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 the network cable is properly connected to the network card installed on the computer and to the data outlet on the wall. Many schools now also offer wireless access which can allow teachers to connect to the Internet if they have a wireless card installed on their computer and it is properly configured.
In order to connect to the Web from home, you must have an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as America Online or Earthlink. In the past, most teachers accessed the internet from home using a dial-up connection that required them to have a phone line connected to a modem installed on their computer. More recently, high speed broadband internet access has become cheaper and more available. High speed internet access is often provided by a cable company as a bundle with cable tv service. Many phone companies also provide a form of high speed internet access known as DSL. Cable and DSL internet access offer higher download speeds which make it easier to download video and other multimedia content. However, in order to use cable or DSL internet access you may have to purchase extra equipment in the form of a special modem.
