Chapter 2

    The Internet and Online Research for Teachers

The Internet and the World Wide Web

Chapter Two provides an overview of the Internet and the World Wide Web by providing a brief description of their scope and history and the people who founded it.It concludes with a brief introduction on how to connect to to the Internet.

What is the Internet?

General background on the Internet (its scope, size and history) can be found at:

EFF’s [Extended] Guide to the Internet
http://www.cosy.sbg.ac.at/doc/eegtti

Learn the Internet
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/index.html

A comprehensive list of Internet guides and tutorials can be found at the following Library of Congress site.

Internet Guides, Tutorials, and Training Information Compiled by the Library of Congress
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/internet/training.html

How Large is the Internet?

Good sites to visit for current Internet use include:

Global Reach
http://www.glreach.com/globstats/index.php3

Internet States
http://www.internetstats.com/

What is the World Wide Web?

In December 1990 Tim Berners-Lee wrote the first Web software and put it on the Internet the following summer. You can learn more about him at:

Tim Berners-Lee Biography
http://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/

For an interview with Tim Berners-Lee go to:

Interview with Tim Berners-Lee
http://www.ora.com/www/info/wj/issue3/tbl-int.html

Berners-Lee currently heads up the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) organization, which is concerned with setting up standards for the World Wide Web.

World Wide Web Consortium
http://www.w3.org

For background on the early history of the web and the role of Berners-Lee and CERN in its creation see:

An Overview of the Worldwide Web
http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/ACHIEVEMENTS/WEB/Welcome. html

How Do I Connect to the Internet?

The following addresses will help you learn more about connecting to the Internet and World Wide Web.

Cable Modems Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cox.com/CoxatHome/faq.asp

Internet FAQ Archives
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/top.html

World Wide Web FAQs
http://www.boutell.com/faq

World Wide Web Frequently Asked Questions
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/homes/mark/WWW_FAQ.html