Why the Net? An Interactive Tool for the Classroom: Explanation

Welcome to Why the Net? An Interactive Tool for the Classroom. Start here in the Explanation section, which is all about the CONCEPT. Then go on to Demonstration and the following sections, where we move from CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM!

	What is the Internet?
	What is the history of the Internet, and how has it changed over time?
	What can the Internet do for my classroom?
	How can I best use the Internet in my classroom?
	What are some critical perspectives on use of the Internet in schools?
	What are the benefits of the Internet in the classroom?

What is the Internet?

The Internet, also called the Net, is a collection of computers connected in a worldwide network. Since you are reading this on a Web site¹, your computer is part of the Internet. Not only is it part of the Internet, your computer is linked, through the network, right now to a computer in New York City that houses this CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM workshop. That computer is called a Web server². Other Internet functions allow you to send and receive e-mail³, participate in online discussion groups, and much more.

1.

The network between your computer and the Concept to Classroom computer in New York City makes it possible for the two computers to share information and

Find out what really happens when you surf the World Wide Web. .... View our animation here.

exchange files. At the moment, the computer in New York is not only sharing this page with you, it is sharing thousands of other pages with thousands of other computers! Think about what that means for a second. If you are at any computer, anywhere in the world, that has any type of connection to the Internet, you can connect to the computer in New York and read this page. Now think about all the other groups, universities, libraries, companies, and organizations that have information they want to share. They can all have Web servers connected to the Internet, and they can all share information with the thousands of other computers connected to them. Think about all the information that is available and being exchanged!