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GLOSSARY
BROWSER
- A software product that lets
you find, see, and hear material on the World Wide Web,
including text, graphics, sound, and video. Popular browsers
are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Most commercial services have their own browsers.
CD-ROMs
- A computer disk that can store large
amounts of information; generally used on computers with
CD-ROM drives. CD-ROM stands for Compact Disk Read Only
Memory. That means it can only play back information, not
record or save material.
CHAT ROOMS
- They allow users to communicate with
each other in "real time" (or "live"),
as opposed to delayed time as with e-mail. A user
enters a chat room (usually defined by topic), types a
message into the computer, and sends it, and it is instantly
displayed on the screens of the other users in the chat
room. Admission is generally not restricted. You never
know who's going to be reading your messages or responding
to them, so it is best to be cautious.
COMMERCIAL SERVICE
- General term for large online services
(e.g., America Online, CompuServe, Microsoft Network, Prodigy).
These services are like special clubs that require membership
dues. Besides providing access to the Internet,
commercial services have lots of content, games, and chat
rooms that are available only to members.
CYBERSPACE
- General term used to refer to the electronic
"areas" and communities existing on the Internet and
other computer networks, as well as to the culture that
is developing around them.
DISCUSSION GROUP
- An area online focused on a specific
topic where users can read and add comments. You can find
discussion groups for almost any topic!
E-MAIL
- "Electronic Mail." A way
of sending messages electronically from one computer user
to another. Users can send memos, letters, and other word-based
messages, as well as multimedia documents. This
requires having a modem, a telephone line connected
to your computer, and an e-mail address (recognizable because
of the "@" symbol, such as president@whitehouse.gov).
FAQ
- A list of "Frequently Asked Questions"
about a specific Web site, mailing list, product
or game. Reading the FAQ is a great idea when you are new
to a site, mailing list, or product.
FREE-NET/COMMUNITY NETWORK
- A community network that provides free
or substantially reduced online access, usually to local
residents. Free-nets originally focused on providing text-based
access to local information and discussions; now more are
providing additional services, such as full access to the Internet.
HARDWARE
- The nuts, bolts, and wires. The actual
computer and related machines such as scanners and printers.
HOME PAGE
- The site that is the starting point
on the World Wide Web for a particular group or
organization. Also used to refer to the default page for
your own browser.
HTML
- "Hypertext Markup Language."
A document format used on the World Wide Web. Text
documents must be converted to HTML in order to be readable
on the Web.
HYPERLINK (like HYPERTEXT)
- An easy method of retrieving information
by choosing highlighted and underlined words in text on
the screen. The words link to other documents with related
subject matter.
INFORMATION LITERACY
- The ability to find, process, and evaluate
the information individuals need to be lifelong learners
equipped for the workplace in the Information Age. As information
increasingly is stored and transmitted electronically,
information technology skills are becoming more important.
INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY (ISH)
- A term popularized by Vice President
Al Gore. The Information Superhighway is envisioned as
a global high-speed network of computers that serves thousands
of users simultaneously, transmitting e-mail, multimedia files,
voice, and video. The system links homes, offices, schools,
libraries, and medical centers, so that textual and audiovisual
information can be instantly accessed and transmitted from
one computer screen to another. (See NII.)
INTERNET
- The largest network of computer networks
in the world.
ISP
- Internet Service Provider. A generic
term for any company that can connect you directly to the Internet,
usually for under $20 per month. Distinguished from the commercial
services which link to the Internet, but also offer
additional services only available to their subscribers.
MODEM
- A device which allows computers to
communicate with each other over telephone lines or other
delivery systems. Modems change digital signals to telephone
signals for transmission and then back to digital signals.
Modems come in different speeds: the higher the speed,
the faster the data are transmitted. The fastest commercially
available modems are "56K" (or 56 kilobits per
second).
MOUSE
- A small device attached to your computer
by a cord, which lets you give commands to the computer.
MULTIMEDIA
- A combination of two or more types
of information such as text, audio, video, graphics, and
images.
NET, THE
- A colloquial term that is often used
to refer to the entirety of cyberspace, the Internet, commercial
services, Free-Nets, etc.
NETIQUETTE
- The rules of cyberspace civility. Usually
applied to the Internet, where manners are enforced exclusively
by fellow users.
NII
- "National Information Infrastructure."
The U.S. Government's official term for the "Information
Superhighway." In some ways, "infrastructure"
is a more accurate description of a wired, interconnected
world than the more linear "superhighway."
ONLINE COMMUNICATION
- Communicating over the Internet or
through a commercial network, usually via a telephone line.
POSTING
- The sending of a message to a discussion
group or other public message area. The message itself
is called a post.
RATING SYSTEMS
- Rating systems are used to assess Web
site content on a number of different adult themes
(e.g., sex, violence, profanity, intolerance). You can
limit your child's access to sites with specific ratings
by changing the settings on browsers such as Microsoft
Internet Explorer. Most parental control products have
their own rating systems. Remember, if you are using
a rating system, sites that have not been rated may not
be accessible.
SEARCH ENGINE
- A program found on certain sites that
performs searches for information on the Internet based
on the words or phrases you supply. Some sites have search
engines that only search within their site.
SERVER
- A host computer that stores information
and/or software programs and makes them available
to users of other computers.
SOFTWARE
- A computer program; loosely defined,
a set of instructions to be used on your hardware.
There is "system software" that operates the
machine itself (such as Windows and MacOS), and there is "application
software" for specific uses-e.g., word processing,
playing games, managing your money.
TECHNOLOGY PLAN
- A blueprint that guides the building
of a technology program in a school, district, or community.
URL
- "Uniform Resources Locator."
The World Wide Web address of a site on the Internet.
For example, the URL for the White House is http://www.whitehouse.gov.
USERID (or User ID)
- The unique name given to (or chosen
by) a user on some Web sites and commercial systems.
The User ID and sometimes an accompanying password is used
by the service to allow access to the system and/or to
track information about you.
WEB SITES
- A location on the World Wide Web that
may incorporate graphics, sounds, and links to other sites.
Web sites are identified by an online address that starts
with "http://" (e.g., http://www.pta.org).
WORLD WIDE WEB
- A hypertext-based navigation
system on the Internet that lets you browse through
a variety of linked resources. Also known as WWW and the
Web.
Sources: Leadership & Technology: What School
Board Members Need to Know; America's Children and The Information
Superhighway: A Briefing Book and National Action Agenda;
NetGuide: Your Complete Guide to the Internet and Online
Services, A Michael Wolff Book; and online computer dictionaries.
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