When I was in school (BS Computer Engineering, Univeristy of Illinois) I noticed the same thing - this is an old story for me. the kids who took Calculus using the university's Mathematica based classes couldn't remember how to do simple derivatives when it was all over.

Essentially, the instructors believed that the software was going to relieve them of having to actually teach, where really it should have just been an additional tool.

There is no substitute for the interactive learning between a student and a teacher. Relying on "interactive software" is akin to giving students the textbook and telling them to teach themselves. Unfortunatly, I see "distance learning" and things of that nature growing in importance - widening the gap between student and mentor.

People are still people. Once we learn that computer technology isn't going to change the way that we think and learn, we'll all be better off.

You'll never hear someone say "I became an engineer because MathBlaster 3.0 taught me to have a passion for physics and the scientific process". There is more to learning than getting the facts right.