This document presents excerpts from various sources over 200 years that express skepticism about new technologies used in education. The excerpts show how educators have historically doubted the usefulness of new technologies like paper, ink pens, ballpoint pens, calculators, computers, the internet, laptops, phones and questioned whether students should be allowed to use them for schoolwork. The final excerpt from 2015 questions what would have happened if educators had taken a more open approach to new technologies in education over the past 200+ years.
2. Students today can't prepare bark to calculate
their problems. They depend on their slates
which are more expensive. What will they do
when the slate is dropped and it breaks? They
will be unable to write!
4. Students today depend on paper too much. They
don't know how to write on a 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?
8. Students today depend on expensive fountain pens,
they can no longer write with a straight pen. We
parents must not allow children to wallow in such
luxury to the detriment of learning to cope in the
real business world which is not so extravagant!
10. Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of the country -
students use these and then throw them away!
Business and banks will never allow such expensive
luxuries
12. You can't let children use calculators on the test ... if
you do that you wouldn't ever learn how to use the
tables in the back of the book and the skill of
interpolation to figure out your trig ratios
14. We can't let them use calculators in Year 7 - if we do
they will not be able to multiple three digit
numbers by 3 digit numbers ... what will they do
when they do not have access to a calculator?
22. Why are we talking about students having laptops in
schools? I don't think that most parents will give
their kids their old computer let alone buy them a
new one
26. Section 550ZC (power to seize items found during search)
... apply to an item that ... is an electronic device ... the
person who seized the item may examine any data or
files on the device ... if the person has decided to return
the item to its owner, retain it or dispose of it, the
person may erase any data or files from the device.