Well... maybe.
They're generally better an high-level math. They know how to use a computer and cell phone. And they can spell words in third grade that I didn't learn until middle school. But are they "smarter"? I've heard it said that kids today "don't have any common sense." And I would generally agree because, quite frankly, we don't give them a good reason to have it.
My grandfather, about whom I've written before, is in his 80's. He has a 5th grade education. He's not a math wiz and he would rather use a computer as a make-shift welding table than submit his taxes online with it. But the man can think and reason like no other. He has mind like a black hole and he's helped me solve more engineering problems than the "professionals" have been able to solve.
My fear is this. With on-demand address books, mobile calendars synced to every Internet-enabled device we own and GPS devices directing our every turn, the way of the memory, critical thinking and reasoning is going out the window.
We aren't creating people like my grandfather any more.
I'm not saying technology is a bad thing. Hey, I'm a software nerd; I love technology. I'm just saying that we need to be sure to create opportunities for our children (and ourselves) to continually learn, to think critically, to solve problems, to reason deductively, to memorize and to fail and get back up.
As parents, it's our job to equip our kids to be successful. My goal is raise my kids to be "smart" like my grandfather. And if you knew him, I'm pretty sure that would be your goal too.