This document presents quotes from various teachers' conferences and publications spanning from 1703 to 1985, each complaining about students' dependence on new technologies for writing and calculating that were seen as luxuries at the time, such as slates, paper, ink, pencils, pens, and calculators. The concluding paragraph notes that despite these recurring complaints about new technologies throughout history, their use has continued and now includes computers, and that technological changes will likely continue to be met with similar complaints in the future.

1. Technology and
Education

2. "Students today can’t prepare bark to
calculate their problems. They depend upon
their slates which are more expensive. What
will they do when their slate is dropped and
it breaks? They will be unable to write.
-Teachers Conference, 1703

3. "Students today depend
upon paper too much.
They don’t know how to
write on slate without
getting chalk dust all over
themselves. They can’t
clean a slate properly.
What will they do when
they run out of paper?"
-Principal’s Association,
1815

4. "Students depend too
much on ink. They
don’t know how to
use a pen knife to
sharpen a pencil. Pen
and ink will never
replace the pencil."
-National Association
of Teachers, 1907

5. "Students today depend upon store
bought ink. They don’t know how to
make their own. When they run out
they will be unable to write words or
ciphers until their next trip to the
settlement. This is a sad
commentary on modern education.
-The Rural Teacher, 1929

6. "Students today depend upon
these expensive fountain
pins. They can no longer write
with a straight pen and nib
(not to mention sharpening
their own quills). We parents
must not allow them to
wallow in such luxury to the
detriment of learning how to
cope in the real business
world, which is not so
extravagant."
-PTA Gazette, 1941

7. "Ball point pens will be the ruin
of education in our country.
Students use these devices and
then throw them away. The
virtues of thrift and frugality are
being discarded. Business and
banks will never allow such
expensive luxuries."
-The Federal Teacher, 1950

8. "Students today depend too much on
hand-held calculators."
-Anonymous, 1985

9. Today we still use pens, pencils and calculators.
Now we have computers which make our lives
even easier and I’m sure that no matter what
changes happen in the future someone will
complain about it.

10. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24707395@N02/2990202662/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroslines/2254480335/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46573844@N03/4426975101/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaipodpics/5736509723/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter/76056924/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fncll/6973213718/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/combsw/8125495743/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/combsw/8125497177/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/combsw/8125495125/in/photostream/