Video 1 gives an introduction to the internet. It gives an overview of the internet, its uses, and research, communication and navigational tools. It does not go into detail as to how to use those tools. That is covered in a later video. The internet is a global community of computers and people all linked and sharing a common language. There are four million computers and 30 million people on the internet. There are about one million more people logging onto the internet each month. Anyone looking to tap into a vast source of information will find that on the internet. There is even graphics, sound and moving video.
Video one also gave a brief history of the internet beginning with the 1957 start of the ARPA, which was used primarily by the government for defense purposes and scientific research. In 1969, Arpanet was commissioned by the Defense Department to research computer networking. In 1983 the first desktops were in use. In 1988, the first school in the U.S. connected to the internet. In 1990, ARPANET became the internet. By 1994 there were 1000 schools connected to the internet. In 1992, the World Wide Web was created, allowing information be be organized in its linked format, thus making the internet easy to use.
The key to understanding the internet is using it. People can take virtual tours to other places, places most wouldn't physically be able to go. This makes the internet an invaluable tool for teachers. The internet opens the world for anyone to see. Via the internet, you can save, print, retrieve materials to your computer for future use. You can take a virtual tour of the White House, virtually dissect a frog, see the Louvre, visit over 159 government sites, find anything you could want with regards to the works of William Shakespeare. There is a place for kids to publish their own writing. There are tons of sites for kids. They can color on line, do lite brite, and find information on subjects they are researching for school projects.
For teachers, there are many resources that they can use. Teachers can share lesson plans with other teachers. They can find a new way, already created by someone else, to teach a given topic. They can take the students on a virtual tour of a place they are studying. The internet can be used to enhance the teacher's teaching. There are tools such as ERIC, Teacher Talk, Classroom Connect, and Classroom Web with free posting. If the classroom teacher learns to utilize the internet, it will certainly help enhance the lessons, save time for the teacher, and help other teachers via shared information.
There have been 2424 visitors since August 13, 1999.