This document contains a series of quotes from 1703 to 1985 criticizing students' dependence on new technologies for writing and calculation. Teachers and administrators expressed concerns that students no longer knew how to write without slates, paper, ink, fountain pens, or perform calculations without store-bought ink or handheld calculators. The document argues this shows a sad decline in education and prepares students poorly for the real world. It concludes that new technologies will always be criticized but are still embraced.

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/kt_ries/3317778740/in/
photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28353227@N08/
4389230345/
Attributed to Common Creatives
By dailylifeofmojo Dennis M.
Creative Commons
Photos by Alesha Bowers,
creative commons, flickr