Back in 1988, Tom Snyder (of Tom Snyder Productions, one of the most famous early software publishing companies) and Jane Palmer wrote a prophetic book called In Search of the Most Amazing Thing: Children, Education, and Computers. Their thesis was twofold: First, they pointed out that technology, which was just beginning to be introduced in grade schools, was so compelling that educators were “… more interested in so-called computer literacy than the real thing, literacy” (p. 2). Snyder and Palmer called for stakeholders to determine what their educational priorities were, and then to figure out what technology could do to support them. Second, they emphasized the view that teachers are indispensible components in the teaching and learning process, and that no computer will ever take their place. After 20 years, we believe that Snyder and Palmer would be gratified to read Heid and Blume's newly published two-volume set that contains a thorough anthology of how educators have defined priorities for the teaching and learning of mathematics and the pivotal roles that both the teacher and the technology play within that process. In our view, the editors have attained their goal of assembling a comprehensive digest that “… will enable the creation and implementation of curricula that capitalize on technology and will help teachers orchestrate the use of technological tools in school mathematics classrooms” (vol. 2, p. viii).
