Concerns about technology

Eric sent me a link to this blog post, and I couldn’t resist quoting it at length:

BRIEF HISTORY OF CHANGE IN EDUCATION

The concern is that students can no longer properly prepare bark to be used to calculate the problems in class, as they have come to depend upon the new slates. What will they do when a slate is dropped and broken?
- 1703 Teachers’ Conference Report

We can no longer ignore the disturbing reliance that is developing upon paper. Children no longer learn proper handling and preparation of the slate, as is evidenced in the habit of getting dust all over themselves. What will they do when they run out of paper?
- 1815 Principals’ Meeting Minutes

The greatest threat to education today is students not being expected to maintain their ability to properly use the knife to maintain a functional point on their pencils. The trend of using ink for writing must not be encouraged or tolerated.
- 1907 National Association of Teachers Report

We are appalled at teachers allowing students to use store-bought ink in the classroom. The inability to be able to mix their own writing ink threatens the very success of a student’s education. Those students running out of ink will not be able to effectively participate in the lessons until they make their next trip to the settlement.
- 1928 Rural American Teacher

The ball point pen will be the ruin of education. Students use these devices and then just throw them away. The values of thrift and frugality are being spurned, leading an entire generation of young people astray. Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.
- 1950 National Education Report

Electronic calculator..smalculator. Not in my classroom you won’t!
- Mr. Kite’s 7th Grade Math Class, Beardstown, IL 1965</blockquote>

I have no idea if any of these quotes are authentic (the whole thing could be imagined), but I thought it had a certain ring of plausibility to it!