Before we get started, here are some words you should become familiar with:
browser: a program that allows us to see pages on the web as text, pictures, sounds, etc. Two examples are Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator.
URL: uniform resource locator--the specific location or address of any web page. It is what you type into the "location" field.
search engine: a web site that helps you find whatever you are interested in
examples: www.yahoo.com, www.lycos.com, www.google.com, www.altavista.com
favorites: copies the location of a particular web page
into your browser's memory, so you can easily go back to it in the
future
Open your browser. (We will be using Internet Explorer today.) Here is what the tool bar looks like:
You use the buttons on the tool bar to move around.
|
You can use the Forward and Back buttons to negotiate through the web. |
 |
|
The Home button will take you to the browser start page. |
 |
|
Use Stop if a web page is taking a really long time to load, or if you decide you don't really want to look at it. |
 |
|
Use Refresh if you have stopped a page and you want it to start loading (or coming back) again. |
 |
|
Use Print to print a web page. |
 |
The Address bar is where you put the URL of the site you want to
visit. Each web page has a different address or URL. 
Most URLs begin with "http://", which tells the browser that this is a web page and how to handle the page.
Next, you usually see "www.", which means that this is part of the world wide web.
After that, you see the name of the particular site, such as "lawndale.k12.ca.us" or "apple.com".
The endings of a URL can give you clues about what kind of site it
is.
|
.com = commercial |
.edu = college or university |
|
.net = network site, such as Earthlink |
.gov = government |
|
.k12.ca.us = K - 12 school or district |
.mil = military |
Unless you know the exact address of a web page, you probably can't get to it without a search engine. Search engines scour web pages for you, and you then look through their results.
First, find a search engine. Here are some possibilities:
How do you conduct a search?
Use a "keyword" (what you are really looking for, like "bicycle") and type it into the search field. Type return or press the search button, and look through the results. You will probably get a lot of web pages, or hits!
Narrowing your search:
It's a bit overwhelming when you search for something, like "bicycle", and get thousands of matches or hits. How can you check through them all? Is that feasible?
We all know that, no, it isn't feasible. Here are some ways to narrow your search:
-- Search using more than one word. Use quotations marks around the words, and the search engine will only return pages with both words together. ex: "bicycle horn" or "cashmere t-shirts"
-- Use Boolean operators: AND, OR or NOT
ex: bicycle AND horn, bicycle OR horn, cats AND dogs NOT birds
-- Skim the hits you receive. Only click on the ones that really match what you are looking for. You don't have to look at every single one.
A "favorite" allows your browser to return to page you have visited in the past, without you having to type a URL. Favorites are very useful, because they allow you to go back to something you found interesting without having to remember the address. They are kind of like speed-dials on telephones. To add a favorite in Internet Explorer, got to "Favorites" and hilite "Add Page to Favorites". To access a page you have added to your favorites list, go back to the "Favorites" menu and hilite the name of the page you want.
At most schools and school districts, students need to return a signed Acceptable Use Policy signed by a parent or guardian. The Acceptable Use Policy outlines what students may and may not do while using the Internet at school.
As for teachers, e-mail is not a form of personal or privileged communication. Therefore, the district can monitor e-mail or voice mail messages.
There are many on-line resources for using the Internet. Some good web sites are:
http://www.learner.org/courses/rfts/
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/00start.html (especially the information on browsers, bookmarks and sending e-mail)
