i find digital cameras and post-processing software endlessly fiddly. as my photography teacher says, "you want to take photos? buy a dslr. you want to make art? shoot silver halide."
no, the teaching is all about technique and he teaches digital too. this is just his personal opinion and was in no way central to the teachings of the class.
If he actually cared about technique he wouldn't have said anything remotely like what you quoted. Even if it was hyperbole.
The only difference between film and digital is the set of limitations. Arbitrary limitations can be instructive - e.g. fixed focal lengths, monochrome, limited shutter counts. They can also be pointlessly stifling, e.g. tediously long feedback loops.
