Yeah I can't remember phone numbers to save my life. However the argument that something is being lost if kids learn how to do math (we will use math for this discussion but other subjects can and do apply) on the new gear and not teaching them the older methods is kinda silly. In todays day and age there is hardly a person in a Western country who can't in a moments notice get their hands on some form of calculator, which means even if they did know the harder method of doing it in their heads or on their hands they would more than likely just do it on the calculator.
You wouldn't expect schools to make kids read Chaucer in its orginal form, Middle English is very different from Modern English, you would be happy for them to learn the same thing using a translated copy of the book. If the end result is the children have learnt what they needed to learn then it doesn't really matter what method they are using.
It is always fun to look back and remember things with the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia (hey why else are we on this site) but sometimes we need to stop and think "If I had a graphics calculator at school what would I have done?".
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