Can’t I just look it up? – In defense of books.

Yesterday Glory was writing about the internet and all of the useful information that it has. I think that sometimes it makes kids lazy, though. Yesterday, my son was assigned to read biographies of Helen Keller and Francis Scott Key from his history book. He was like, “Mom, why do I have to read this? Can’t I just look them up?”
One negative byproduct of the advent of the internet, I think, is that people are becoming less and less literate. I mean, MySpaCE alone is enough to make an English teacher run out of a room screaming and tearing out his or her hair. While quick reference books like dictionaries and encyclopedias (and even some mags and newspapers) can be sidestepped through the internet, sometimes, there is an experience and a breadth of information that cannot be obtained unless one reads a book/ebook.
Books are also easier for me to read for long stretches than the backlit monitor. That might be a result of my throwback status (I do know how to use the card catalog – you know, the one with those little cards and microfilm and microfiche) though.
My son ended up reading his assignment and learning something new, though I wonder how much longer he will be reading books in school.