Chapter 2 Communications, Networks, the Internet, and the World Wide Web

Communication Communications: a process in which two or more computers or devices transfer data, instructions, and information. The ability to communicate information instantly and accurately has changed the way people conduct business in interact with each other, and the way students learn. Durinda

Communications Systems There are three basic communications systems Two computers, one to send and one to receive data Communications devices that send and receive data A communications channel over which data is sent Communications channel: The path that data follows as the data is transmitted from the sending equipment to the receiving equipment in communications network.

School Networks Due to extensive federal, state, and local funding, virtually all schools and school districts in the United States have networked their computers. Schools have installed networks for four reasons   To share hardware and software resources To enable communications among schools and other organizations To connect students and teachers to the Internet Use and share information and data.

Networking The most important benefit of networking school computers is that administrators, teachers, and students can access the unlimited educational resources available on the Internet and communicate with other educators and students all over the world instantly.

How the Internet Works The Internet is a world-wide collection of networks that share data using modems, telephone lines, and other communication devices. One of the main purposes of the Internet is to transfer data The sending computer puts the data into “packets” and the “packets” travel along routers to the destination computer which puts the “packets” back to together so that the user sees the email, or document like it should be seen. Jordyn Cox

The World Wide Web The Internet has been around since the 1960s, but the World Wide Web became popular in the early 1990s It is one of the many services available on the Internet Referred to as The Web It consists of Web Pages which are electronic documents viewed on the Web A Web Site consists of many Web Pages that are related to each other Jordyn Cox

How are Web Documents Linked Together? We navigate the World Wide Web through a series of hyperlinks that allow us to jump from one Web Page to another. Each electronic document has hyperlinks built in that are linked to other related documents. Target Hyperlinks link to another location in the same document Relative Hyperlinks link to another document on the same Internet server Absolute Hyperlinks link to another document on a different Internet server that could be across the country or across the world. Jordyn Cox

Web Browser Software A browser is application software that allows users to access and view Web pages or access Web 2.0 programs. The browser translate the source document into a functional and beautiful Web page with interactive features. In 1993 Marc Andreessen created a graphical Web browser known as Mosaic Mosiac displayed documents that had graphics and used a graphical interface Browsers include: Mozilla Firefox Internet Explorer Safari Chrome Many more Jordyn Cox

How to use a Web search tool to find information. Search Engine – specific type of search tool that finds Web sites, Web pages, and Internet files that match one or more keywords you enter. Subject Directory – type of search tool that allows users to navigate to areas of interest without having to enter key words. Operator Keyword Examples Description AND (+) Art AND music/ smoking health hazards/ fish + pollutants/ runoff Requires both words to be in the page. No operator between words or the plus sign (+) are shortcuts for AND OR Mental illness OR insane/ canine OR dog OR puppy Requires only one of the words to be in the page. AND NOT (-) Auto AND NOT SUV AND NOT convertible / computers – programming Excludes pages with the word following AND NOT. The minus sign is a short cut for AND NOT. ( ) Physics AND (relativity OR einstein) Parentheses group portions of operators together. “ “ “ harry potter” “19th century literature” Requires the exact phrase within quotation marks to be in the page. * Writ* clou* The asterisk at the end of words subs for any combination of characters. Cheyanne

Types of Multimedia Products Available on the Web Multimedia is the combination of graphics, animation, audio, video, 3-D modeling, and virtual reality. Makes the internet a more inviting setting. Graphics- a digital representation of nontext information such as a drawing, chart, or photograph. Example JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Animation – the appearance of motion created by displaying a series of still images in rapid sequence. Example: text that is animated to scroll across the screen, called a marquee, can serve as a ticker to display stock updates, news, school sports scores and events or weather.

Types of Multimedia Products Available on the Web Audio – music, speech, or any other sound. Streaming- transfers data in a continuous even flow Streaming Audio – enables you to listen to the sound file as it downloads to your computer Podcast- recorded audio, usually MP3 file, stored on a Web site that can be downloaded to a computer or a portable media player such as an iPod Video – full motion images that are played back at various speeds. Streaming video- allows you to view longer or live video images as the video downloads to your computer. Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and Apple QuickTime can play downloaded or streaming video files. Virtual Reality (VR)- the simulation of a real or imagined environment that appears as a three-dimensional space. VR world is a 3-D site that contains infinite space and depth.

Internet Services E-Mail (electronic mail) – the transmission of messages and files via a computer network. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) – an Internet standard that allows you to exchange files with other computers on the Internet. If you click on a link on a Web in your browser window that begins to download a file to your hard disk, you probably are using FTP. Newsgroups- an online area in which users conduct written discussions about a particular subject. Chat Rooms- a real time typed conversation that takes place on a computer. Instant Messaging (IM) – a real time Internet communications service that notifies you when one or more people are online and then allows you to exchange messages or files, or join a private chat room with them. Real time means that you and the people with whom you are conversing are online at the same time. Example TEXTING!

Educational Implications of the Internet and World Wide Web The Internet provides new learning resources, opportunities and allows the sharing of information and knowledge. Allows teachers and students to communicate with other teachers internationally. For example) The program ePals- is designed to enable digital students to develop and understanding of different cultures through student exchanges using many of the Internet tools discussed in the chapter. The Internet is revolutionizing the classroom. The internet provides resources online for teachers including Sources Materials Quizzes Test Prep Homework Assignment And much more. Angela Thomas

Connecting to the Internet and the World Wide Web Teachers connect to the internet through their school network. Connecting from home. Some use dial-up access to connect Dial-up- is when you use your computer and a modem to dial into an ISP or online service over regular telephone lines. (Very slow speed technology) Many have changed to higher-speed broadband, through cable television (CATV) networks, DSL, or satellite. Cable modem- sends and receives data over the cable television network.

High Speed Alternatives Digital subscriber line (DSL)- transmits data on existing standard telephone lines. Satellite modem- provides high speed internet connections. Cable, DSL, and satellite services have always-on connections to the Internet. Unlike dial-up which must be reestablished each time it is used. Many users set up a Wi-Fi network, which sends signals to a communications device that is connected to a high-speed Internet service such as a cable or DSL. Many hotels and airports provide broadband Internet connections for a usage or per-day fee; other provide this for free Public Internet access point- in many public locations, people connect wirelessly to the Internet through this. Are in airports, hotels, shopping malls, schools, and coffee shops.

Web 2.0 Refers to web sites that allow users to modify Web Site content, provide a means for users to share personal information (social networking), and have application software built into the site for visitors to use. Also called participatory web. Pros: -Keep in touch with the student -Easier access to materials Cons: -Can cause personal life problems