During a debate at the Royal Institution in London recently, Dr Susan Blackmore turned on its head the idea that the Web is a boon to education.

Blackmore, reader in psychology at the University of the West of England in Bristol, predicted that the rapid advancement of new technology would mean so much information was available at the touch of a button that we humans would no longer need to gain knowledge in the traditional way - by storing information in our memories.

"Traditionally, what has primarily been an issue for education has been putting knowledge into kids heads," she said. "But now it will be about showing them how to navigate in that world. You are going to have kids who are going to have minds which are fundamentally different to ours. That will cause all sorts of problems in how they relate to adults."

Radical Shift
Other academics took the pro-Internet stance during the debate. Richard Dawkins, the world-renowned evolutionary biologist, said the Internet's power to make information instantly available to millions of people at little cost meant it heralded the "most radical shift in educational epidemiology" since the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, "and probably since the origin of language itself."

Professor Dawkins, professor of the public understanding of science at Oxford University, went on to say that education was the remedy for "mental epidemics" such as Islamist militancy. The Internet provides the means for that remedy to be administered. However Dawkins conceded that "there remains the problem that the people we most want to educate - for instance, the faith heads of Afghanistan - can't afford personal computers."

But he is hopeful that this will change in the next decade. "The best experts I can find all expect exponential increase in computer power per unit cost to continue at the present rate (doubling almost every 18 months) for at least another 10 years. This is amply long enough to ensure that access to the Internet will be virtually free to anyone who can afford the electricity," he said.

Leveller
While we at DCLnews share some of Dr Susan Blackmore's concerns - people are increasingly losing their ability to memorize information - we have to come out on Richard Dawkins' side of the argument.

In our view, the Internet is the first force in history to offer a level playing field to everyone in the world - no matter what their gender, race, class, or level of income. So long as they can get access to a computer and hook up to the Web, they can get the education they need.

Economic Equalizer
The Internet also makes it possible for someone from the Third World to become affluent. With vision and a good idea, anyone can become the next Bill Gates, irrespective of their current station in life. In Latin America, for instance, the Internet has worked as a kind of economic equalizer against what became known as "digital apartheid". The region is now hailed by investors as one of the last virtual frontiers, with Internet use growing at more than 50 percent a year. Various projects are helping this come about. To cite just one example: a school run by a non-profit organization was recently set up in a shantytown in Rio de Janeiro to allow youngsters to practise their learning skills on computers hooked up to the Web.

At it's best, the Internet is empowering. And if the kind of problems outlined by Susan Blackmore do arise, it is likely that we will find effective ways to deal with them. Maybe she isn't giving us humans, and particularly our children, enough credit for being able to adapt and meet challenges.

We at DCLnews would suggest that Blackmore look at the many instances of how the Internet is slowly but surely transforming the third world - and bringing educational opportunities that would hardly of been dreamed of in the pre-connected world.

DCLnews Editorial

To read more about the debate held at the Royal Institute in London on October 11th, go to: Guardian Unlimited