RFC relevance of frequently

As per Relevance of the word frequently, we have this rfc below:

Network Working Group J.
Request for Comments: 1941 Sterling Software/NASA
FYI: 22 J.
Obsoletes: 1578
Category: Informational May 1996

Frequently Asked Questions for

Status of This

This memo provides information for the Internet community. This
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution
this memo is unlimited

The goal of this FYI document, produced by the Internet
Networking (ISN) group in the User Services Area of the
Engineering Task Force (IETF), is to act as an introduction to
Internet for faculty, administration, and other school personnel
primary and secondary schools. The intended audience is educators
are recently connected to the Internet, who are accessing
Internet by some means other than a direct connection, or who
just beginning to consider Internet access as a resource for
schools. Although the Internet Engineering Task Force is
international organization and this paper will be valuable
educators in many countries, it is limited in focus
internetworking in the United States

Table of

1. Introduction................................................... 2
2. Acknowledgments................................................ 3
3. Questions About the Internet in an Educational Setting......... 3
4. Questions About Getting the Internet into the School........... 7
5. Questions About Using Internet Services........................ 17
6. Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects, & Collaboration. 21
7. Questions About Security and Ethics............................ 25
8. Suggested Reading.............................................. 29
9. Resources and Contacts......................................... 31
10. References.................................................... 50
11. Security Considerations....................................... 51
12. Authors' Addresses............................................ 51
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms Used in this Document............... 52
Appendix B: Ways to Get Requests for Comments (RFCs).............. 60
Appendix C: Examples of Educational Projects Using the Internet... 61

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1.

As more and more schools begin using technology to
educational goals, access to the worldwide network of
networks known as the Internet is expanding. Help for schools in
form of printed materials, electronic resources, and people is
expanding. The Internet School Networking (ISN) group of the
Engineering Task Force (IETF) remains committed to articulating
advantages of Internet connections for schools and
solutions to the challenges schools face in getting connected.
FYI (For Your Information) series, which is a subset of the IETF
produced RFCs (Requests for Comments) is one way to achieve
goals. (See Appendix A, "Glossary of Terms Used in This Document"
further explanation of "FYI" and "RFC.")

While the IETF and ISN are international groups, the authors of
document are experienced only in bringing the Internet to schools
the United States. We are aware that culture and the national
effect how one views the issues surrounding school networking. (
give just one example, in the United States, educational reform is
important reason for schools to get connected to the Internet.
countries may not have the same incentive to transform the teacher'
role to more of a guide toward knowledge and less of a sole
of information.) So, while this document may have a U.S. flavor,
feel that the focus will not prevent it from being useful to those
other countries

Some of the questions educators have about the Internet are of a
general nature, and for those we recommend reading FYI 4, "Answers
Commonly Asked 'New Internet User' Questions." (For information
how to get this and other IETF documents of interest to the
Internet user, See Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs.")

Remember that the Internet is a changing environment. Although
have tried to include only the most stable of network services
contacts, you may still find that something listed is unavailable
has changed. The positive side of this constant change is that
will discover much on your own, and some of what you discover will
new since the writing of this document

This is an update of an earlier document (FYI 22/RFC 1578, "
to Commonly Asked 'Primary and Secondary School Internet User
Questions"), and renders that document obsolete. If future
are produced, the RFC number will change again, and the FYI
(22) will remain the same

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2.

In addition to Ronald Elliott, Klaus Fueller, Raymond Harder,
Hoffman, William Manning, April Marine, Michael Newell, and
Rutkowski, all of whom contributed to the first version of
document, we would like to thank Sepideh Boroumand, Sandy Dueck,
Gong, Bill Grenoble, Pat Kaspar, Ed Klein, Yermo Lamers, Gary Malkin
April Marine, Michael Newell, and Jan Wee for their
suggestions and contributions to this version. Thanks also to
Hickson for checking each of the entries in the formidable Section 9.

3. Questions About the Internet in an Educational

3.1 What is the Internet

The Internet is a large and rapidly growing worldwide
comprised of smaller computer networks, all linked by a
protocol, that enables computers of different types to
information. The networks are owned by countless commercial
research, government, and education organizations and individuals
The Internet allows the almost 5 million computers [1] and
users of the system to collaborate easily and quickly either in
or in groups. Users are able to discover and access people
information, distribute information, and experiment with
technologies and services. The Internet has become a major
infrastructure used for education, research, professional learning
public service, and business

There is a confusing variety of types of Internet access. These
of access are distinguished either by the services one can
(telnet, Gopher, FTP or File Transfer Protocol, World Wide Web) or
the technology underlying the access (the protocol, or rules
computers must follow in order to communicate with one another).
Internet is most clearly defined by its technology, but
technologies now offer access to many of the same Internet services
most notably electronic mail and the World Wide Web. The
important question for a user today is probably not "Am I on
Internet?" but "Do I have access to the Internet services I want?"
See Section 5, "Questions About Using Internet Services," for
discussion of telnet, Gopher, FTP, the World Wide Web, and
mail

While there is no official governing body of the Internet,
Internet Society serves as the international organization
Internet cooperation and coordination. See Section 9, "Resources
Contacts" for Internet Society contact information

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For a more complete basic introduction to the Internet, see FYI 20,
"What is the Internet?" cited in Section 8, "Suggested Reading."
information on how to retrieve FYI documents produced by the
Engineering Task Force, see Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs."

