At the end of the 18th c. a young man wrote the following inscription in a school book of prose:
"This is my book
God is the witness
If anyone desires me
This will be its name
C[harles] Dandy"
Owning a book at that time was a big deal. The book was an essential tool of education, and Charles Dandy, who writes his name several more times in his book, was very proud of the tool he owned. From printed words to digitalized text, from quills and ink to laptops, from the abacus to slide rules and the pocket calculator the tools of education have changed remarkably over the years. Yet, education itself is a tool, a tool indispensable to human kind and to the ability to continue to learn throughout our lives. Can you remember your first school books, the ones that you got to take home, or what it felt like getting ready for the school year and buying pencils, paper, and binders? Was it exciting?
From the earliest use of an abacus and slate to the hybrid computer and software combinations of today, the delivery learning has encompassed many changes.