Introduction to
the Internet
About the Internet
• The Internet is a collection of networks that are
connected together for exchange of information.
• When the computer is connected to the
Internet, it is said to be online.
About the Internet (cont.)
You can use the Internet to:
o communicate with people all around the world
instantaneously.
o get the latest information on a current event.
o search for information
o buy and sell products.
o perform banking transactions.
Connecting to the Internet
To connect to the Internet, you need:
• Computing device.
• Connection device.
• Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Connecting to the Internet
(Cont)
• Computing device:
o Personal computer
o Portable computer (laptop)
o Mobile device (cell phone or handheld device)
• Connection device:
o Modem
• An ISP is a company that provides Internet connectivity to
individuals, businesses, and organizations.
Connecting to the Internet
(Cont)
Connection Methods:
Physical (Cables)
Wireless (Wireless Fidelity or the Wi-Fi card ).
Types of Internet Connections
There are two different types of Internet
connections:
• Dedicated Internet connection
• Dial-up Internet connection
Types of Internet Connections
(cont.)
Dedicated Internet connection:
o No need to request your ISP for a connection every
time you want to connect to the Internet.
o Many large organizations and universities use
dedicated Internet connections because these
organizations and universities need to use the
Internet extensively.
Types of Internet Connections
(cont.)
Dial-up Internet connection:
o You need to connect to the ISP every time you
want to connect to the Internet.
o You can disconnect from the Internet after
completing your work.
o Is usually less expensive and has a slower data
transfer rate compared to a dedicated Internet
connection.
My Goals for Today
• Talk about commonly used terms
• Talk about parts of a webpage/website
• Show you some ways to move around a
webpage
• Show you how to look for information
using a search engine, using a web
address and a key word search.
• Next time I will show you how to limit your
searches and add things to My Favorites
Some Common Terms
• The Internet is a network of computers spanning the
globe. It is also called the World Wide Web.
• An Internet Browser is a software program that enables
you to view Web pages on your computer. Browsers
connect computers to the Internet, and allow people to
“surf the Web.”
• Internet Explorer is one of the browsers most
commonly used. There are other browsers available as
well, including Netscape.
• A site or area on the World Wide Web that is
accessed by its own Internet address is called a
Web site.
• A Web Page is like a page in a book. Websites
often have several pages that you can access by
clicking on links. A Web site can be a collection
of related Web pages.
• Each Web site contains a home page (this is the
original starting page) and may also contain
additional pages.
• Different computers will have different home
pages. You can set your own webpage.
Layout of a Web Page
1. Title bar – tells you the name of the web page
2. Menu bar – has commands for moving around the webpage,
printing, etc
3. Tool bar – short cuts to commands. Each picture
represents a command
4. Address bar – webpage address. If you want to go directly
to a web page, you will need to know the address.
Parts of a Web Address
• A web address is typically composed of four parts:
• For example, the address http://www.google.ca is
made up of the following areas:
• http://
This Web server uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP). This is the most common protocol on the
Internet.
• www
This site is on the World Wide Web.
• google
The Web server and site maintainer.
• ca
This tells us it is a site in Canada.
• Endings of web pages tells us a bit about the page.
Some common endings to web addresses are:
• com (commercial)
• edu (educational institution)
• gov (government)
• net (network)
• org (organization)
• You might also see addresses that add a country code
as the last part of the address such as:
• ca (Canada)
• uk (United Kingdom)
• fr (France)
• us (United States of America)
• au (Australia)
How to Search the Internet
Two basic ways
1. if you know the address of the web page
(example: www.cbc.ca)
2. Using a search engine like Google to find
the address. This is called a keyword
search
Typing in the Web Site Address
1. Go to the address bar. Click once to
highlight the address. (It should turn blue).
2. Hit the Delete key on your keyboard.
3. Enter the following address:
www.theweathernetwork.com
4. Then press Enter on the keyboard or click
on the word Go on the right side of the
Address Bar.
Search the Internet
• If you don’t know the address of the webpage,
but want to learn more about a topic or find a
particular website, you will need to do a
search.
• There are several handy search engines out
there that will locate information for you. Two
of the mostly commonly used are:
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
Practice Exercise
1. Type www.google.ca into the address
bar. (www.google.ca is a Canadian
version of the search engine.
www.google.com will search US sites
first)
2. Hit the Enter key or Go on the toolbar.
You should see the Google web page.
3. Now click on the Google box. You should
see a flashing cursor. Type in the topic.
Hit enter.
