I am a retired (although some think retarded) computer science professor.  I have used computer for fifty years.  While I am somewhat dismayed about the direction the technology has taken and continues to take, it is a very useful educational tool.  I have been retired for nearly 15 years.  I have been task with developing a computer literacy course for senior here on the big island.  In my hunt for resources, I am truly amazed at the plethora of free resources that are available for every educational level and every discipline.  It is a cornucopia!  With the price of a laptop computer under or at $150, the technology is within reach of many more people and institutions.  The very idea of having to memorize stuff no longer applies.  What does apply is the skill of learning to find stuff on the internet.  It is definitely there for the taking.  Finally, it provides more options on ways to learn things whether it be in a classroom or from anywhere there is internet access.