| Internet | ||
|
The Internet is a Wide Area Network - actually it is a huge collection of networks connected together by what are called gateways - these make the system act as if it was one huge network. Many networks in industry, business, higher education and government institutions are all connected to the Internet although anybody can now get connected to the system with the appropriate hardware and software and access to an ISP (Internet Service Provider ). Search engines A user can get information on just about everything. There are search engines which allow you to enter a topic to search for. A page of hyperlinks will be generated that the user can click to go to the most relevant pages. Web Logs Commonly referred to as Blogs - personal diaries kept on the Internet and accessible by other users. Many leading figures in politics or entertainment keep Blogs. Messaging It is possible to communicate with other computer users over the Internet using messaging services. You can hold a real-time conversation. Discussions can be held between several users at a time - usually referred to as chat. Different topics may be discussed in different chat-rooms. Virtual Learning Environments An Internet-based educational system. Learners and teachers can interact over the Internet to help learning. A learner can access tutorials and try some self-assessments to learn a particular subject. On-line help from teachers may be available. Downloading Music or other files of data may be downloaded over the Internet. Hardware drivers and other support software are often available for download. Also available over the Internet... On-line auctions - users may bid for items. On-line banking - administer your bank accounts from home, transfer money, pay bills etc Podcasts - digital recordings of radio broadcasts may be downloaded. VoIP - use the Internet to make voiced calls to other users. Eg Skype. Social Networks - (Facebook, Bebo etc) allows users to create profiles of themselves, and create networks of 'friends'. Broadcasts - watch a TV program you missed.
|
||
|
|
||
BUT...
|
||
