When my children were small, we had one automobile, one television and one telephone. We were a family of seven, my husband, our five children and me. I also might add, we only had one bathroom. Yes, sometimes things got a little chaotic, especially when everyone was trying to get ready for a special occasion at the same time. And, as the children became teenagers, the telephone situation was a source of constant aggravation. But we managed.

Personal computers were unheard of back then. Computers had been invented, but they were room-size and used mostly in the banking industry. When a child needed to do a school paper on a certain topic, he or she dragged out a heavy volume of the encyclopedia. We had a complete twelve book set, with addendums. When I had a medical question, I called the nearest relative who knew someone who was a doctor or a nurse. When my husband wanted to purchase a new power tool, he drove to the hardware store or Sears and looked through their inventory, or hoped to find it in the Sears Catalog.

Things have changed drastically since the birth of personal home computers and the vast world of the Internet. The infinitesimal amount of information available through the superhighway is mind-boggling. If a child has a school paper on, say, "The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy," he/she can find all the information he/she can cram into the number of pages needed. Also, he/she can print out any information or pictures needed for the project.

If mom wants to know the signs and symptoms of strep throat, she need only type "strep throat" into any search engine and everything she wants to know is displayed before her. She can even shop online for the best bargains and for hard to find items. Dad can research the best power tools and where to buy them no need to go from store to store anymore. One of the most popular phrases in our society today is, "You can find anything on the Internet."

Some of those who benefit most from PC's and the Internet are college students. I can still remember having to type long term papers on an electric typewriter. How much easier is it to use a PC to do these same papers? Students today take it for granted that they can erase characters, lines or entire paragraphs and even move them around in their report. They can insert symbols and pictures, number pages, etc. without ever having to tear up a whole page and start over. And when they're done and have the paper exactly the

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