposure to TeleTubbies. It raises a question of preschool and youngsters, having a longterm effect of passivity. Perhaps in three, four or even ten years, no-one knows the effect it will have.

Jeff argued that they [TeleTubbies] granted no benefit, but posed no harm.

All eyes turned to Mamie, spokesperson for the younger generation, for insight into this mystery.

Mamie admitted although the show is aimed at a younger age set, she sees it occasionally with her friends. The thing she did not like, was that they would show a ten-minute clip, and then when they came back to the TeleTubbies, they would all jump up and down exclaiming, "Play it again! Play it again!" and they would, [she sighed and continued with perfect timing] I mean, she said plaintively, the WHOLE TEN MINUTES! [the Peanut Gallery burst into applause and laughter].