Touring the World Wide WebYou can take the tour in one of two ways. You can either print these pages (click on the print button at the top of your screen) and then type in the addresses yourself. You can also click on the links (those are the things in blue) to go directly to the site. If you do this, it will be easier if you right-click and open the site in a new window. Then you can use the buttons on the bottom of your computer to return to this window, or simply close the new window. Anyone with access to the Internet can communicate with any computer on the Internet. All you need is a computer, an ISP (Internet Service Provider), a means of connecting to your ISP (modem, cable, DSL, etc.), and a software package called a Web browser. Two common Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. (Hint, if you're reading this page, you have all of this.) Once you have accessed your Web browser, you will need to type in the address, or URL, of the sites given. Internet addresses are strictly regulated. Otherwise, someone could add a computer to the Internet that had the same address as another computer. Each address has two parts, the computer name and its domain. The domain is the specific part of the Internet to which the computer is connected. The general form is computer.domain. Try typing in the following address: When you type in the address, you don't have to worry about what color the characters you type are in or how to underline it (the color and underline just indicate that if you click on it on my page you can go directly to that page without typing it in. You do need to be sure to include the periods in the address (there are usually two of them), and to press [Enter] after you have typed in the complete address however. As you move the cursor around the page you will notice that the arrow changes to a hand in some places. This usually occurs when the arrow is on pictures or words that have been underlined. These are links to other pages. Find a link to the Kansas City Star and click on it. What happened? Did the URL change? (Look at the top of your web browser.) There are also links within a site. Find the comics section of the Kansas City Star. Which is your favorite online comic? Go read the comic. After you have read your comic, you will want to return to where you started from. To do this you will need to click on Back (it's a button within your Web browser). What happens when you click on Back? How many times do you have to click Back to get back to the Home page (or main page) for the Kansas City Star? You don't always have to have words to find a link. For an example of this, try typing in the following address: Move the cursor over the picture that appears on this page. What happens when you place the cursor on the pan on the stove? Click on the pan on the stove. What happens? One thing to remember about the Internet is that it is international. For an example go to How many countries are available? Try looking at a version from a different country. But not all Web pages originate in the United States. For an example of one that originates elsewhere, try: http://www.tourisme.gouv.qc.ca What country is this from? Here are some of the country codes you may see on the Internet.
You can also have sites by state. For an example go to: What does "cc" stand for? What does "mo" stand for? The Internet has sites for all ages. For an example aimed toward the younger set, go to this site: http://www.sesameworkshop.org/ In order for the requests from the Web browser to be understood by the Web server, they must use the same standard protocol. If there was no standard and each Web browser used a different way to request pages, then it could be impossible for a Netscape Web browser to communicate with a Microsoft Web server. The standard protocol for communication between a Web browser and a Web server is HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). That is what the "http" in the URL indicates. However, since it is the standard, it is assumed and you don't have to type it in -- the computer will put it in for you after you press [Enter]. There are many games available on the Internet. A collection of some of the classic games may be found at What happened when you didn't type in the http://? Try a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Who won? How does this site get its funding? Many people believe that the Web is anonymous -- that no one can tell who they are when they request a Web page. But that's not entirely true. Every Web access must provide the Internet address of the requester's computer. Otherwise, the server would not know where to send the requested page. Some browsers also provide the requester's e-mail address as well. Most Web servers record the Internet addresses of all requests (and the e-mail addresses if provided by the browser). Some companies use this information to follow up with prospective customers. Remember all the ads you saw at the last site? There are sites that are educational in nature. Check out this site: Go to the Animal Cams. Try looking at one of the animals. (Note: animals tend to go to bed after dark and there are not always lights.) Did you see any activity? There are sites that will bring you today's news. Check out this site: Some sites seemingly have no worthwhile value -- they are just for fun. Check out this site: www.angelfire.com/music/rabbitdance/rdfatbenny.html It helps if you have speakers. Not all sites have a .com ending. For an example, try this site What are the hours in which you may tour the White House on your own? Now try this site Here is a list of domain names you may see on the Internet.
And some sites, while they look legitimate, may not be. Check out this site: So you should always carefully investigate the site before you believe it. Remember, anyone can post a Web site. Always :
For more introductory type material on the use of the Internet or the World Wide Web, try the following links: For an on-line dictionary of computer terms, try this site: |
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