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Impact of Information Literacy on Student Learning
Tammi Ware
COM/705
November 21, 2010
Dr. Kimberly Lockwood

The Effects of Information Technology on Student Learning
The ability to learn how to learn is a key characteristic of those who are information literate.   It is a skill that is utilized throughout life, from the elementary level to corporate America.   Information literacy allows an individual to identify information needed, gives an understanding of how to use the information, and determine the best sources of information for a given need.   It also allows the individual to locate the sources in a critical manner and share that information, commonly in research.   Being information literate is critically important in the world today; with the introduction and growth of the internet, the amount of information available has vastly increased, though the information is not always current or even reliable.   This has made the job harder for those in the teaching profession, who are to teach how valuable accurate information is to the student.   Information literacy can affect how a student learns, whether the student can process and use the information, and if the student is able to apply it in their studies.
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Students are developing lethargic study habits as they drift away from information literacy available through academic libraries and rely on technology.   This new method of learning hinders the learning process of students, lowering information competency.   According to Badke (2009), “The average student’s information world is as simple as picking low-hanging apples off a tree in an orchard without guard dogs” (p.47).   Educators often permit students to use search engines as the ideal mode for research, with up to eighty percent of higher education students using Google and other search engines for main sources of information (Badke, 47).   Even when students are required to use sources other than websites for research, the library is...