3.2 What are the benefits of using the Internet in the classroom

The Internet is an exciting classroom resource. It expands
classroom dramatically by delivering information, data, images,
even computer software from places otherwise impossible to reach,
it does this almost instantly. This access to up-to-the-
information can make a student's education more relevant. Some
these materials are original sources which are too expensive or
other ways difficult for schools to own. Some information is
unfiltered by mass media, requiring students to critically assess
content and value

But the Internet is not strictly a place from which to
something. It is also a place to communicate, to make contact
people all over the world. The Internet brings into the
experts in every content area, new and old friends, and colleagues
education. And it allows students and teachers to leave the
by sharing ideas with people far away. The isolation inherent in
teaching profession is well-known among educators. By having
access to colleagues in other parts of the world, as well as to
who work outside of classrooms, educators are not as isolated

Your site can become a valuable source of information as well
Consider the expertise in your school which could be shared
others around the world. For guidance in finding schools with
presence on the Internet, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

Use of the Internet shifts focus away from a teacher-as-expert
and toward one of shared responsibility for learning, making it
vital part of school reform. Many reform efforts attempt to move
from teacher isolation and toward teacher collaboration, away
learning in a school-only context and toward learning in a
context, away from an emphasis on knowing and toward an emphasis
learning, away from a focus on content and toward a focus on
[2]. The Internet can play an integral part in helping to
these shifts, since it is well-suited for use as a project resource
Information on the Internet, as in the rest of the world outside
classroom, is not divided into separate disciplines such as geometry
writing, geography, or painting

As a hands-on classroom tool, the use of the Internet encourages
kind of independence and autonomy that many educators agree
important to the learning process. Internet use itself can also be

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motivator for students. Additionally, because class, race, ability
and disability are removed as factors in communication while
the Internet, it is a natural tool for addressing the needs of
students

There are a number of resources you can use to convince others of
benefits of the Internet in the classroom. The NASA IITA (
Aeronautics and Space Administration Information
Technology and Applications) K-12 Internet Initiative has produced
11-minute video describing the benefits to schools in using
Internet. Its title is "Global Quest: The Internet in
Classroom." Another video appropriate for a mixed audience
stakeholders is "Experience the Power: Network Technology
Education," produced by the National Center for Education
in the U.S. Department of Education. Several articles appearing
various periodicals make a strong case for using the Internet in
classroom. A particularly good one by Al Rogers of the
SchoolNet Foundation is called, "Global Literacy in a
Culture." Student essays can also give compelling testimony.
information on the Rogers article, see Section 8, "
Reading." Some student essays can be found on NASA's Quest
listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," as can information
the videos

3.3 Will using the Internet replace teachers

Just as textbooks, periodicals, videos, guest speakers, and
trips are often used to support a curriculum, the Internet can
used as a tool for teaching and learning. This does not mean that
must be the sole instructional method in a classroom. Teachers
remain responsible for making educated and informed decisions
the best way to use the Internet as a tool, just as they do
other materials used in the classroom. They can also use the
to individualize student learning, making a student's
experiences more relevant

3.4 Will this technology replace books

There is room in any school for all kinds of materials and resources
Books and other print materials will certainly continue to
important. Internet resources have the advantage of tying
information from all over the globe, making them useful
tools. As mentioned before, they can also provide up-to-the-
information and are therefore particularly relevant. In addition,
may be able to engage an expert in a dialog that clarifies or
what you find in published materials

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One factor to consider is that much of the material published on
Internet lacks the authority imputed by an established
house or a reputable author, and may therefore be viewed as
reliable than books. For example, an encyclopedia or almanac found
a school library might reasonably be accepted as valid
question, while a source found on the Internet may require a
critical look. However, lack of authority is not always a negative
Reading an account of the fall of the Berlin Wall by a student in
local region the day it happened can be valuable even if the
is not a reputable author. Moreover, while it's true that
Internet materials it becomes increasingly important to
where they came from, one of the hallmarks of a good education is
ability to assess information critically, whether the source
print, television, or some other media

