Kathy Schrock’s Guide * for Educatorsto the Internet

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 Creating your own home page

The Internet is a...

...distributed

hypermedia

network

of networks

Distributed

Information on the Internet is located on many millions of computers

No one agency has jurisdiction of the Internet; everyone plays a part

Hypermedia

The Internet supports many different

formats of informationText filesPicturesPhotographsSound filesVideo files

Network of Networks

Network : two or more computers hooked together

Network of networks : over 40,000 networks of computers all hooked together

The Internet is a...

Distributed Hypermedia Network of networks

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 Look for personal interests first

History of the InternetStarted 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 networked became ARPANET

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 commercial providers took over the Internet

Hook It Up! Things You Need ...

ComputerPhone lineModem (28.8 kps)Service providerSoftware

Computer Specs for Graphical Access to the Internet

IBM PC-compatible or Macintosh8mb RAM (16mb better)DX66 or equivalent microprocessor250 mb+ hard driveSound card is optional, but nice28.8 kbps modem

Internet Access Providers

Commercial services

(AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve)

Local access providers (ISP)

Call a local computer store for information on ISP’s

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

Tech support and start-up disk supplied

E-Mail Addresses

Username followed by “@” symbol Computer name and domain Domains : net, org, edu, mil, gov, com

kschrock@capecod.netUsername Computer name & domain

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/ ftp:// wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/windows/psp3.zip mailto:kschrock@capecod.net

The World Wide Web

A global network of information servers Information may be in the form of text,

audio, video, or animationMany millions of sites containing

documents with links to other documentsFastest growing area of the Internet

Finding Information on the WWW

Search EnginesSoftware 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

AltaVista, Lycos, Webcrawler, HotBot

Finding Information on the WWW

DirectoriesCollections of resources compiled and

organized by a personMay be searchable via keywordMay be general or subject-specificYahoo, Magellan, Lycos A2Z

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

included?

Internet Software Needed TCP/IP Software Dialer E-Mail Software WWW Browser Telnet Software IRC (Chat) Software FTP Software Newsreader 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

Windows 3.1 : Trumpet WinsockWindows 95 : TCP/IP included

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

Windows 3.1 : Trumpet includes a dialerWindows 95 : Network dialer included

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

* Pegasus Mail

* Netscape Mail

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’

communication skills

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 cache

Parts of a Browser Window Menu Tool Bar URL Field

Document viewing area

Status Bar

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:

If you choose a sound file, you have to have told the browser what piece of software on your machine is to be run to play the file

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

right mouse button to “save this image as...”

Telnet SoftwareTelnet 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 computer if the user is accessing via telnet

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 simulations and prearranged, live discussions

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 know exact location of file

FTP’ing via Netscape

Newsreader SoftwareUsed 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 type interface

Common Newsgroup Hierarchies

alt comp k12 misc rec

Newsgroups via Netscape

Newsgroups via Netscape

Message

SubscribedNewsgroups List

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 Wonderful for time-sensitive information

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 Social action projects

c1994 Judi Harris. The Way of the Ferret. ISTE.

The following information taken from :

Serim, Fermi & Melissa Koch.

NetLearning : Why Teachers Use the Internet. CA : O’Reilly, 1996.

(1-56592-201-8)

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 fast-breaking news

The Internet is not useful for...

in-depth historical information a quick overview or definition of a topic

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

publications

The Internet is not a substitute for :

face-to-face interaction with other students and teachers

drawing, writing, building, planting, or any other type of hands-on activities

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

responding

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 behave on the screen.

THE END

c1996 Kathy Schrock (kschrock@capecod.net)