7. The Internet*

The Internet is really atwo computers connected by a wire and a blackbox huge electronic library that you can use through a computer. Information is stored in computer files all over the world, and the computer you are using can look at any one of these through the phone (and now cable) lines. By typing “key words” into a search engine(5), your computer instantly find and connect to web sites(6) published by governments, corporations, and just ordinary people. Once you have browsed through the most suitable titles, you can download(7) pages of information on any topic you can imagine. If you don’t have Internet access yourself or know someone who does, most communities in New Brunswick have Community Access Sites where for free or for a small hourly charge you can search the Net.

Computers are not hard to learn how to use. Once you have tried it a couple of times, you will be “surfing(8) like a pro.



exercise


Exercise 7*

  1. Find at least three different places in your community where you can connect to the Internet.
  2. Make arrangements to visit a community access site. Make sure that you have someone with you who can show you how to use the World Wide Web.
  3. Look up at least one of your topics on the Web. When you find some useful information, download it on a printer. Save the information you found in your notebook. Perhaps it might be useful later.

Warning: When you download information from the Web, be aware that it is largely unedited. Unlike books and other sources which must publish verifiable true facts, no one checks on the reliability of information published on the Web. There are no guarantees about the accuracy of its information. Your best protection is to only take things from reliable sources, like major corporations, which are conscientious about what they publish or who know they cannot afford to make mistakes.



5.a special place on the Internet that will search for information by matching the word(s) you type in to the same words typed in by someone else anywhere in the world

6."places all over the world that store information electronically

7.tell your computer to bring you specific information

8.a computer term that means travelling electronically from one site to another on the net
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