Getting connected, searching, bookmarks, cookies, plugins, and other Internet mysteries solved.
- What is the Internet?
- The Internet is a worldwide telecommunications system that provides connectivity for millions of other, smaller networks. For this reason, the Internet is often referred to as a "network of networks". Using a set of common communication rules known as protocols, the Internet allows computer users to communicate with each other across long distances...
- What is the World Wide Web?
- The World Wide Web (also known as just "the Web") is a vast collection of linked files that may include images and other multimedia. These files are accessed over the Internet using a protocol called http. A key feature of the Web is the ability to link files in any order by using...
- What is web 2.0?
- The term web 2.0 is used to refer to a new generation of websites that are supposed to let people collaborate and share information online in ways that were not possible before. With web 1.0, most websites consisted of static HTML pages. Later on, developers began to create web pages dynamically by retrieving...
- How do I connect to the Web?
- The way that you connect to the Web will depend on whether you are connecting to it from home or from your classroom. In the classroom, teachers usually access the Web through an always-on Local Area Network (LAN) connection. All the teacher has to do to enable this connection is make sure that...
- What is a web browser?
- A web browser is the software used to download and display web pages on your computer. A web browser can communicate with a web server using the http protocol to download the pages you request, usually by clicking on a hyperlink. A browser can translate HTML, the language used to create web pages,...
- How do I use my web browser to navigate the Web?
- Your browser is equipped with many useful features to assist you in navigating through the Web. These features are labeled in the picture below: Menu bar The menu bar, located at the very top of the screen, can be accessed using the mouse....
- What is a URL?
- Addresses for web sites are called URLs (Uniform Resource Locators). Most of them begin with the protocol used to access web pages, http (HyperText Transfer Protocol), followed by a colon and two slashes. Many web addresses include www, but this is not always the case. For example, the URL for FIRN's web site...
- What is a 404 error and what should I do if I get one?
- A 404 error is returned by a web server (the machine where a website is hosted) when it cannot find the page you have requested. The most likely cause of this error is a mistyped URL. If you get a 404 error when accessing a website, first check to make sure that...
- How do I control all those pop-up windows?
- Pop-up windows are often used to display advertisements that appear when you visit a web page. One way to stop these pop-up windows is by using a web browser that has a built-in pop-up blocker. Most of the major web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Mozilla Firefox, now feature a pop-up blocker. If you...
- What is a cookie?
- A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded and saved to your hard drive when you visit a website. This text file contains information that can be read by the web server the next time you visit that same site. Cookies are used in a number of ways. One common use...
- How do I empty my browser's cache?
- Your web browser creates a folder on the hard drive where it saves (or "caches") certain items that have been downloaded for future access. The browser often downloads images to this folder as you visit different websites. If you visit the same site more than once, the browser will check in this folder...
- How do I bookmark a site I like so I can view it later?
- Both Internet Explorer and Firefox provide a way to create a list of your favorite sites that you can access them with a click of the mouse. In IE, these lists are called favorites, while in Firefox they are called bookmarks. To create a new bookmark in Internet Explorer, choose Favorites, Add...
- How can I share bookmarks with my students?
- Sharing bookmarks is a great way to structure your students' work on a particular topic. Your browser has the ability to export your bookmarks as a web page with links to the sites you want to share with your students. To export your bookmarks in Internet Explorer 6: Select File, Import...
- What is social bookmarking?
- Social bookmarking involves saving bookmarks online so you can access them from any computer as well as share them with others. There are several websites that allow you to do this: Furl, Backflip, ma.gnolia, and del.icio.us. Del.icio.us (now owned by Yahoo!) is one of the most popular ones. When you register with del.icio.us...
- How can I use a search engine to find the sites I want instead of ten thousand sites I don't want?
- There are millions of pages of information on the World Wide Web, and finding relevant and reliable information can be a challenge. Search engines are powerful tools that index millions of web sites. Search engines are rated by the size of their index. Large engines such as Google are good tools to use...
- How should my students cite a web page?
- Generally, to cite a World Wide Web page, your students should provide the author's name, last name first (if known); the full title of the work, in quotation marks; the title of the complete work (if applicable), in italics; any version or file numbers; and the date of the document or last revision...
- How can my students know if a web source is reliable?
- Students often uncritically accept information they see in print or on the internet. Students should be encouraged to carefully evaluate sources found on the Internet. The evaluation tool (below) will help students analyze web resources in terms of accuracy, authority, objectivity, timeliness, and coverage. Consideration of these factors will weed out many of...
