Computers in the Classroom - Story Options

I'm new to all of this. What kind of state-of-the-art educational software is being developed today?

I'm interested in getting my students on-line so they can talk with other young people. What can kids do over the Internet?

I think computers are an important teaching tool, but I don't think they can ever replace traditional classroom experimentation and exploration. Are there any services which would cater to this belief?

All this talk about hi-tech wizardry is great, but meanwhile, I'm stuck with a limited amount of ten-year-old computers. With so much of the country learning with newer equipment, are older computers of any use?