I recognize the purpose of learning fundamentals but I think we do a great disservice to students learning mathematics by not emphasizing the power of computers and calculators in modern arithmetic. Many people with math anxiety see mathematical skills to be the same as mental arithmetic skills. Textbooks still focus things like von Neumann's ability ability to multiply large digit numbers in his head as a proxy for his math proficiency. While impressive, the technologies built on top of von Neumann's work make that kind of skill obsolete.
I firmly believe that all brains are good at math but not everyone has had a teacher who will spend the time to teach the cognitive tools required for it. If we stop teaching calculators as "cheating" then a lot more students will be able to focus on the understanding the underlying concepts and will feel less scared about approaching new mathematical problems.
I firmly believe that all brains are good at math but not everyone has had a teacher who will spend the time to teach the cognitive tools required for it. If we stop teaching calculators as "cheating" then a lot more students will be able to focus on the understanding the underlying concepts and will feel less scared about approaching new mathematical problems.