POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION
(PGDE)
COMPUTERS AND INTERNET IN EDUCATION
Lecture 2 – Computer Networking, Internet and e-mail
Mr. BANGISHAKA Emile
MIS, MCS and BCS CEIT
Objectives
At end of this topic, you should be able to understand:
• Computer Network concepts
• History of internet
• Common terminologies and their application
• Use search engines for education
• Deciphering Search Engine Results
• Email and email’s management
COMPUTER NETWORKING
What is a computer Networking?
• Is a group of computer systems and other computing hardware
devices that are linked together through:
cables,
telephone lines,
radio waves,
satellites, or
infrared light beams,
• Networks facilitate
Communication
Sharing files and computer resources (printer, Scanner, CD/DVD-ROM drives, etc. )
Advantages of Computer Networking
• File Sharing
• Resource Sharing
• Low-cost Software
• Flexible control
• Better Storage Capacity
Disadvantages of Networks
• Security Concerns
• Virus and Malware
• Lack of Strength
• Needs an efficient control
• Lack of Freedom
- It generally covers large
Classification of computer Network distances (states, countries,
continents).
- Communication medium
used are satellite, public
telephone networks which
are connected by routers.
- WAN is the largest
Network, actually WAN is
Internet
It generally covers towns and
cities (50 kms)
- consists of a computer
network at a single site,
typically one of classroom or if
a computer lab is connected
to one or more switches is a
good example of LAN.
INTERNET
What is the Internet?
• The Internet is a huge collection of computers around the world.
• These computers are all linked together, and they can "talk" to
each other, sharing information.
• If your computer is connected to the Internet, it can connect to
millions of other computers, in many different parts of the
world.
What do you need to connect to the Internet?
• Personal Computer
• Modem Methods Used to connect
to the internet.
• Phone Line Dial-Up
Broadband
• Internet Service Provider Wi-fi
• Web Browser
What can you do on the Internet?
• Obtain information
• Communication & Networking
• Use of internet in Education
• Business & Advertising
• Entertainment
• Use of internet in medicine
• E-Services (online banking, Online Shopping)
What are modems?
• Modems are devices that encodes digital computer signals into
analog/analogue telephone signals and vice versa
• Modem allows computer to communicate over a phone line.
What are Internet Service Providers (ISP)?
• An Internet Service Provider can be compared to a long distance phone
company where a monthly fee is paid, the computer dials up the ISP, and the
ISP connects the customer to the network.
Examples of ISPs:
• MTN
• TIGO
• airtel Rwanda
• Terracom
www
The World
Wide Web is
a part of the
Internet. It is
a collection
of millions of
pages of
information.
What are web browsers?
A browser is a software program that lets you read and view
web pages (websites).
Examples:
• Microsoft Edge
• Internet Explorer
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Etc.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator (URL): the address of a web page or web site.
• The way Internet addresses end gives you some idea about the site you are visiting.
• Commercial addresses end in “com” (for example www.amazon.com);
• governmental addresses end in “gov” (for example www.whitehouse.gov);
• organizational addresses end in “org” (for example www.pbs.org);
• educational addresses end in “edu” (for example www.uab.edu); and
• military addresses end in “mil”(for example www.army.mil).
When you know the URL of a website you simply type the URL into the address bar. You do
not need to enter http:// in those new internet browser.
Common mistakes when typing in addresses:
• Misspelling words
• Leaving out the dots
• Putting spaces in between the words.
Search Engines
• Search Engines is a program that searches documents for specified keywords and
returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found.
Examples:
1. Google,
2. Alta Vista
3. Yahoo!,
4. About.com,
5. AcademicInfo
Deciphering
Search Engine
Results
Advantages and disadvantage of search engines.
Advantages are:
• variety of sources for information,
• Precision and Organization of information
Disadvantages are:
• Search engine show too much useless on our screen and
• those who use search engine frequently may become lazy.
Tips on how to input internet searches for quicker results
· Identify common words that are important to your search:
Example: for reference to the month of May; type May not may
· Use a comma to distinguish capitalized names or phrases from one another:
Example: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Las Vegas
· Use quotation marks and hyphens to identify a phrase:
Example: best “laser printer” or best laser-printer
· Use brackets around terms that should appear in the same area of a document:
Example: [weather San Jose current forecast]
· Try not to over specify a search-you might miss relevant documents:
Useful: “black and white personal laser printers”
More useful: “personal laser printers”
· Most search software doesn’t understand English-the best searches are made up mainly of words
and phrases that are likely to appear in the target articles:
Useful: find some recent articles on America Online
More useful: America Online, AOL
Email
What is Email?
• Email, short for Electronic Mail, consists of messages which are sent
and received using the Internet.
Don’t use email for:
• Long or complicated messages
• Questions that require a lot of clarification
• Delivering indiscreet, sensitive, or private information.
• Angry exchanges
• Things you should say in person
Security of your email
Create a secure password for your email
• Include punctuation marks and/or numbers.
• Mix Uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Include similar looking substitutions, such as the number zero for the letter 'O' or '$' for the letter 'S'.
• Create a unique acronym
• Include phonetic replacements, such as 'Luv2Laf' for 'Love to Laugh'.
Things to avoid
• Don't use a password that contains personal information (name, birth date, etc.)
• Don't use words or acronyms that can be found in a dictionary.
• Don't use keyboard patterns (asdf) or sequential numbers (1234).
• Don't make your password all numbers, uppercase letters or lowercase letters.
• Don't use repeating characters (aa11).
• Don't use a password that is listed as an example of how to pick a good password.
Tips for keeping your password secure
• Never tell your password to anyone (this includes significant persons, roommates,
parrots).
• Avoid writing your password down
• Never send your password by email.
• Periodically change your password (e.g., every six months).
• Do not save your password in your internet browser (your browser will likely ask if
you wish to save the password)
END
