Learning Basic Internet Skills

This course covers basic skills needed to communicate and to locate resources on the Internet. Syllabus Introduction Important information on the course itself. Unit One: Searching for Resources 1. Introduction to the World Wide Web This lesson introduces the World Wide Web and the capabilities of web browsers. 2. Searching the Web The Internet is a vast repository of both useful and useless information. "Surfing the 'net" can be an enjoyable pastime but when you need information on a specific topic it's not a particularly efficient means of sorting through the mounds of online materials. This lesson looks at several different search tools available on the Internet. Unit Two: Communicating on the Internet 3. Internet Email Basics This lesson explains the various parts or "header fields" in email messages. It then shows you how to address and send an email message. It also covers replying to messages, forwarding messages to other people, and saving message. 4. Introduction to Electronic Mailing Lists Being able to communicate as a member of a group is a powerful function of the Internet. This lesson takes a look at the use of electronic mailing lists for group communications. 5. Introduction to Newsgroups and Newsreaders Newsgroups are a forum where people with common interests can interact with one another. This lesson explains how to find and join newsgroups. Unit Three: Advanced Internet Usage 6. File Transfer Protocol (ftp) A convenient way of obtaining large files, such as software and graphics is using ftp. This lesson deals with how to use ftp using your web browser. File archive types such a compressed files are also covered. 7. Introduction to Online Graphic Files In this lesson you will download images and use graphic viewing software to view and edit these images for use in your classroom. 8. Tying It All Together This lesson reviews the skills covered in the first 7 lessons and shows how they can be and are used together to gather resources from the Internet. This lesson also identifies resources to help further your exploration of the Internet. Test for "Learning Basic Internet Skills" Here is a sample test for this course. Instructors may choose to use it as is, or to modify it, or not to use it at all. If you are taking this course on your own, feel free to use it as a self test.