Students in digital worlds: Lost in Sin City or reaching Treasure Island?

The passionate debate aroused both within education and the wider world concerning the impact of the spread of digital technologies, especially those supporting the Internet, is summed up by the question ‘Are students becoming lost in Sin City or heading for Treasure Island?’ This paper while recognizing the strength of debate, reviews the evidence for and against the value of the Internet in enhancing cognitive and social abilities of students. While both critics and proponents of the use of digital technologies in education attest to the holding power of these technologies, the key question here is whether such attraction has a positive or a negative impact on students. Two disparate uses of the technology are used to inform this debate. These are the formal educational use of the digital store that is the World Wide Web, and informal learning environments that are created through on-line gaming. The conclusion here is that digital technologies have real potential as educational tools, but those technologies are not risk free.