What is the Internet?:

The Internet is a network made up of millions of computers world wide. Actually many networks inside of networks. A network is simply many computers connected together and able to talk to each other. No one knows exactly how many computers are on the Internet, but the number is growing rapidly every day. There is no one central location that all of this information is stored. All the information on the Internet is located on millions of different computers around the world.

There is no one in charge of the Internet. Nobody regulates it, however there are organizations which develop protocol for the Internet. Computers on the Internet communicate with each other using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol suite, abbreviated TCP/IP.

Components of the Internet:

World Wide Web: There are many different components of the Internet, the most common and largest is the World Wide Web - WWW. Documents on the WWW are created using HTML or HyperText Markup Language.

E-Mail: Electronic Mail allows computer users to exchange messages locally or worldwide for free and instantaneously.

Telnet: Telnet is a program that allows you to log into a computer on the Internet and use online databases, library catalogs, or chat services.

FTP: Stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is a program and method used to transfer files between computers.

Usenet News: These are global electronic bulletin board systems in which users can read and post messages for other users to read and respond to.

Brief History of the Internet:

30 years or so ago, the U.S. Department of Defense wanted to improve communication among it's researchers, so they developed a network of computer called ARPANET consisting of between 12 and 30 computers. Universities began using the network for research and eventually it became available for commercial use. It has been growing rapidly ever since. For more on the history of the Internet, click here.

Reading A URL:

URL or "Universal Resource Locator" is the Internet address for a specific document or page. By typing in the exact URL, you can go directly to a website. Every file or site on the Internet has a unique URL. When typing in a URL, you must be exact. Computers understand exact, they do not understand almost. You can tell a lot about a website by looking at and understanding the URL. Lets take a look at a Lewis URL.

http://www.lewis.edu/~annual

1. http = the protocol (hypertext)
2. www = the component of the Internet (world wide web)
3. lewis = Host computer (server) name (this is the computer on which the website is located).
4. edu = domain name (the type of computer server, see other domains below)
5. ~annual = directory name (this is the location on the host computer the website is located)

Common domain names:

• .com = commercial enterprises (their purpose is to make money)
• .edu = educational institution (schools, universities)
• .gov = U.S. government
• .mil = U.S. military
• .net = network
• .org = nonprofit organization

Other domain names are starting to be developed. By understanding the domain name, you can get valuable information about the validity of a website.

Reading a Web Page:

You need to learn how to read a web page just like need to understand how books are organized (with tables' of contents, indexes, glosseries, etc.). Even though all websites are different, most will have similar organizational compontents.

1. Navigation Bar - Generally found on the top or left side of the page, the navigation (nav.) bar or menu bar, works kind of like the table of contents of a book. It contains the main sections or parts of the website. You can click on a link to be taken to the cooresponding section. On good websites, the nav bar will appear on all pages.
   
   
2. Web Address - Every webpage has a web address called a URL located in the address window at the top of the page. You can type in a different URL in this location and you will go to the new page. When you copy down or type in a URL you need to be exact.
   
   
3. Title - All websites should have a title, usually at the top of the page. It will give you an idea of what the page is about. In addition to the title on the page, you will also find a title up on the very top on the title bar.
   
   
4. Links - Web pages are designed with links. Links are words or images that you click on to take you to other pages. Most links are underlined and often blue.
   
   
5. Interactive areas - Many sites have interactive areas where you can communicate with the sites's creators. Some examples would be e-mail links, guest books, search windows where you can do a search to find the information you are looking for within their site, enrollment options.
   
   
6. Contact - Look for a site to have a link to a contact area, where you could find phone number, addresses, e-mail, etc.
   
   *Find the parts of a website in the example below.

Remember, just finding the website is only half the battle. The next step is to be able to navigate around within the website to find the exact information you need. By understanding the parts of a website shown above will help you. It sometimes takes time looking around before you find what it is your are looking for.

Finding Sites on the Internet:

There are basically 3 ways to find things on the Internet;

1. Typing in the URL or address. This is probably the fastest and easiest way to find a site. However, you have to know the exact address. If you know the address, simply type it in the location or address box and press "return." Note: computers understand exact, not close, so if you don't type it just right, it won't find your site. See URL's
   
   
   
2. Using Links. Each website has "links," which are usually underlined. When you click on a link it takes you to another website which will have more links. Web portals and search engines will categorize their links by subject. This is a great way to "surf" the net and you can find a lot of very interesting things. However, it is often not very efficient for finding specifically what you want.
   
   
3. Do a Search. Using a search engine, type in a keyword(s) and the search engine will look for any site that may be a match. It will give you a list of possible matching sites for you to check out. Some will be what you are looking for and some will not. Sometimes you have to re-configure your search to narrow it down to more usable sites. Remember; the goal is to limit the searches to find those sites that best match what you are looking for. We will be practicing this in this WebQuest. See Search techniques.

Learning basic search techniques can save you time and frustration. Google is by far the easiest and best search engine to help you find the information you want. First, think about what specific website or at least what kind of website you want to find. Then think a word or couple words that would specifically find that site. This is your query.

The Page Title is the name the web designer gave to that page or site. Below the title is a text excerpt from the site.

At the Google search site, you can click on the "Directory" tab and you will see catagories from which to choose. Click on one and you can do a search within the choosen catagory.

Click on the "Images" tab and Google will search for pictures and images from your query.

Below are some Internet vocabulary terms you will likely encounter.

Surfing - wandering through and exploring the Internet.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator (website address)

Web Browser - A software program that allows users to access and navigate the World Wide Web. The two main ones are; Netscape and Internet Explorer.

Plug-Ins - Software programs that enhance the capabilities of a web browser.

Search Engine: Sites that will search the Internet for you when you type in key words.

Download: Moving files from an Internet site to your personal computer.

Public Domain: Material that is not copy written, but is available for anyone to use for free.

Appropriate Use of Internet:

Validity of Websites:

The Internet is self publishing, meaning anyone with a computer can create and post anything they want on the Internet. Therefore, everything you find on the net needs to be evaluated to check its validity. Just because it is on the net does not mean it is true or accurate. Much of it is not. Much of it is worthless or out of date. There are some things you can do to help assure accuracy.

Purpose:

• Audience - consider the intended audience of the page.

Source:

Is the author/producer identifiable?

• Do they have any expertise on the subject?
• Who is hosting the website? Check the URL. Is it the government, a university, a business? (see "reading a URL")
• Is their an email link in which you can respond and obtain further information?

Content:

• Accuracy -
  • Look for points of view or bias'
  • Is their source of information stated.
  • Double check information.
• Currency -
  • Has the site been updated recently? There is often a date on the page.
  • Is the material current.
  • Are there relevant links.

   

Downloading Graphics

Using the Internet:

Above is the Button Bar for Internet Explorer. The buttons are very convenient for certain functions.

Use the "Back" and "Forward" buttons to move in either direction from page to page that you visit.

The "Home" button will take you back to your start page (the page that comes up each time you log on.

If you want to "bookmark" a website so that you can find it again later, go up to the "Favorite" Menu (not the button) and choose "Add to Favorites." Next time you want to go to that page, pull down the "Favorites" Menu again and choose the page you saved. (if you are using Netscape, this menu is called "Bookmarks")