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I think perhaps the problem is with what you mean by "researching projects". When I was at school (in the 1950s/60s) we did not "research projects". We thought that research was what you did if you stayed on at university after you had done your first degree. Does "researching projects" mean collating what other people have said about a topic, rather than discovering something new yourself? Even at first-degree level at university, when we had to write essays (in chemistry!) we would often find the best book on the subject and copy large chunks of that, often without memorising much of it. Has it been properly explained to the children why the teachers want them to combine several sources rather than just quote "the best"/most accessible? Andrew Buxton IDS, Brighton -----Original Message----- From: Lyn Barrett [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 26 January 2005 13:17 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Use of computers by children Sorry to those of you not interested. Has anyone working in a public library noticed how children use computers? In the branch library I work in we have noticed recently that children using our PATs have become lazy when researching projects for school. Whereas in the past they wanted book after book, now the first site on the internet is printed out and the material handed into school, very often I suspect unread. Teachers in our local school have also noticed this habit. We have all of the classes of the local primary school visit us every week for library skills sessions and I have been trying to teach the older classes how to use the internet efficiently and safely and I have noticed also that children with quite good comprehension skills do not translate them to using the computer. They simply do not READ what is on the screen. They look at images on the screen and want instant information fed to them. Those who do not rely on print-outs copy verbatim what the site contains but can repeat very little ! of the information in their own words. I would be interested to find out if this is a local phenomenon or is it wide spread? This message is for the addressee only and may contain privileged or confidential information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDS. Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RE Tel: +44 (0)1273 606261; Fax: +44 (0)1273 621202 IDS, a charitable company limited by guarantee: Registered Charity No. 306371; Registered in England 877338; VAT No. GB 350 899914