Since its inception 20years ago, the World Wide Web has revolutionised the way we communicate, work and socialise. Never before has a single invention spread across the globe with such speed and influence - transforming so many people's lives in such a profound way.
Education is one of the many fields to have been transformed by the web. Everything about how we study - for example, the way we do our research or submit homework at school - has been changed as a consequence of the internet.
Search engines help us to find a huge amount of information with ease; by accessing online newspapers we can bring ourselves up to date about current affairs without paying a cent; with video-sharing websites, we can watch tutorials and learn new skills, such as languages, sports and musical instruments.
The web has made learning so convenient and efficient that few people stop to think about the negative impact it has had on education. A new generation of young people are coming of age that have never experienced - and cannot imagine - life without the internet. Most have never gone into a library to do research; many are happier seeking advice from online forums than friends or family.
Yet other methods of research are irreplaceable, particularly later in life. Before the web, students often struggled to find information. They had to arrange interviews with experts in certain fields, search newspaper files, reference books and papers as part of their research.
Now, by simply typing keywords into Google's search engine, students miss out on these other valuable methods of research that are necessary when studying at a more advanced level. Many youngsters today consider libraries old-fashioned and their resources inferior to those on the web.
