I suspect that technology can be a great learning tool if:
1) The computing environment encourages kids to practice problem solving, critical thinking, and systematizing.
2) The kids are intrinsically motivated to spend their "screen" time using software that encourages the above, as opposed to any of the myriad distractions on computers.
#1 is a problem of finding and identifying the good software in the haystack of diversions.
This was easier in the pre-internet days because computers simply had far fewer consumer-oriented features.
#2 requires that kids actually be interested in and disciplined about thinking deeply about problems.
It also really helps if kids have a problem that they personally want to solve, which motivates them.
1) The computing environment encourages kids to practice problem solving, critical thinking, and systematizing.
2) The kids are intrinsically motivated to spend their "screen" time using software that encourages the above, as opposed to any of the myriad distractions on computers.
#1 is a problem of finding and identifying the good software in the haystack of diversions. This was easier in the pre-internet days because computers simply had far fewer consumer-oriented features.
#2 requires that kids actually be interested in and disciplined about thinking deeply about problems. It also really helps if kids have a problem that they personally want to solve, which motivates them.