Internet Concepts

Understand Internet

There are different definitions for internet but the meaning is the same as shown below
Def 1: The series of interconnected network allowing communication of data surrounded by millions of computers worldwide.
Def 2: A global communication network that allows computers worldwide to connect and exchange information.
Def 3: A worldwide system of computer network, a network of networks in which users at any one computer can get information from any other computer.
The word “Internet” exactly means “network of networks”. The Internet  consists of thousands of smaller regional networks spread throughout the world. It connects approximately 80 million users in Asian countries on any given day.
The Internet is referred as a physical part of the global network. It is a giant collection of cables and computers. No one “owns” the Internet, though there are companies that help out to manage different parts of the networks that tie everything together, there is no single governing body that controls what happens on the Internet. The networks within different countries sponsor the finance and manage according to the local procedure.

World Wide Web (WWW)

Generally, everyone thinks that the internet and web are same, but it is false.
The web is a software application or services that run on the internet. It is a collection of documents and resources. It is one of the fastest growing parts of the internet. It provides easy access to a huge range of information that is stored on computers around the world. 

What is Web site?

Web site contains one to millions of inter connected pages, has hyperlinks to connect and help to find your way around the web site. You can find different kinds of information on the web- like games, health matters, holiday destination, train timetables, weather forecast and many more. There are  millions of web sites available on the internet, and you can find any thing that interests you. 

Web Address

Each Web site has its own unique address, which is called a Uniform Resource Locator or URL. To visit a site, you need to type its address in the address bar of your web browser.

Usage of Internet

The internet is used mainly for communication, to gather information, education, entertainment, current affairs, online learning, commerce, publishing, etc.
In the usage of internet, publishing  is not just used for organization or businesses, anyone can create their own web sites and publish their information or files on the Worldwide Web.
 It is a global collection of computer network, that help    in exchanging data using a comThrough  the Internet,  thousands of people around the world are  able to access information  from their homes, schools, internet cafes and workplaces.

• The Internet mon software standard. Internet users can share information in a variety of forms.
• The user can connect easily through ordinary personal computers and share the knowledge, thoughts by making the use of an internet.
• We can send electronic mail (e-Mail) to family members and friends with accounts on the Internet, which is similar to sending letters by post. The E-mail can be sent within minutes no matter where they are without postal stamps etc.
• We can post information that can be accessed by others and can update it frequently.
• We can access multimedia information that includes video, audio, and images.
• We can learn through Web-Based Training and Distance Learning on the internet.

Features of Internet 

Geographic Sharing

The geographic sharing of the internet continues to spread, around the world and even beyond. A main feature of the Internet is that once you have connected to any part of it, you can communicate with all of it.

Architecture

The architecture of internet is most ever communication network designed. The failure of individual computers or networks will not affect its overall reliability. The information will not change or destroy over time or while transferring in between sites. 

Universal Access

It is easy to access and make the information like text, audio, video and also accessible to a worldwide people at a very low price.  Access to  internet is same to everyone no matter where they are. One can connect to any computer in the world, and  go to many excited places without leaving your chairs.

Benefits of Internet

• The internet is data and information loaded, including a range of medium.
• The Search engines that are available online are, fast and powerful.
• The internet is easy to use.
• We can become researchers because of easier access to data.
• People are motivated to share  their work online with the world.
• The internet appeals to different learning styles.
• Unlike paper the web can present dynamic data sources which change over time.
• The characters in an e-Mail don't get transposed or mixed up when they are sent over long distances.
• We can access  libraries around the world.

The internet is a very big storeroom of learning material. As a result, it significantly expands the resources available to every one beyond the standard print materials found in libraries. We can access  the latest reports on government and non-government websites, including research results, scientific and artistic resources in museums and art galleries, and other organizations with information applicable to learning. The internet can be used for undertaking reasonably tricky research projects.

As internet is a powerful resource for learning, and is an efficient means of communication,  it is very  useful in education and provides a number of learning benefits.It includes the development of independent learning and research skills,  by improving  access to specific subject learning across a wide range of learning areas, as well as  integrated or cross-curricular studies and communication and collaboration, such as the ability to use learning technologies to access resources, create resources and communicate with others.

Access to Internet

The internet is a great tool for developing  the communication and collaboration skills of students and children.. Above all, the internet is an effective means of building language skills. Through e-Mail, chat rooms and discussion groups, students learn the basic principles of communication in the written form. This gives teachers the opportunity to incorporate internet-based activities into normal literacy programs and bring  variety to their teaching strategies.
Collaborative projects can be intended to improve literacy skills, generally through e-Mail messaging with their peers from other schools or even other countries. Collaborative projects are also useful for engaging students and providing significant learning experiences. In this way, the internet becomes an effective means of advancing intercultural understanding. Moderated chat rooms and group projects can also provide students with opportunities for collaborative learning.

Privacy Issues

Many children are skilled navigators of the Internet. They are comfortable using computers and are fascinated by the information and images that can be explored at the click of a mouse. Recent figures show that 90% of school-age children have access to computers either at home or at school. The ability to interact and communicate with others is one of the biggest attractions of the Internet for children. We are watching about spending time with people in chat rooms and instant messaging through mobiles, playing games, entering contests and filling forms in popular online activities. Unfortunately, most parents don't really understand how such activities can put their children's privacy at risk or even threaten their safety. Surprisingly in India, most parents never know about some of the activities  that their child is participating  on the  Internet.
In today’s internet communications scenario,  personal data is  valuable and protecting the same has become a skill that the we need to understand and learn.

 The  privacy can be compromised in certain online activities:

•  Filling forms for various surveys, contests, downloading games on commercial or free web sites.
• Giving details about personal information when registering for e-mail access, Chat access.
• Providing information when registering for free game downloads.
• Providing information when registering for social networking web sites.

Privacy

Some websites prompt students to complete a form revealing their name, e-Mail address, age and gender, and sometimes even their telephone number and postal address, in order to access information. Some requests are legitimate: much depends on the nature of the website requesting the information. Providing personal information online can result in a student being targeted for spam (unsolicited e-Mail), advertising materials and/or viruses. Privacy issues also apply to students developing personal websites and publishing online. Personal details, including photographs of themselves or other students, may lead to the information being captured and reused by others for illicit purposes.