Objective: This course covers the basics of Internet access while sharing strategies on the incorporation of on-line activities into daily instruction. District policies for Internet use in the classroom will be covered. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to teach their students how to establish a connection, browse the World Wide Web, use search engines, open documents using URL’s, customize the browser, save resources from the Internet and manage Internet resources.

Suggested Duration: 2 hours

Course Outline:

District Policy and Guidelines regarding Internet Service Providers and Student Access
District Policy Regarding Student E-mail
COPPA Guidelines
Getting Started
Searching for Resources
Using URL’s
Customizing the Browser
Saving Resources from the Internet
Managing Resources form the Internet

Materials and Activities:

Parent Information and Permission Form for Student Network/Internet Access

Course Description

What is the Internet

Language of the Internet

Typical School Setup

Internet Explorer 5 in the Classroom

Multi and Meta Search Engines

Search Sites for Children

General Search Engines

Searching the Web

Finding a Needle in Cyberspace

Freebies on the Web

What is the Internet?

The Internet consists of millions of interconnected computers located all over the world. What makes the Internet unique among computer networks is that computers on the Internet can communicate regardless of their manufacturer. This means a UNIX computer can talk to a Macintosh computer, which can talk to a Windows computer, though each has a different operating system.

History of the Internet

In the late 1960s, the conflict in Vietnam was in full swing and, in the eyes of government officials, the threat of a nuclear attack by hostile countries was imminent. Governmental agencies needed a way to maintain communication should the United States face an attack on domestic soil. What they really needed was a computer network that could continue to function even if parts of it were destroyed by nuclear missiles.

Thus, the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet) was born. By 1972, ARAPAnet consisted of only 19 “nodes” or sites. In addition, other networks were also being developed. These other networks, such as Bitnet, Fidonet and UUCP, were not developed to survive a nuclear war, but mainly as messaging networks.

As ARPAnet grew, a main goal became to enable this network to communicate with other networks in existence. However, developers faced two major problems. First, different types of computers were in use at different military sites. In addition, information sent over long distances tended to "fall apart" or corrupt. A methodology was developed called TCP/IP. TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol, and is the method by which information is "packeted" and sent from one computer to another without falling apart. IP stands for Internet Protocol, which translates information from one operating system to another. To use the information stored on those millions of computers all over the world, you must have TCP/IP software on your machine.

For many years, the Internet consisted of connections to educational facilities and government installations. In 1981, only 213 computers were registered on the Internet. During the next decade, the Internet exploded. According to Network Wizards, there were more than 16 million computers registered on the Internet by January of 1997. Recent demographic studies conducted by Commerce Net and Nielsen Interactive Services reveal that, in the United States and Canada alone, approximately 50 million people access the Internet regularly. The numbers of people accessing the Internet are growing daily.

Material from Teaching Technology, Inc.

Language of the Internet

ANONYMOUS FTP

A system that allows users to log into a remote computer and transfer files by logging in as anonymous.

BITS PER SECOND (BPS)

The speed of transmission of a modem. Common rates are 2400, 14,4000, and 28,800 bps.

BROWSER

Software program that serves as an interface for Internet and displays HTML documents.

CAPTURE

Saving information received via telecommunications.

CHAT

To communicate in real-time through the Internet. When you chat with someone, the typed words appear on a "shared" screen.

CLIENT/SERVER

The Web is often referred to as a client/server environment. The client is the local computer (where the browser operates), and the server is the remote computer.

COMPRESSED FILES

Most Internet files are reduced in size to make transfer easier. Programs such as PKUNZIP, decompress the files after they are transferred.

CONNECT TIME

The amount of time a computer is connected to a telecommunications service.

DIAL-UP CONNECTION

Connecting to an Internet service provider through a modem and telephone line. The connection can be a PPP connection or terminal emulation.

DOMAIN NAME

A name that identifies each host computer on the Internet.

DOWNLOAD

Receiving and saving files through a telecommunications system.

ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-MAIL)

Mail sent through electronic, non-paper methods; messages are stored on a computer until the receiver accesses the system and reads the messages.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Many Internet sites list FAQ files with answers to common questions.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

A utility for transferring files on the Internet.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

An image file format that is common on the Internet.

GOPHER

A menu-based file index at various Internet sites; Gopher menus connect one site to another.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

The language used for creating pages on the World Wide Web.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

A protocol used to transfer documents on the World Wide Web.

INTERNET

An international electronic network that connects government, military, commercial, and educational networks.

INTERNET RELAY CHAT (IRC)

The term used when two or more Internet users type messages to each other in "real" time.

INTRANET

Network internal to an organization that uses Internet protocols and browsers.

JAVA

A complex, full-featured programming language for creating Web applications.

JAVASCRIPT

A scripting language that is embedded into HTML.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

An image file format that is common on the Internet.

LEASED LINE

A permanent telephone line used for transmitting data. Many school LANs are connected to the Internet through leased lines.

LISTSERV

Mailing lists on the Internet.

LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)

A system of interconnected computers, usually located within one building. In many cases, a LAN is connected into the Internet via a leased data line.

LOGOFF/LOGOUT

A command that notifies the host computer that the user is exiting the system.

LOGON/LOGIN

The procedure that notifies the host computer that the user is accessing the network. Most logon procedures require an identification name and password.

LYNX

A text-based browser for the Internet.

MODEM (MOdulator-DEModulator)

Computer peripherals that enable computers to transmit information over telephone lines.

MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER

A graphical browser for the Internet.

NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR

A graphical browser for the Internet.

NEWSGROUPS

Message-based discussion groups that operate as electronic bulletin boards.

PACKET

A small group of computer data that is often a portion of a larger file. On the Internet, files are broken into packets that travel independently. When the packets reach their destination, they are reassembled.

PARAMETERS

Set values that allow two computers to communicate in the same "language." These values may include the number of stop bits, start bits, speed, etc.

PLUG-IN

A software component required by an Internet browser to expand its abilities. For example, LiveAudio is a Netscape plug-in that enables it to play audio.

POINT TO POINT PROTOCOL (PPP)

A method that allows a computer to connect directly to the Internet through a telephone line and high-speed modem.

PROTOCOLS

The rules that define how computers communicate with each other on the Internet.

SEARCH ENGINE

Programs and utilities that will search the Internet for relevant sites. Examples include Yahoo, Lycos, and Infoseek.

SERVICE PROVIDER

Internet service providers are organizations that provide connections to the Internet.

STREAMING AUDIO/VIDEO

Media files on the Internet that play as they are being downloaded.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

The rules (or protocols) for data transfers on the Internet.

TELNET

A utility that allows a computer to log into a remote computer. Telnet access is used to search worldwide libraries and databases.

TERMINAL EMULATION

In order for a microcomputer to communicate with a mainframe on the Internet, software must be able to "emulate" a terminal, such as VT-100 (Not required for PPP connections.)

UPLOAD

The process of sending a file from one computer to a remote computer.

URL (Uniform Resource Locators)

The standard used for specifying the server and path information for documents on the World Wide Web.

VIDEOCONFERENCING

Transmitting motion video and audio between two or more locations. CU-SeeMe is an example of a software program that is used to videoconference on the Internet.

WEB SITE

A collection of Web pages that present a message for a school or organization.

WORLD WIDE WEB

A part of the Internet that contains documents with hyperlinks to other documents and multimedia components.

Florida Center for Instructional Technology ©1998
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/

Updated 3/19/98