Kathy Schrock’s Guide
*
for Educators
to the
Presentation
Definition of the Internet Approach to the Internet History of the Internet Hook it up!
Searching the Web & evaluation Internet tools software
Curriculum integration
The Internet is a...
...distributed
hypermedia
network
Distributed
Information on the Internet is located
on many millions of computers
No one agency has jurisdiction of the
Hypermedia
The Internet supports many different
formats of information
Text files
Pictures
Network of Networks
Network : two or more computers hooked
together
Network of networks : over 40,000
The Internet is a...
Distributed
Hypermedia
How to Approach the Internet
Don’t get frustrated
Keep it simple
Give yourself time to explore
“Mess with it!”
Find a mentor to help
History of the Internet
Started in 1969 by the Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA)
The Department of Defense wanted a system
that would still work if part of it were destroyed
In 1983, the research computers that were
History of the Internet
In 1986 the National Science
Foundation took the initiative and ran
the network backbone
In 1995, the NSF stepped out and
Hook It Up!
Things You Need ...
Computer
Phone line
Modem (28.8 kps)
Service provider
Computer Specs for Graphical
Access to the Internet
IBM PC-compatible or Macintosh
8mb RAM (16mb better)
DX66 or equivalent microprocessor
250 mb+ hard drive
Sound card is optional, but nice
Internet Access Providers
Commercial services
(AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve)
Local access providers (ISP)
Call a local computer store for
Things to Look for in a Provider
About $35 for start-up and $20 per month
for unlimited Internet and e-mail access
1 modem per 10 subscribers; toll-free
number
E-Mail Addresses
Username followed by “@” symbol
Computer name and domain
Domains : net, org, edu, mil, gov, com
kschrock@capecod.net
URL: Uniform Resource Locator
“Address” of a file on the Internet
Contains type of protocol followed by the
computer name, directory and file name
http://www.capecod.net/Wixon/wixon.htm gopher://gopher.boombox.micro/
The World Wide Web
A global network of information servers
Information may be in the form of text,
audio, video, or animation
Many millions of sites containing
documents with links to other documents
Finding Information on the WWW
Search Engines
Software programs that scan the contents
of Web servers to create large indices of
information
User can perform keyword searches of
these indices; combining of terms
Finding Information on the WWW
Directories
Collections of resources compiled and
organized by a person
May be searchable via keyword
May be general or subject-specific
Evaluating Information on the Net
Who wrote it?
When was it written? Why was it written? Is it biased?
Is it authentic? Is the author an
expert?
Is the page easy to use? Is the page free from
HTML errors?
Are the graphics useful? Can you verify the
information?
Is a bibliography
Internet Software Needed
TCP/IP Software
Dialer
E-Mail Software
WWW Browser
Telnet Software
IRC (Chat) Software
FTP Software
TCP/IP Software
TCP/IP is the language of the Internet that
allows unlike computers to “talk”
Mac TCP included with System 7.5+ Available for System 7
Dialer
A dialer is a piece of software that is
configured to allow your computer to connect to a PPP or SLIP provider
Mac PPP : shareware
Electronic Mail Software
Allows the user to send and receive e-mail
messages from other users or mailing lists
Should include an address book function
Common shareware mail programs include:
* Eudora
Positive Aspects of E-Mail
Can easily send to one or many people
Can send mail any time of day or night
May increase students’
World Wide Web Browser
Allows you to view WWW sites which contain text,
pictures, and sound
Netscape vs. Internet Explorer vs. Mosaic
After installation, browsers must be configured for your
machine
Easy to move back and forth between pages due to
Parts of a Browser Window
Menu
Tool Bar URL Field
Browser Configuration and
Helper Applications
The browser can display text and certain
formats of pictures
For other formats the browser needs to have
“helper applications” configured Example:
Saving File to Disk
File-Save on browser menu
Choose whether you want to save as a
HTML or text file
Choose location for saving
Does not save graphics, only text
To save graphics, position cursor and use
Telnet Software
Telnet is the Internet protocol that allows you
to directly “hook up” with a remote, text-based computer
Many library card catalogs are accessed via
telnet
Less computing power is needed for the host
IRC (Chat Software)
A method of talking (via typing) to a
multitude of people at the same time
You join a “room” of your interest
For schools, appropriate use includes online
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Software
A system that allows files to be transferred between machines on the Internet
These files include text and programs
Access is usually via “anonymous” login into large computer archives of files; best to
Newsreader Software
Used to read newsgroups which are discussion
groups dedicated to specific topics; open forums
Accessed via a bulletin-board type of listing
You can post and read messages via an e-mail
Common Newsgroup Hierarchies
alt
comp
k12
misc
Newsgroups via Netscape
Message
Subscribed
Use of the Internet in Schools
Teachers become facilitators of student
independent, active learning
Teach students to determine whether the Internet
is the most appropriate information source
Teach students to evaluate sites
Integrate the Internet into the curriculum via
models such as WebQuests
E-Mail Collaborative Projects
Keypals
Global classrooms
Electronic appearances Electronic mentors
Impersonations
Information exchange Electronic publishing Database creation
TeleField Trips
Pooled data analysis Information searches
Electronic process writing Sequential creations
Parallel problem solving Simulations
The following information
taken from :
Serim, Fermi & Melissa Koch.
NetLearning : Why Teachers Use
the
Internet.
CA : O’Reilly, 1996.
The Internet is useful when your
students need to know something
that is...
not in their textbooks or library
based on data collected by the government
likely to require specialized knowledge
best understood from eyewitness accounts
The Internet is not useful for...
in-depth historical information
The Internet is also good for :
collaborating on projects with students all
over the world
finding and contacting experts
getting real-world experience in researching
and evaluating information
publishing students’ projects and
The Internet is not a substitute for :
face-to-face interaction with other students
and teachers
drawing, writing, building, planting, or any
Authentic Assessment
Teachers need to clearly state goals
Teachers need to create meaningful activities
Students need time to think about how they are
learning
Create a rubric to evaluate student work
Have students peer-evaluate others
Cycle of reflecting, posting, reviewing, and
HTML : Hypertext Markup Language
The standard set of codes used on the
Internet to design and view World Wide Web pages.
These pages are basically plain text files
with special codes inserted throughout to tell a computer’s web browsing software how the document should appear and
