The origin and development of using computers and the internet by children and young people in the USA an the some EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES. Comparative aspects

Abstract

Use of computers and the Internet in education is favourable for building a new-quality society – in-formation society. Experiences of the United States and the some European Union countries in this field show that throughout the last two decades, this occurred through several distinctive stages. It is the enthu-siasm of the beginning as well as two stages which could be called „dashed hopes” and „the new way”. Comparing the USA and the EU countries, one can discern numerous mutual experiences, but there are also individual features, particularly at the stage of building „the new road”, which is to help establish a new set of paradigms used for effective and safe use of computers and the Internet by young users.