Web 2.0 and the history of the calculator?

I recently read an article about the pros and cons of calculator use in elementary education (http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr072.shtml). I found this article interesting because the calculator is a technology that has evolved exponentially from its inception; it reminds me of the internet. In 1895 the American Arithmometer Co. (a leading calculator company in its time) sold a total of 286 calculators (http://www.officemuseum.com/calculating_machines_adding_listing.htm). Fast forward 112 years and the number of calculators in the world is nearly impossible to calculate. For example, Casio alone passed the one billion mark at the end of December 2006 (Museum of Computing, 2007). So how does this relate to the internet? I believe that the internet is going through an evolution similar to that of the calculator. At first the calculator was a tool that was not accessible by all. As technology improved, so did its widespread use. Eventually it became pocket-sized and affordable. It entered the classroom and became an educational tool – it also became a topic for debate. This sounds very similar to the story of the internet. In a recent blog post by Kevin Dorsey, he mentions a faculty member who did not want to incorporate Web 2.0 technology into their teaching. As irritating as that faculty member may have been, the faculty members views are not surprising. The calculator debate, the "how and when" to integrate it, is still alive and strong 35 years after the pocket calculator became affordable. How many years are we into the "read/write web"? Seven? Eight? Better yet, how many years has Web 2.0 been a visible presence in your school?

As the presence of Web2.0 tools in the classroom increases, it seems logical to me that there will be a group of instructors who will question the "how and when" of the integration. In the article mentioned above, the author (Linda Starr) summarizes the following claims by both calculator proponents and critics. I have reprinted them below. In my opinion, this calculator debate could also apply to the web:

Calculator proponents claim that calculators

• allow students to spend less time on tedious calculations and more time on understanding and solving problems.
  
• help students develop better number sense.
  
• allow students to study mathematical concepts they could not attempt if they had to perform the related calculations themselves.
  
• allow students who would normally be turned off to math because of frustration or boredom to increase their mathematical understanding.
  
• simplify tasks, while helping students determine the best methods for solving problems.
  
• make students more confident about their math abilities.
  

Critics say calculators:

• produce students who can't perform basic tasks without a calculator.
  
• encourage students to randomly try a variety of mathematical computations without any real understanding of which is appropriate or why.
  
• prevent students from discovering and understanding underlying mathematical concepts.
  
• keep students from benefiting from one of the most important reasons for learning math -- to train and discipline the mind and to promote logical reasoning.
  
• inhibit students from seeing the inherent structure in mathematical relationships.
  
• give students a false sense of confidence about their math ability.
  

(http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr072.shtml, 2002)

I'm interested in learning more about the criticisms for internet use. I have an awareness of the social risks that are prevalent in the internet but what are the academic risks? Is there a cognitive consequence to introducing Web 2.0 tools early in a child's education?