3.5 How can use of the Internet be integrated into the
curriculum

This is a key question. In order for the Internet to be
successfully in schools, it must be employed as a tool to
content and to reach educational goals that have already
established. It cannot be seen as an end in itself

Individual teachers will first need to become familiar enough
the Internet to know how to do at least two things: find
on topics they consider important and locate people with
educational goals. Sections 5 and 6, "Questions About Using
Services" and "Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects,
Collaboration" will give you some ideas about how to begin

Once they are familiar with how to find content on the Internet,
teachers can decide how to use Internet resources to help
students meet goals. For example, science teachers often teach
hurricanes and other weather phenomena in the normal course
instruction. With Internet access they can use information
satellite data pertaining to the most recent storm to make
points, rather than outdated examples from textbooks

When teachers become familiar with finding other people on
Internet, some of them already grouped into network "communities"
interest, they can gain experience in using the Internet
educators who have been using it longer; they can join
projects, contribute to the evolution of proposed projects,
propose their own projects; and they can ask for and give help
solve problems in the classroom ranging from the content they teach
to addressing students as individuals, to mastering
discipline

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Internet access supports project-based learning. A teacher in
individual classroom can use the data and information available
the Internet as a resource for classroom projects, and there are
a variety of projects which take place over the Internet in more
one classroom at a time. A project may be initiated by any
with an idea. A popular example of an educator-initiated project
one which requires data to be collected from diverse sites around
world or at least around the country. For example, together
in various locations have tracked butterfly and bird migrations
compared bodies of water, and measured the north-south
of the Earth. Various organizations also run projects in
schools can participate. Among the many groups which have
schools to participate in projects with a focus on a specific
are the Global SchoolNet Foundation, The European Schools Project
the International Educational and Research Network (I*EARN),
groups associated with such federal agencies as the Department
Energy, the United States Geological Survey, and the
Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Internet can also be used for peer review of student materials
as a medium for publishing student newspapers, art exhibits,
science fairs; and in a global email pen-pal program for
discussion of classroom topics

It cannot be stressed enough that the key factor these Internet
have in common is that they are supporting classroom curriculum,
defining it

Learning about the Internet and how to use it is an important
for any school's Internet program, but in the classroom, the
needs to be emphasized over the medium

There are several sources of material for discussing
infusion, including mailing lists, World Wide Web sites, and
of sample lesson plans. Most of the mail lists, Internet computers
and organizations in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts,"
infusion of technology into the curriculum. See also Appendix C
"Examples of Educational Projects Using the Internet."

4. Questions About Getting the Internet into the

4.1 How much does it cost to connect to the Internet, and what kind
equipment does my school need to support the Internet connection

The cost of an Internet connection varies tremendously with
location of your site and the kind of connection that is
to your needs. In order to determine the cost to your school,
will need to answer a number of questions. For help in learning

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the questions are and getting answers to them, begin asking at
colleges, universities, technology companies, government agencies
community networks (often called "FreeNets"), local
bulletin board systems (BBS), Internet access providers,
technology consultants. See also Question 4.6.

To give you an idea of possible cost and equipment needs, think
four groups of Internet users. We will call them basic
users, advanced individual users, school networks, and
district networks

How you approach acquiring service depends on which category you
best describes your needs. This discussion is based on experiences
the United States. (For more information on the Internet
you'll be reading about in this section, see Section 5, "
About Using Internet Services.")

Basic users are individuals who want to access common
services such as the World Wide Web, Gopher, and email. There are
types of basic users: those who plan to be online for a few hours
week, and those who plan to be online for many hours per day

Basic individual users who require access to common Internet
such as Web pages, FTP sites, and email for only a few hours per
may be best served by one of the nationwide online services such
America Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy. These services have
advantage of providing the user with a simple setup and easy
graphics-based access screens which hide the complex
required by some Internet services. They also provide value-
services not available via the general Internet, such as access
news magazines and encyclopedias. Hardware required is generally
standard Windows-based PC or Macintosh and a 14.4 kilobits per
(Kbs) or higher modem. At the time of this writing, prices
run around $10 per month for the first 5 hours of connect time,
$2-4 per hour thereafter

Basic individual users who access common Internet services for
hours per day should consider a "shell" account from a local
Service Provider (ISP). Shell accounts generally provide access to
Unix computer which is connected to the Internet, so those
this option should be prepared to learn a few Unix commands.
account users will get all the standard Internet services but at
cheaper rate, generally in the $30 per month range for 6 hours
day access plus $1-2 per hour for extra hours. Most shell
vendors do not provide nationwide access, and shell accounts do
have graphical user interfaces, so you cannot use Web browsers
as Netscape and Mosaic. While you may be able to use Lynx, a text
based browser, some ISPs do not install it on their computer servers

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Many FreeNets also offer shell account access gratis, but they
not be able to offer much support

In the United States, there are a number of statewide
networks, most of them with access to the Internet. To find out
there is a state education network in your area which gives
user accounts to educators and/or students, contact the
for School Networking (CoSN) or consult the document "Getting
Educators Online" by Linda Conrad, listed in Section 8, "
Reading."

