~ Navigating the Internet ~

This introduction to the internet is aimed at the beginners level!

Basic navigation  |  Organising bookmarks / favourites  
Electronic note-taking  |  File types, saving files & file management

HANDY HINT Where you are instructed to open this link in a new window, you should 'right click' your mouse over the hyperlink. This will open that page in a new window, which you can access from the relevant button on the task bar at the bottom of your screen. This 'right click' trick is a powerful and easy way to switch between windows and applications.

Part 1 - Basic navigation - Netscape    Internet Explorer

The following site gives an excellent 'walk-through' of the toolbar functions and how to move around in the Netscape browser.

Netscape Basics Teaching Library Internet Workshops, University of California, Berkeley
Work your way through the following sections at this site:

What is Netscape?
The Screen
To Navigate the Web
To Move Through a Document

Right click to open this link in a new window http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/NetscapeBasics.html

Alternatively here is a quick guide to the Netscape Toolbar...

For those who prefer Internet Explorer:

Basic Elements Of Internet Explorer Internet Explorer Basics, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois 
Work your way through the following sections at this site:

The Main Browser Window
The Main Explorer Toolbar
Beginning Basic Browsing

Right click to open this link in a new window 
http://www.eiu.edu/~mediasrv/ie/menu.html

Part 2 - Organising bookmarks / favourites

It is quite easy to 'bookmark' sites when using Netscape, or record 'favorites'  in Internet Explorer. If you don't know how, check these pages out:

Netscape: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/NetscapeEssentials.html#Bookmarks

Internet Explorer:
http://www.eiu.edu/~mediasrv/ie2/manage.html

A well organised set of bookmarks or favourites are worth their weight in gold, but what if you are not using the same computer all the time? There are several ways to make your bookmarks/favourites 'portable':

1. When you find a site at school that you want to 'bookmark' at home, send it via email....Pull down the File menu and select Send Page.
2. If you are finding a few sites at a time it would be more efficient to create a compilation of web links on a simple web page, then carry that web page on a floppy disk for constant revision: Easy self-study notes on doing this with Netscape Composer
3. There are also web based bookmark managers: http://www.webwizards.net/useful/wbbm.htm

Example: To become a myVmarks member, Internet users simply visit http://www.VSworks.com and click on the "Join Now" icon. They can
begin by downloading their current favorites to the site. New users are given a member name and password to use from any computer to access their personal Vmarks. 

There are many online tutorials available if you wish to learn more about using web browsers, here are just two:

ACT360 Media - Internet Explorer 5 in the Classroom 
Follow this animated character as it takes users on a tour of the MS IE5 Web browser. Includes a teacher's guide for using the tutorial.
http://www.actden.com/ie5/

The Capper Foundation - Internet Browser Tutorials 
Internet site of The Capper Foundation (www.capper.org). The Capper Foundation's Mission is to enhance the independence of people with physical disabilities, primarily children, but it also provides a list of links to other tutorials. http://www.capper.org/IB_Tutor.htm

Part 3 - Electronic note-taking

If you have ever done word processing you will already know how to 'copy'n'paste'! That's all electronic note-taking is! But you may want to move up a gear and use the 'drag'n'drop' method. For more detailed instructions click here. Don't forget - Right click to open this link in a new window.

Part 4 - File types, saving files & file management

To save a whole web page simply pull down the File menu and select Save as and save to a floppy disk OR your personal directory on  your own computer at home . IMPORTANT NOTES: 

• This will not save any graphics used on the page.
• This will not record the URL of your source
• To look at your saved page simply open through your web browser [not through   Microsoft Word] 
• You will need to save the images separately [see below] and keep them in the same folder as your web page file [<yourfilename>.html]

To save images simply 'right mouse button click' on the image. Select Save image as from the pop-up menu and save to your directory or floppy disk. To view the saved image, open it using File Manager or insert into a web page or document. 

File management
When saving files please note the following:

• Filenames should be meaningful, in lower case, without spaces and not too long (usually less than 8 digits).
• Files should always have a recognised extension. This is usually added automatically by the programme, but it pays to double check! 

It is a good idea to sort all your files into folders for easier retrieval e.g. you may wish to collect a library of images into one folder, your worksheets and files on particular topics into their own folders. To set up your filing system use Windows Explorer, where you can easily copy, move or delete files and create, move and delete folders. A similar filing system can be applied to your email messages.

Click here for the next section - Searching for beginners