- How can I check to see what sites my students have been visiting?
- Web browsers keep track of the websites you have visited in case you want to go back to them later. In Internet Explorer you can view a list of the most recently visited sites by choosing View, Go To. A list of recently visited web sites will be displayed to the right. You...
- How can I save a local copy of a website to show to my students in a room with no Internet connection?
- In Internet Explorer you can save a web page for offline viewing in two different ways. You can save a copy of the web page to your hard drive by selecting File, Save As. You should then choose Web Page, complete. When you select this option, IE will save the web page as well as a...
- What is HTML?
- Web documents are text documents that have had formatting applied to them using a special language called HTML (HyperText Markup Language). This language consists of formatting tags that are made up by phrases enclosed in greater than > and less than < symbols. These tags are used to denote various parts, styles, and...
- How do I create a webpage?
- The most basic way of creating a web page is by entering text and HTML code into a new document using a text editor such as Notepad. While HTML code is relatively easy to learn, you may wish to use a software program that writes the code for you. These programs are often...
- How is writing for the web different?
- When you are writing for the Web, keep in mind that most users do not read text word-for-word, but scan it quickly to locate the information they are looking for or a link to that information. Web pages can be made more scannable by using the following techniques:...
- How do I make my web pages accessible?
- One issue of great importance is that of accessibility. School web sites should be easily accessible to a wide range of audiences including persons with disabilities. By following certain guidelines, your school site can be made more accessible: Visual considerations Graphics:Users with visual impairments have specific difficulties that need to be addressed. Screen reading software is available...
- What is a "WebQuest"?
- A WebQuest is a specific kind of web-based learning activity. It was developed by Bernie Dodge, a professor of educational technology at San Diego State University. WebQuests provide students with the opportunity to work independently or in small group activities that incorporate research, problem solving, and application of basic skills. This teacher-created lesson...
- What is blogging and how can I use it as a classroom activity?
- Short for web log, a blog is a web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal. New content is published by the blog's author on a regular basis, often daily. Most blogs are a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, but...
- What is a wiki?
- A wiki is a web site anyone can edit. It differs from a blog in that a blog is only edited by the person who owns it, whereas a wiki can be edited by anyone who has access to it and knows the password (if it is a password protected wiki). With the...
- What is RSS?
- RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and refers to a format used to provide frequently updated content on the Web. An RSS feed is a file that provides summaries of recently updated web content together with links to the full versions of the content. RSS is often used by news...
- What is a podcast and how do I create one?
- Podcasting means making digital audio files available on the internet in such a way that others can set their computers to automatically download new episodes in a series as you post them. There are as many types of podcasts as there are topics. For example, someone could publish a podcast about fly fishing—or...
- How do I use online map services?
- Online map services can be used to get directions or search for businesses in a given location. Google Maps is one of the most popular online map services. Google has made the programming interface for Google To find a location on Google Maps: Type the address in the search field at...
- What is Google Earth?
- Google Earth is a free program that combines maps and geographic information with satellite and aerial photography. With Google Earth, you can fly over and explore major cities and landmarks around the world. While Google Earth is a standalone program you download and install on your computer, it requires an internet connection because...
- What is Netiquette?
- As the Web includes a global community, students need to be aware of some standards for behavior when you create content. Proper internet etiquette is often referred to as Netiquette. Students and teachers can avoid embarrassing situations by adhering to some simple guidelines when they create web sites, blogs, or wikis. The following...
- What is an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
- It is important to develop a clear set of standards and expectations for use of the internet in the classroom. You should first check with your district or school to see if there is an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) already in place. If an AUP is not in place, then you should consider...
- How do I keep my computer secure while surfing the Web?
- There are a few precautions you can take to ensure that your computer does not fall victim to viruses, spyware, and other security threats while you surf the Web: Use a Firewall - A firewall is a piece of software that monitors communication between your computer and the internet, and only allows...
- What is a plugin? How do I install it?
- A plugin is a piece of software that acts as an add-on to a web browser and gives the browser additional functionality. Plugins can allow a web browser to display additional content it was not originally designed to display. An example of a plugin is the free Macromedia Flash Player, a plugin...
- What is spyware and how do I get rid of it?
- If you computer suddenly becomes slower, the problem may not be hardware related. Sometimes programs known as "spyware" may be running in the background and taking over system resources such as memory and network bandwidth. The term spyware refers to any program that is installed on your system without your permission. These programs are often...
