| Thea Jones . . . . . . . Baltimore County (MD) Public Schools |
Dick Atlee aITs, University of Maryland, College Park |
(To the NetVision home page)
| Note (May 2000) -- This page is an archive record of NetVision's efforts. It is not being maintained, and thus many links to educational resources can be expected not to function. |
This FAQ has been designed to assist schools and teachers who are planning to use the Internet and the World Wide Web in their classroom.
Contents
Are the Internet and the World Wide Web the same thing?
No. The difference is something like the difference between a city and the department stores in it. The Internet is a huge collection of services available from computers all over the world connected so they can exchange information. The World Wide Web (known also as the Web), on the other hand, is just one of those services. Some of the services in this big city of the Internet, and what they might compare to in a normal city, are:
| World Wide Web . . | getting information (the department stores) |
| sending messages (the postal service) | |
| online chats | conversing (the telephone service) |
| "ftp" | transferring files (the courier and delivery services) |
| telnet | logging into computers (hotels and inns) |
Why is the World Wide Web so famous and popular?
The World Wide Web makes it possible for you to search for information on the Internet and transfer it to your machine simply by clicking on it with your mouse, in an environment populated with "hot" text (click on it and it takes you somewhere), pictures, and sound. The program you use for doing this is called a Web browser. The two most commonly used browsers are Netscape's Navigator (for Macs and PCs) and Microsoft's Internet Explorer (for PCs). Getting information in this way is engaging and fun. Students love it.
(Another browser, lynx, displays only text, but can transfer to your computer most of the graphic and text information the other browsers can. It also requires less machine power, and can run over a less expensive phone connection. It may be an option for you at home, but it is not as attractive or as fun to use as the graphical browsers, so it isn't much use with students in class.)
My school has been wired and I can get to the Internet from there, but I would like to be able to do it at home. What do I need?
To get online from home, what you need depends on your computer and what level of service you want.
| computer | The absolute minimum (see below*) for graphical access is: . . PC: 386, Windows 3.1, 8 Meg of RAM . . Mac: 68020, System 7.1, 8 Meg of RAM |
| modem | 28,800 speed (if you already have a 14.4, it will manage) |
| telephone line | A separate line is a BIG help, given that . . 1. Picking up an extension phone will knock you off . . 2. You can get phone help while you are online |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider: provides a phone number and: . . Text-only access: Unix shell account . . Graphical access: PPP (phone-line Internet) service |
| programs | Text-only access: a simple communications program -- e.g., . . PC: ProComm, MS Works, QuickLink2, etc. . . Mac: ZTerm, MSWorks, SmartCom, etc. Graphical access: (usually available from your ISP): Netscape or Internet Explorer, and: . . Windows 3.1: Trumpet Winsock (or other "TCP/IP Stack") . . Mac: MacTCP or Open Transport, FreePPP or InterSLIP |
| configuration | Text-only access: simple settings for your comm program Graphical access: get help from your ISP or a friend!!! |
How do I find an Internet Service Provider?
There are two types of access you can get from an ISP:
| PPP | This is necessary for graphical access, but is more expensive |
| Unix shell . | This is sufficient for text-only access, and is less expensive |
Most ISP's sell both kinds of access. Several public library systems also offer these services, usually at a lower cost than the commercial providers. Contact your local public library to determine what they offer, if anything. Several Maryland public school systems provide their schools with Internet access. The educational technology coordinator in your school system can help you with information about local access to the Internet. There are two sources of free internet access to Maryland educators:
Okay, so now I have the Web Browser on my screen -- what's next?
There are two ways that you can use a web browser to get information about a certain subject.
If you already have the Web address of a site you'd like to visit -- A Web addresses is called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator, pronounced you-are-ell). If someone recommends such an address, or you see one that intrigues you in this book, go to the Web browser's File menu, and choose Open Location. This will give you a box in which you can type the URL. Type it exactly as it is given, using upper and lower case as directed and no spaces. This can be pretty painstaking, but don't worry. Once you have visited such a site, if you like it you can save it as a "bookmark." This will make it possible to revisit it at any time, without having to type it in again!
If you have an idea of what you are looking for, but no Web address -- You can find information on the World Wide Web by using tools called search engines. Search engines allow you to search for information using keywords, and the sites that offer them also often have Web-guides, or directories of sites on particular subjects, such as "Education." With Netscape, you can get to some (though by no means all) of these search engines by clicking on the Net Search button. But be careful -- each search engine is different, so you will need to spend some time learning to become a good searcher! A later section of this book is devoted to search engines.
Some popular search engines and their addresses/URLs are:
Other great sites with lots of information for students:
What about me? What resources for teachers are available on the Internet?
Why should I use the Internet/World Wide Web?
The Internet can provide students with current information and communication resources, encourage purposeful writing, increase motivation, and help facilitate student exchanges with other students, classrooms, and mentors. Students can broaden their perspectives on global and multicultural issues.
The Internet also provides many benefits to teachers. It provides instant access to educational research, curriculum sources, lesson plans, online experts, discussion centers, and communication tools.
There are many ways to integrate the Internet into education. These include electronic mail exchanges, mentoring, electronic publishing, pooled data analysis and database creation, information searches, electronic process writing, problem-solving, and social action projects.
What is an "Acceptable Use Policy" and why should our school have one?
Because the Internet is accessible by everyone, there may be information on the Internet which is not appropriate for your students. Also, students should be aware of their responsibilities when using the Net. Schools and/or school systems should consider the adoption of an "Acceptable Use Policy" which would be signed by both parents and the students who have access to the Internet. Good WWW sites for information on "Acceptable Use Policies" are:
Can I limit student access to the Internet?
Yes, there are inexpensive software packages which help you block access to sites which may be inappropriate. These software programs usually control Internet access by monitoring words the user tries to send across the Internet and/or by installing a database of sites which cannot be accessed by the web browser on your computer. These packages are available from most software vendors. You can visit these web sites for more information:
What are some other resources for teachers using the Internet & the World Wide Web?
Libraries and bookstores will have lots of books written especially for K-12 educators. Some of the easiest and most fun are the "Dummy" books...Internet for Dummies, Computers for Dummies, etc.(Don't take it personally!) An excellent resource for Mac users is Using Netscape 2 with Your Mac by Heck and Kent, published by Que Corporation (1996) You might want to try The World Wide Web for Teachers by Bard Williams, published by IDG Books Worldwide (1996).
A great monthly newsletter for teachers is Classroom Connect. You can get subscription information at their web site:
http://www.classroom.net/
Great ideas for integrating technology and telecommunications into the curriculum are found in the journal Leading and Learning With Technology. Information at http://www.iste.org/
The University of Maryland has a terrific online site which has lots of information for teachers including directions for using your Internet account. Surf to: http://www.inform.umd.edu/mdk-12/
NetVision's own homepage has links to collections of sites useful to K-12 teachers: http://www.inform.umd.edu/netvision/
Some online newsletters that can help keep you abreast of interesting education-related sites on the Web, as they appear, include:
Don't worry, you'll do just fine! Jump on and get started by trying any of the WWW sites above! If you still have questions about using the Internet, surf on over to the World Wide Web FAQ at http://www.net-link.net/faq/WWW.html and most of all....relax! Give yourself some time to learn this new skill and this new tool for teaching and learning! Happy Surfing!
Posted: 26 May 1997
Links valid as of: 21 May 1997
Comments and suggestions to: netv-web@umail.umd.edu