The expansion of widespread media has caused the youth of today to respond increasingly well to media stimulation. There is a new form of education growing in the United States today, it's called computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), and it may be the new way children are educated in this country.

The philosophical foundations of CSCL are based on situated learning communities of learners, and cognitive apprenticeships. (Larsia V. Shavinina, 2001) CSCL changes the focus from the traditional learning style of memorizing to children practicing life skills in a virtual world.

The philosophy of on-line learning was tested in 36 schools around the nation by the National Geographic's Society for Kids' Network. Studies show that students who participated in the online study outperformed their peers in usual classrooms on grasps of specific scientific knowledge, and generally outperformed students in control groups on issues with no real connection to their field of...