Student Generated Question

At what age is it appropriate to assign students a task using technology?

Any by this question I mean, not classroom directed assignments, but work outside of the classroom. Should projects be typed and researched online by an 8 year old? Should technology be an option rather than mandatory? I have given many projects and assignments which would allow for additional research on the internet, but a majority of my third grade students choose not to use that medium. So much of their interaction with a computer up until now has been with the mouse, and occassional keyboard action when plugging in websites. They are very slow to use the computer for typing or research. Many of them don't have the permission of their parents to use the internet unless monitored directly by them, and then we run into problems of parents doing the assignment for the child.
I do use technology in the classroom, but I think I can only expect to expose them to it and try to make them comfortable with it rather than expect it to be used independently. Infact, third grade is the first year they recieve a computer class, so it is very new to many of them. I'm curious to hear what others might think.....