Teaching both the old and new

This week, we looked at schools and how the new technologies and lesson frequently replace the "old and outdated" versions... like updating your version of Firefox on your computer. To an extent, this makes sense. Students need to know the newest and most useful information that will help them become better learners and members of society.
But learning something just because it's the "newest thing" doesn't make a lot of sense. Students, while they are experimenting with the most recent computer software and making webcasts for a class project, should know WHY they are able to do these things and where the technology came from... So, they should be learning both the old and the new.
I understand the many concerns that we, as librarians, will be teaching things (particularly technology) that will soon become outdated and obsolete as we move on to the next best thing. But it helps to think about how students will benefit from knowing how something originated and the basics of how to use it.
By continuing to teach basic skills and programs, we will better equip students to move on to higher levels of learning and abilities. Like the Saber-tooth article we read, students will know how to complete the newest activities by having experience with the old ones. They will understand the how and why of these new programs.
Librarians play an important role in exposing students to new technologies, so we should always keep in mind that the shiny new toy might not be the best plaything for students to start out with. We need to understand that students should know the history and previous methods before being pushed into a lesson on some new and exciting technology or program, because with understanding and reason comes the desire to learn more.