In short what this 'wired world' is creating is handful of technological wizards capable of creating more and more fantastic machines, and an army of downright morons operating them. If the purpose of the educational institutions is to teach kids how to operate that machinery - there is no need for such institutions at all. The electronic game industry can do the dumbing down much more effectively, and with willing participation of the dumbees themselves.
========================
This sounds like the plot of a science fiction novel. In fact, it IS the plot of several: experts wearing sliver togas luxuriate in cloud city, hording all the subtle knowledge and ruling the simple surface dwellers (or underground dwellers or wherever the poor sods happen to live).
Cliches aside, you don't need to sell me on the idea that digital technology is not creating a honey glazed wonderland. I know this better than many and have routinely argued against thought-free techno-enthusiasm (why just moments ago, I finished a spirited debate with a .Net enthusiast -- the unfortunate devil thinks Microsoft has done something extraordinarily wonderful).
Though I sort of agree with your points, I think you travel -- with remarkable enthusiasm -- too too far in depicting a world of mindless drones responding to screen icons like apes (an insult to apes as well, by the way).
I mentioned the use of technology in the classroom because Matthew -- in one of his responses to you last week -- listed the lack thereof as one of the problems facing students today.
Now, if you'll pardon me, I must return to the tireless work of creating simple, eye-catching interfaces for what early 21st century psychohistorian W. Sokolowski termed in one of his essays the 'vast dumbletariat' (it's a dirty job, but I have to pay for that lovely apartment in cloud city somehow).
.d.