I think that the Internet has certainly made students less discriminating of sources. When questioning my junior classes, many see research as simply typing a question in to Google then printing out the top two or three 'hits'. That said, it has meant that as a teacher I am more aware than ever of the need to teach research skills, how to skim, scan and summarise texts, how to cite sources properly and how to objectively analyse sources. I find that there are adults (and dare I say it, teachers) who need to refine these skills too.
There is the benefit that research and information accessibility being so speedy is a stimulus for study. I recently came across an obscure Disney animation on Youtube that I had used for my Master's thesis. In the distant past when I was studying, I had to book the video at the British Film Institute and spend a five-hour round trip to watch the film. Now it takes minutes to see the film again and again.What else could I have achieved in the time it took for me to access this resource? Now we can work smarter if we choose to...