Web Browsers
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http://www.learnthenet.com/english/ html/12browser.htm) |
A web browser is a software program
used to access the World Wide Web, the graphical portion of the Internet.
The first browser, called NCSA Mosaic, was developed at the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications in the early '90s. The easy-to-use
point-and-click interface helped popularize the Web. Although many
different browsers are available, Microsoft
Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator
are the two most popular ones. Both can be downloaded at
Explorer and
Navigator
for free from each company's website. For more information check out this
link to the
Browser
Anatonomy. (Return to Internet Page) |
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Search Engines
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Search engines are programs that categorize information in database and then retrieve that information in the form of searches. Search engines use two levels of searches. Most search engines categorize information into a table of contents. Engines also use electronic robots, together with indexing software, to look through new web pages, searching for keywords within those pages. The keywords are stored in a database of information. The search is compared to the information in the database and then returns a list of web pages that contain the keywords that have been entered. Search engines use Boolean logic to compare keywords. Boolean logic can help limit searching by using "And", "Or", and "Not" in the keyword statement. ("Education on the Internet" by Ertmer, P.A., Hruskocy, C., & Woods, D. M. 2003 Update, Merrill Prentice Hall). Some examples of search engines are Google, and Yahoo. For a list of search engines visit: Search Engines Worldwide . Another useful web site to find the right search engine is: Explore the Internet . (Return to Internet Page) | ||||||||
Great
Digital Divide http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002 /01/011402t_divide.jhtml |
The term "digital divide" is often referred to as the gap between those who can effectively use technology, and communication tools such as the Internet and those who cannot. There has always been a gap between people who can afford technology and those who cannot. There is definitely a gap as technology excludes many from reaping the benefits of modern technology. How wide that gap is is not agreed upon by many experts. Learn more about the divide from the Digital Divide Network web site. From a global perspective learn more from the "Digital Divide Basics Fact Sheet:" (Return to Communication Page) | ||||||||
| Bandwith
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Bandwith can be defined as
the maximum amount of data that can travel through a communications path
in a given time. It's usually measured in seconds. Think of
the communications path as a pipe, the bandwidth would represent the width
of the pipe that determines how much data can flow through it all at once. For more
information on bandwith: "Better Bandwith Means
Cooler Conferning" and
Beyond Bandwith. (Return to Communication Page) |
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EMail
(Image: http://www.learnthenet.com/english/ section/email.html )
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Email is an electronic message sent
from one computer to another. You
can send or receive personal and business-related messages with attachments,
such as pictures or formatted documents. You can even send music and computer
programs. Email is convenient and easy to use. It can speed up
business transactions, create classroom pen-pals and saves valuable time.
Without going into great detail, basically computers use the TCP/IP protocol to send email messages in the form of packets.
In order to send and receive emails, an email address is required. A web site called "Harness EMail" describes in detail how easy it is to learn and use e-mail. It's also very important to know some etiquette when producing email messages. A Beginner's Guide to Effective EMail takes a person step by step in learning the effective way to produce messages. **As a note of precaution, proceed with caution when sending email messages. Messages are truly not private, they can be read by "Systems Administrators" or by email providers.**
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Web Page
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A web page is an
electronic document. Web pages are created with a language called HTML (short for HyperText Markup Language--the language used to create documents on the
WWW.) Each page has a unique address called an
URL (Uniform Resource
Locator). A website has one or more related pages and are linked
together through hyperlinks which allows movement from one page to
another. It begins with a home page that acts like a table of
contents, which is the starting point of any web site.
One major benefit of a web page over print media is that the computer can provide interaction with the visitor. Web pages are a great way to reach outside the classroom to connect with people and resources around the globe. Web pages:
Programs available to create a web page are:
Front Page,
Dream Weaver
, and
PhotoShop. For more information on creating web pages visit : |
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Threaded Discussions
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Threaded discussions is one of the most effective ways to engage students in online conversations. Threaded discussions do not happen in real time, but are great for an entire class discussion. Instead of digging through tons of emails looking for all messages associated with a particular project, threaded discussions keeps all discussions related to a particular project within that project folder and available to all project members. Threaded Discussions create a community where members share ideas and learn from each other. A threaded discussion starts when a message is posted to a folder. As participants reply to the message, their responses are sequentially linked (threaded) to the original message. There can be more than one threaded discussion topic within a folder. It helps participants follow conversations without getting lost in numerous postings. These postings give the participants time to reflect on the postings and to prepare responses. The drawback for threaded discussions is that it requires all participants to have access to the same software program.
Learn how you can use
Threaded Discussion in your classroom. For more information on this topic check out:
Threaded Discussions.
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| ListServs |
Simply put, these are mailing lists and
discussion groups that send messages to individual subscribers. They
are a way of communicating via email on various topics of interest by
joining a particular email discussion group. LISTSERV is a program whereby
emails sent to a mailing list are then forwarded to everyone else on that
mailing list. When email is addressed to a ListServ it is
automatically broadcasted to everyone on that list. The email is
available only to individuals on that list. Students can form a
mailing list of classmates and discuss class projects. For information on listservs for educators: "Listservs
for Educators" (Return
to Communication Page). |
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Chat Rooms
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A virtual room where a chat
session takes place. Chat
rooms allow a group of people to type in messages that are seen by
everyone in the "room". It's an
area on the Internet where two or
more people can have a typed conversation in real time. In a chat room,
the messages you type are shown instantly to every other member of the
room. Messages typed by other people are shown immediately to you. Many
chat rooms use a technology called IRC (Internet Relay Chat). To
download software for IRC check out the
website.
Chat Rooms can be very useful in the
classroom, but students should be warned to use chat rooms with caution
and should be supervised in the classroom and by
parents at home. (Return
to Communication Page). |
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Instant Messaging
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It's a type of
communications service that enables one to create a private chat room with
another individual. Usually the instant messaging system alerts the
user whenever somebody on one's private list is online. After that
you can initiate a chat session with that particular individual. It
allows two people to communicate in
"real time" over the internet. It's basically a chat room
program. Depending on the type
of software you use, it will require a screen name that tracks to see if
another person is online at the same time as you are. The advantages
of this software is that it saves time and increases productivity because
it prevents one from running from desk to desk or office to office.
The problem with Instant Messaging is that users must have identical
software in order to correspond with each other. There are several
software programs that provide instant messaging, visit Microsoft's home
page to download "Windows Messaging"
. Also watch the video that gives step-by-step instructions on Windows Messaging. (Return to Communication Page). |
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Conferencing |
Conferencing brings
together groups of people to share their experiences, knowledge and
expertise. Conferences do not require a shared physical space, but
requires a coordinated time for participants to meet. Conferencing
is a meeting conducted over the internet in which the participants can see
and hear each other, even though the attendees may be in different places.
St udents
can use live conferencing to share research results, interact with experts
and practice speaking different languages. Follow me for further
discussion on videoconferencing and NetMeeting.
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