Advanced individual users are those who want graphical
interfaces to Internet services and who may want to use
computers to offer services to other Internet users. For example
they may want to create Web pages for others to access or put
online for others to retrieve. If you are an advanced user, you
consider getting a Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or Point
Point Protocol (PPP) account from an Internet Service Provider.
interface is similar to that of nationwide online services
to basic users, but the performance is better and the cost is
for someone who wants to use the service for more than just a
hours per week

Setting up a SLIP or PPP account requires configuration
installation of Internet and SLIP/PPP software. Some ISPs
provide the software, some will install the software for you,
some preconfigure the software and send it on disk, with
to the user, via postal mail. Again, hardware required is
a standard Windows-based PC or Macintosh and a 14.4 Kbs or
modem. Costs are generally comparable to basic shell accounts,
for 24-hour connections expect to pay $100 or more per month

If in your school you plan to have more than a few
Internet users, you will need to consider a network with a high-
dedicated line connected to the Internet. This school network
probably a small- or medium-sized network in a single building or
very few geographically close buildings. It may include only one
several LANs

Most high speed connectivity is provided through a dedicated
line, which is a permanent connection between two points. This
you to have a high quality permanent Internet connection at
times. Most leased lines are provided by a telephone company, a
television company, or a private network provider and cost $200
month or more. Typically the connection from your LAN or LANs is
digital leased line with a Channel Service Unit/Data Service
(CSU/DSU) which costs between $600 and $1000. Less frequently,
connection is an analog leased line with a modem which costs

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$200 and $800. You will also need a router which costs roughly $1500.
This is a substantially more difficult setup to manage. After
have determined the ways in which you believe you will use
access, you should contact several ISPs in your area and
prices and services

School district networks are even more complex. If you have
locations which require connectivity, you should contact several
and get bids for the service

The ISP world is changing very rapidly, especially at the low end.
the time of the first edition of this document, local ISPs were rare
small, and fairly expensive. At the time of this writing ISPs abound
offering a wide variety of services at reasonable prices
Additionally, several groups are working on low-cost solutions
school networking. Subscribe to the mail lists in Section 9,
"Resources and Contacts," to keep abreast of new developments

"Getting US Educators Online" and "Connecting to the Internet:
O'Reilly Buyer's Guide" by Susan Estrada are both listed in
8, "Suggested Reading." Other books about the Internet and how to
connected to it are available and new ones are being published.
libraries, bookstores, and booksellers' catalogs. Two lists
Internet providers available via the World Wide Web can be found
Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" along with the Consortium
School Networking. The global regional Network Information
(NICs) such as the Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination
(RIPE NCC) in Europe can also provide a list of service providers
The Asia Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) in the
Rim will have a similar list in the near future. These two NICs
listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

4.2 What are the other costs associated with having Internet access

When budgeting for your school's Internet connection there are
number of factors to consider that might not seem
obvious. Technical support and training will incur additional
costs, even if those costs show up only as someone's time.
will need to be maintained and upgraded as time passes, and even
all teachers have received basic Internet training, they will
likely have questions as they explore and learn more on their own.
general rule for budget planning is this: for every dollar you
on hardware and software, plan to spend three dollars to support
technology and those using it

It will be necessary for your school to have some technical
on-site. (See also Question 4.4.) Your network access provider
offer training and support for technical issues, and other

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also offer formal classes and seminars. If your school has
technical personnel, they will be good candidates for such
and seminars. If your school does not have designated
personnel, a teacher or other staff member with a strong interest
take on the task of becoming the local expert, but a better
is to have someone dedicated to this at least part time. Students
help local experts maintain equipment and do other tasks,
allows them to learn new skills at the same time

Training is an equally significant component to deployment of
Internet in schools. Most teachers learn about the Internet
the time they use to learn about any new teaching tool, which
means they "steal" time at lunch, on weekends, and before and
school to explore resources and pursue relationships via
Internet. When a school is committed to providing the Internet as
educational resource, the administration will make in-service
available. It will also ensure that someone at the school
sufficiently knowledgeable to field questions and help people as
risk trying new ways of teaching using Internet resources. Again
some students make excellent tutors

Some technical support and a variety of training materials can
found by using the Internet itself. You can send questions to
in the know and join discussion lists and news groups that
and answer questions about support and training. The Edtech mail
is one such list. Some World Wide Web sites offer technical
information. Videos also help bridge the information gap.
Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for a preliminary listing
these resources. Your local community may also have resources.
include colleges and universities, businesses, computer clubs
user groups, technology consultants, and government agencies

