TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL - Educators and high-tech leaders are recognizing the importance of teaching Internet ethics in school as children grow increasingly proficient with technology. Many students have the skills to hack computer systems, spread viruses, download illegal music files and plagiarize content from the Internet, but they do not understand the ethical issues involved in these activities. "Kids today have the technical skills of adults but the ethical skills of very small children," says Cherie Geide, an adjunct professor at Marymount University. A recent Scholastic survey reports that almost half of elementary and middle school students indicated they do not believe hacking is a crime. Students tend to view stealing and other illegal activities differently on the Internet than in the real world because victims and perpetrators are anonymous in the online environment, Geide says. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice and the Information Technology Association of America have formed the Cybercitizen Partnership, which is creating a technology ethics curriculum that will be released to schools next year. (Industry Standard, 20 Nov 00 - Edupage 17 Nov 00)

COOPERATION NEEDED FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES - A $300,000 study sponsored by the National Science Foundation, proclaimed that science, math and technology education coordinated between K-12 schools and colleges would help schoolchildren become more literate. To facilitate this, the study also suggests that teachers be continually trained and educated by the colleges and universities, working together to create the training and research. Fourteen universities are currently working with the National Education Association to create programs. (eSchool News, Oct 00)

MIT MEDIA LAB IS 15 AND EXPERIENCING CONTROVERSY - As the MIT Media Lab celebrates its 15th birthday and looks forward to a $100,000 million expansion, both students and faculty are expressing concern over intellectual property rights and the potential for future conflicts of interest. According to the lab's directors, it is difficult to remain free of corporate demands in an era when corporations have replaced the federal government as the prime source of academic-research funding. (New York Times, 9 Nov 00)

BOOM IN IT TRAINING POSES CHALLENGES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION - Clifford Adelman, a senior research analyst at the Department of Education, recently released a study on the growth of IT certification examinations and how this trend is affecting traditional colleges. Titled "A Parallel Postsecondary Universe," the study describes the more than 300 IT certification exams now in existence as a new educational industry separate from higher education. However, Adelman says certain kinds of traditional colleges could move into certification training programs, especially for computer science majors. Although Adelman says certification programs do not reduce the need for traditional degrees, he concedes that in some cases degrees are not necessary for people with IT certification. In his paper, Adelman says the number of certificate holders without a B.A. rose from 19 percent in 1996 to 37 percent in 1998. IT certification has significantly advanced the idea of competency-based testing, and traditional colleges and universities could learn from this example, Adelman says. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 6 Nov 00 - Edupage 8 Nov 00