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Facebook, Twitter and the tools that enable them sometimes get a bad rap. A recent example: a weekend article in the San Francisco Chronicle, which quotes mental health professionals who worry that addiction to our digital tools will lead to a breakdown of interpersonal relationships and a rise in attention deficit disorder.

A new study from the University of Minnesota does not address those issues but does suggest social networks are a good way to get young people engaged current events and civic affairs, and have much potential as teaching tools.

Guest: Christine Greenhow, University of Minnesota

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Yesterday we heard from Fordham University Law associate professor Zephyr Teachout, who predicted that the Internet would cause the next generation to turn away from college campuses in favor of online education.

Today we have a rebuttal from John Sener, an online learning consultant and director of special initiatives for the Sloan Consortium, a group that promotes online education.

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Colleges, like newspapers, will be torn apart by the Internet, according to Zephyr Teachout, associate professor of law at Fordham University.

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Minneapolis' Roosevelt High School teacher Delainia Haug has tapped the power of digital media to create a learning community -- called DigME -- in her school. Using a variety of digital media, students are studying and producing content across four separate subjects.

I know the idea of a digital carrot-and-stick to motivate students is not necessarily new. But what Cynthia Lewis at the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development notes is that many students in this generation -- who we think are entirely comfortable with digital media -- often have few skills that they'll need, especially in college. In fact, this program seems to be showing the students that they can go to college.

It's unclear what the impact of a digital media program is on increased student achievement; this is the first year of the program and there were no plans -- this year -- to study the effect on progress. But Lewis keeps an eye on what the kids are up to and if the fact they're updating their wiki pages late into the evening is any indication, motivation will translate into success.

Here's the entire interview with Cynthia Lewis.

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Corner-cutting college students have long been able to pay someone to write an essay or term paper for them. But the Internet has turned the essay mill into a global enterprise, and makes cheating a little easier and more convenient for students wanting to avoid writing tough papers on subjects like Tolstoy or transportation technology.

Guest: Thomas Bartlett, Chronicle of Higher Education

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Ever notice how fast kids kids seem to learn intricate video games? There's a school of thought that says there's something about the nature of games that help kids learn effectively -- perhaps more so than in traditional school-based learning. There's a new public school opening soon in New York City that aims to use game design principles to create immersive, game-like learning experiences for students. Quest to Learn is a grade six through 12 school that will open its doors in the fall.

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A new non-profit venture called The University of the People will employ free academic materials that other schools have posted online, volunteer professors and student social networking in a bid to offer real college degrees. The Internet-based school will charge only modest fees, but no tuition, and will attempt to become a fully accredited school.