4.3 How can my school afford access to the Internet

Although school budgets are impossibly tight in most cases, the
of an Internet connection can be squeezed from the budget when
value becomes apparent. Costs for a low-end connection can
reasonable. (See the next question.) The challenge facing
advocating an Internet connection sometimes has less to do with
actual cost than it has with the difficulty of
administrators to spend money on an unfamiliar resource

In order to move the Internet connection closer to the top of
school's priority list, consider at least two possibilities. First
your school may be in the process of reform, as are many schools.
mentioned earlier, use of the Internet supports reform efforts,
framing Internet access as a component to systemic reform may help
persuade some people. Second, to convince people of the value of

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connection, an actual Internet demonstration can be more useful
words. While this may sound like a chicken-and-egg situation (I
Internet access to get Internet access), some organizations
provide guest accounts on an Internet-connected computer for
in schools who are trying to convince others of the value of
Internet connection. Another way to begin using Internet services
to sign up for one of the popular online services such as
Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy. Once subscribed, you can use
services either from home or from school. This method is
only as way to introduce yourself and others in your school
to the value of the Internet. It is not a good long-term solution
providing Internet access for a lot of users at one site such as
school

Contact local colleges, universities, technology companies,
providers, community networks, and government agencies for both
accounts and funding ideas. For alternatives to your own school'
budget or for supplements to it, look for funding in federal, state
and district budgets as well as from private grants. Work
equipment vendors to provide the hardware needed at low or no cost
your school, and consider forming a School/Community
Committee, or a joint School District/School/Community
Committee. Also investigate the possibility of a back-door
to a local college or university. Service providers often
schools to connect to higher education sites at a lower cost

A number of sites on the Internet provide more information
grants and organizations that offer them. Two in particular that
may find useful are Grants Web, for grant information of all kinds
and the Foundation Center, for information on private and
organizations. For information on where to find these sites on
Internet, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

4.4 What organizational structure needs to be in place in order for
school to have Internet access

Schools and school districts have devised structures that
widely, depending on a school's particular requirements. In
schools, the librarians/media specialists guide the development
the network and policies on its use and serve as the top of
structure within the school. In other schools, an interested
becomes the driving force behind getting the Internet into the
and may be the most appropriate person to see the project through
The school administration, if not the guiding force, needs to
behind the plan to bring the Internet into the school. And all
parties who might have a stake in the development should be
in as early as possible, whether or not they are knowledgeable
the Internet. These might include area businesses, community leaders

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teachers with Internet access at home, the librarian or
specialist, parents, and anyone in the school who finds the idea
bringing the Internet into the school appealing. In short,
organizational structure will do as long as it is clear and
and includes the people who might have a stake in the process
bringing the Internet into the school

One way to ensure that an organizational structure develops and
the right people become involved is to invite a wide variety
people to create a technology plan for the school. The by-product
technology planning can be the development of an
structure, but of course the planning is useful in itself to
your school define and meet goals for Internet and other
use. The National Center for Technology Planning hosts a
of technology plans and planning aids for people who need help,
ideas, or solutions as they tackle technology planning in
schools or districts. Information on the National Center
Technology Planning can be found in Section 9, "Resources
Contacts."

No matter what the structure, there should be someone at the
who can take the lead in working with vendors and Internet
Providers (ISPs). This person should be knowledgeable about -
willing to learn about - the technical aspects of connecting to
Internet, including knowledge about any networks the school
has in place. The lead person should have an alternate so that
school is not completely dependent on one person. If your
hires an independent consultant, someone at the school should
aware of everything the consultant does and should receive at
some training in the areas of the consultant's work

Another role that must be filled is that of in-house
administrator. Having an already busy teacher take on this role as
extra duty is a bad idea; a greater time commitment is needed

4.5 What questions do I need to ask people who are selling
services

There are a number of questions you should ask. Anything you
that you don't understand must be questioned. If a vendor knows
product and the process well, he or she should be able to explain
terms you can understand

You should also ask any kind of vendor how available they are and
what point they either stop helping you or begin charging by
hour. Get references from other customers, preferably including
least one school which has requirements similar to yours

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Questions for LAN vendors

If the school has not yet purchased a Local Area Network (LAN),
ask the LAN vendor how the product will interact with TCP/IP
(TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/
Protocol, the technology which forms the basis of the Internet.)
If necessary, arrange a meeting with the LAN vendor, the ISP,
any consultants that may be involved

Make a list of the school's requirements, including security,
number of computers on the LAN which will have Internet access
and the Internet services you want students and teachers to
able to use. (See Section 5, "Questions About Using
Services," for an introduction to the services.) Ask the
if they can provide services that will meet your requirements

Questions for Internet Service Providers

In general, ask the ISP what services are included with
purchase of Internet connectivity

Will they terminate the circuit in a router and leave you to
own resources to take care of the "LAN side" of the connection

Will they provide a primary domain name server for you

Will they register your domain name with the InterNIC

Are they providing you with all the IP addresses you need

Will they help you with security issues

Do they provide a newsfeed or a newsreading service? (Do you
the difference?)

