Don't lump television and cyberspace together as wasteland enemies of literacy.

Unlike TV, which disengages imaginations and spoonfeeds consumers, cyberspace is the best educational tool yet for encouraging reading and writing.

And forget the psychobabble about cyberspace disconnecting interpersonal relationships. Cyberspace has spawned thousands of chatrooms discussing every imaginable subject.

Cyberspace users must read and write fluently to operate their systems. Computers, after all, are just electronic slaves that won't work unless given precise directions.

Anyone who doubts the positive role of computers in promoting literacy should watch preschool and primary students mastering keyboards and program directions to play games and solve problems.

Even the elementary task of selecting program icons requires thought and learning. Creativity is also enhanced by cyberspace because of the plethora of fonts, colors, shapes, sizes and tools in even the most basic programs.

Cyberspace's Internet allows every user access to his own "reference librarians" to explore every subject imaginable. Cyberspace is part of the neighborhood needed to raise a child.(9 APRIL 2000).