The World Wide Web for Educators

The Internet: a Network of Networks

Essentially, the Internet is a "network of networks." It is a collection of the individual computer networks of many separate universities, countries, companies and other organizations, set up so that any computer on any of the networks can communicate with any other computer on any of the other networks. This collection of networks can be used for many activities: email, ftp, usenet, instant messaging, and the World Wide Web. In this chapter, we will focus on the World Wide Web's use for education.

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is one of the most popular ways to access information over the Internet. Using Browsers such as Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera and Mozilla, people can visit web sites, download files, listen to music and watch digital video. It is a wonderful method for gathering and exchanging knowledge. As such, the World Wide Web can be an incredible asset for educators. However, like most powerful tools, it must be used with care.

Researching on the World Wide Web

For teachers without access to a large local library, the World Wide Web can be vital, as it provides access to a great wealth of educational material. There are two major methods for researching on the web: Search Engines and Directories. Search Engines allow you to type in a few key words, while Directories present you with a list of topics from which to select. Google (http://www.google.com) is a popular search engine, while The Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org/) is a popular Directory. In fact, Google now has its own Directory, found by clicking the Directory button from the http://www.google.com home page. When conducting research into a general topic, Directories are often the better choice, as they allow you to specify the topic without looking for specific key words. If you are researching something more specific, a search engine can be the better option.

--INSERT PICTURES OF GOOGLE VERSUS DMOZ HERE--

Validating your resources

Whichever method you use to find your information, one of the most important aspects of research is determining whether or not the information is valid as a teaching resource. Just because you find something on the World Wide Web does not mean it is true, as anyone with access to the web can write whatever they want.

When perusing material on the web, check for these key factors to determine whether or not you should use the information as an educational resource

• Is the author listed?

If the author is unnamed, it is better not to trust the material. Once you have determined who has written the material, you need to find out more about them.

• Does the author work for an established organization?

Do they work for a recognized newspaper or University? Run a web search on their name to see what else they have written.

• Is the material on the server of an established organization?

Personal space on sites such as lycos.com or geocities.com is easy for anyone to acquire, so any information found at these personal sites should not be considered as being endorsed by any established organization. However, material on servers such as Universities or Newspapers can generally be trusted, if they pass the other criteria. There are many more informally recognized sources of trusted information on the web, so a little time spent looking into the site on which the information is stored can help you determine its validity.

You can do this by "hacking the web address." This means deleting everything after the .com, .org, .edu, .ac.fj, etc. of the web address to learn more about the server on which the information is stored. For instance, to find more about www.usp.ac.fj/robbins_c , delete the "robbins_c" in the web address, press enter, and you will find out which base server is being used. In this case, it is the University of the South Pacific. "Hacking web addresses" is a simple but useful tool for learning more about a site's validity.

• Is the material referenced?

Does the author list his or her resources? Is there a bibliography? Is there a solid basis behind the work, or is it just editorial opinion?

Summary

In a nutshell, the World Wide Web opens a huge amount of information to Educators, but we must keep in mind that just as in conversations with people in society, we must be critical about what we accept as fact or rumor.