If they agree to do some work on the LAN side, what is the
of that work? (Configure individual computers? Handle
and routing issues?)

Will they answer questions from your network administrator

Will a dedicated computer be needed as an Internet server for
things as domain name service, the World Wide Web, Gopher,
FTP

Do they provide any training sessions for your staff and are
sessions included in the connectivity price

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Do they offer any other classes or seminars and are these
in the connectivity price

Does the ISP do their own training or do they contract to
else, and if the latter, who is it? Check references on
contractors

Questions for Internet Service Providers furnishing dial-
service

There are some specific questions you should ask of an ISP who
providing dial-in connections. (See Question 4.7 for a
discussion on dialing in from home.)

What is the charge per minute for connectivity

Is SLIP or PPP connectivity available

Will the ISP be providing software which allows you to
Internet services such as email and the World Wide Web or
they help you obtain it

Will they help you install it

Ask for references of other clients using dial-in service and
you check them, one of the questions to ask other customers is
they encounter lots of busy signals. (You can also check
yourself by trying the access provider's dial-in number at
times during the day. Just dial it by phone and see how many
signals you get.)

4.6 How many of our computers should have Internet access and
in the school should they be located

You should make Internet access possible for as many of your school'
computers as possible. Ideally, you have computers located
the school - in classrooms, the library, and laboratories - and
are all connected together with printers and other peripherals in
or more LANs. In that case, you acquire one dedicated
connection of 56 Kbs (Kilobits per second) or higher to serve
whole school

If your budget and existing computer equipment are both limited,
can use a dial-up service and a modem to access the Internet, but
most cases that will only be viable for one computer at a time.
use of the Internet catches on in your school, it will eventually
more effective for you to create the LAN with Internet
mentioned above than to keep adding modems in classrooms

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If you must choose between Internet access in one lab in the
or Internet access for the same number of computers throughout
school, in order to get teachers to use the access you must make
available where they can most easily take advantage of it.
usually means that you make access available throughout the school
Although a computer lab is an easier maintenance set-up for
person in charge of keeping the equipment running and allows
individual (or pair) in an entire class to be using a computer at
same time, a computer located in the classroom is more convenient
both the teacher and the class. Internet resources can be more
integrated into a classroom lesson, and the emphasis remains on
the Internet as an instructional tool. Since only one or
computers can usually be placed in each classroom, teachers
learn to allocate computer time creatively. And if you are able
provide only a few computers throughout the school, make sure that
least one of them is in the library where all students will have
chance to be exposed to the Internet as a resource

Networking all computers campus-wide can be expensive. You may
to investigate initially giving one lab, the library, and a
classrooms dial-up access, assuming phone lines are available. Even
connection to only one classroom as a demonstration may help you
garner more support for creating a campus-wide local area
that is routed to the Internet through a dedicated line

4.7 Can people get on the Internet from home

This depends on your network access provider. It is certainly
possibility and is definitely desirable for the educators at
school. To make it possible for teachers and other staff to dial
to the school network (and then out to the Internet) from home,
will need to employ, at the least, multiple phone lines and modems
Talk to your service provider about other technical requirements

Many teachers like to be able to learn at home as well as on
grounds, and having the ability to explore when they have the time
invaluable. One school district we know of made low-interest
available to teachers so that they could buy home computers. When
technology was later made available in their classrooms, they
had some experience and were comfortable beginning to use it in day
to-day instruction

The question of whether or not to make the option to dial in
home available to students is more difficult. On one hand, a
may not be able to escape the idea that it is responsible for
students use the Internet access it provides, even though the
has no control over the home environment. On the other hand
particularly in high school, much schoolwork is done at home.

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most classrooms don't have enough computers for all students
access the Internet at once, it is even more likely that work
not be completed during class time. Having Internet access from
becomes more important

Discussion of whether or not you want to make this option
to students - even if it is technically possible - should involve
many school partners as possible, including faculty, administration
parents, and other community members. It might take place in a
forum such as a school/community meeting

5. Questions About Using Internet

The way to find people, information, software, and anything else
the Internet is generally to use either printed or electronic
and Internet services. In this section we will concentrate on
services. (See Section 6, "Questions about Classroom Resources
Projects, and Collaboration," for information on guides.) We
more questions about the World Wide Web than about other
services for three reasons. First, the World Wide Web is
Internet tool coming into most prominence at the time of
writing. Second, many (if not all) of the other services are
seamlessly in the Web; that is, they're there, but you may or may
realize you're using them. Third, making your way around the
using the World Wide Web is easy; for people not interested
computers, access to the Internet and has become less frustrating

This is not to say that finding what you want is always simple.
Internet is like a vast library without a comprehensive card catalog
New ways to do indexing and searching are being devised and employed
and you'll need some time to learn how to use them

5.1 What is the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW) is a project initiated by the
Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) located in Geneva,
and currently driven by the World Wide Web Consortium. When
the World Wide Web, users navigate through documents by
highlighted text that leads to another document or location.
highlighted text can be called a "pointer," a "link," or an "anchor."
This navigation results in a three-dimensional exploration
documents instead of a flat text document. The World Wide
incorporates different media into its documents, including text
sound, graphics, and moving images

The World Wide Web presents either a graphical or a text interface
numerous Internet resources. Not only can users access
specifically designed for the Web, they can also view documents

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Gopher servers, use FTP to download files, and launch a
session. Some World Wide Web clients also allow for the use of
and Usenet news. This is an easy-to-use, nonthreatening way
approach the Internet, and does not require in-depth
knowledge. (See Question 5.5 for a discussion of these
services.)

5.2 How do I connect to the World Wide Web

First, you will need at least a SLIP or PPP connection. (See
4.1 for more information; SLIP or PPP is the "advanced
user" solution described there.) Accessing the Web is like using
other service on the Internet: you run a client on your
which accesses a server, in this case a Web server, running
another computer. In Web terms, the client is called a browser.
browser retrieves and reads documents from Web servers.
providers establish Web servers for use by network users, and
you become proficient at using the Internet, you may want to
exactly that kind of information provider

Most Web browsers share common features. One feature is the hotlist
or bookmark. This allows you to mark your favorite sites.
browser will store these sites and their addresses and allow you
revisit them later by simply selecting the name of a site from
menu. Another feature common to most browsers allows you to save
current file to your local disk. Some browsers keep a tally of
sites you've visited recently and allow you to revisit them
typing in the location again. Every browser is different, so it
to explore your own client software and learn its features
practice. Most people, even those with little computer experience
find that it's easy to learn to use a browser just by exploring
their own

Each document contained on Web servers across the Internet has
unique address. This is called a URL, a uniform resource locator
Browsers negotiate URLs just like mail software negotiates
addresses. Users can type in the URL for the browser to access.
are also embedded in a Web document's text, providing a seamless
to another location or document

5.3 How is the World Wide Web linked

The Web functions as a distributed hypermedia system. The purpose
this system is to allow the exchange of information across
Internet in the form of hypertext documents called Web pages or
pages. Hypertext is text with pointers or links to
information in various formats (text, graphic, video), allowing
to branch off to another document for more information on a

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topic, and then return to the same location in the original
with ease. Pointers in a Web document are analogous to
stacks or Microsoft help files in which you click on an option (
pointer or a link) and the program moves you to another document,
location

Documents published on the Web are constructed in hypertext
language, or HTML. This is a simple language that allows you
format text, insert images and sound, and create links in a document
Tutorials on creating Web services are available at the NCSA
Home Page, the automatic starting place for Web exploration
using the Mosaic client. There are also Web page creation
listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

5.4 Where do I get a World Wide Web browser

The two most common graphical Web browsers at the time of
writing are Netscape and Mosaic. Netscape is a commercial product
is currently free for educational use. Mosaic is free. Both of
packages are available for Macintosh, PC, and Unix platforms
the Internet. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for details

For those users with lower-speed connections that cannot
full graphical browsers, there is a text-based browser available
Unix systems called Lynx. A public-access Lynx client is
through telnet at the server of the World Wide Web Consortium,
is listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

Many commercial online services, such as CompuServe, Prodigy,
America Online, include a Web browser as part of their offerings
More and more often, Web browsers are being included as part of
standard connection software provided by the Internet
Provider

5.5 What are the other services on the Internet

There are a number of other services to help you get around on
Internet. The most common ones are described here. For
information, see "EFF's (Extended) Guide to the Internet" by
Electronic Frontier Foundation, and "The Whole Internet User's
and Catalog" by Ed Krol, both of which are listed in Section 8,
"Suggested Reading," in addition to the Glossary entries
for each tool

Email. Email is probably the most basic tool on the Internet. It
short for electronic mail and may be used in a couple of ways.
can send messages back and forth with just one person, or you
participate with a group of people who discuss topics of

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interest. These groups are called mail lists. You join and leave
lists by sending email to one address, and you post messages to
the people on the list by sending email to a slightly
address. Sometimes a human does the list registration and sometimes
software program does it. For more information see the entries
email and mailing lists in the Glossary. A list of mail
related to primary and secondary education can be found in Section 9,
"Resources and Contacts."

Network News. Also known as Usenet News or Net News. Reading news
similar to joining an email list, but instead of the messages
to your mailbox, you use news reader software to read messages on
computer where they are accumulated. For more information see
entry for Usenet News in the Glossary

FTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and just as the
implies, it allows you to transfer files from one computer
another. It is the name for both the protocol and the program.
special kind of FTP, Anonymous FTP, allows you to access the
public archives on the Internet. FTP is not used by itself as much
it used to be, since people often use Web browsers and Gopher
which incorporate FTP when they want to retrieve files. For
information see the entries for Anonymous FTP and FTP in
Glossary

Telnet. Telnet allows you to log into a computer somewhere else
the Internet and use the services there. For example, if you don'
have a Gopher client or a Web browser, there are some public
sites that you can telnet to in order to use a Gopher client or
text-based Web browser

Gopher. Gopher is a tool that lets you browse for information on
Internet using menus. If you know what you're looking for and have
idea about where to find it, Gopher can make your search easier.
when you have located something of interest, whether it's a document
a data set, or a picture, Gopher will retrieve it for you. For
information see the entry for Gopher in the Glossary

Searching and Indexing Tools. Archie is a tool for searching
sites; Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Network Index
Computerized Archives, which works the same way Archie does) is
tool for searching Gopherspace; WAIS (Wide Area Information Service
pronounced "wayz") is a tool for searching indexed databases,
the databases are full of numbers, text, or graphics files;
Yahoo, Lycos, and WebCrawler are some of the many searching
indexing tools available on and for the World Wide Web. For
information see the entries for Archie, Gopher, WAIS, WWW,
Veronica in the Glossary

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Videoconferencing. At the time of this writing, schools are
to participate in conferences, meetings, and collaborative
via video. The two services or applications used are
Backbone (MBONE) and CU-SeeMe, both of which allow for
videoconferencing, or videoconferencing via computer

MBONE is an option for videoconferencing using several
systems at the time of this writing: Unix, Windows NT, Windows 95,
and Mac Operating System 7.5.2. It requires that your
service provider be a part of the MBONE, which depends on
specialized routing strategy. Ask your service provider if they
equipped to support MBONE traffic. If so, you will need to
fairly closely with your provider to establish working
for your network. More information on MBONE is available at the
Information Web. (See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts.")

CU-SeeMe, developed by Cornell University, also presents
capabilities over an IP network. You may participate in a CU-
videoconference as a sender, a recipient, or both. Through use
reflectors, multiple sites may participate in any given conference
For any of these activities, you'll need a PC or a Macintosh with
connection to the Internet and CU-SeeMe software. Additionally,
you'd like to send video and audio, you will need a video camera
a video board in your computer. Full information on the
requirements is available at the CU-SeeMe Web site; there is also
mailing list for CU-SeeMe information. For guidance and
about using CU-SeeMe as an instructional tool, the Global
Foundation hosts a mail list called cu-seeme-schools which
opportunities for participation in CU-SeeMe events. For
on the Web site and mailing lists, see Section 9, "Resources
Contacts."

6. Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects, and

6.1 How can I find specific projects using the Internet that
already developed

When you have learned to use some of the Internet services
in Section 5, "Questions About Using Internet Services,"
the search tools, you will be able to answer that question more
for yourself. In the meantime, since there are several resources
the Internet that are directed specifically at the primary
secondary school communities, here are some ideas to get you started

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Computer Information Servers

Global SchoolNet. The Global SchoolNet Foundation's World
Web site contains a wealth of valuable information and materials
including help setting up projects by learning what has
best based on others' experience. The GSN site also contains
landmark registry of projects in which schools can participate

EdWeb. Andy Carvin's EdWeb is an excellent source of K-12
information

CoSN. The Consortium for School Networking maintains an
server

NASA. NASA's Spacelink and Quest are directed at primary
secondary school educators, and both house lesson plans
Internet-based curriculum units, and interactive projects
activities. Many NASA projects also maintain computer
servers

Empire Internet Schoolhouse. The New York State Education
Research Network (NYSERNet) hosts the Empire Internet Schoolhouse
an extension of its Bridging the Gap program

K-12 Schools on the Internet. Gleason Sackman of North Dakota'
SENDIT network for K-12 educators maintains an active list of K-12
schools on the Internet

National School Network Testbed. The Bolt Beranek and
(BBN) project called the National School Network Testbed
links to numerous schools and projects

Internet School Networking. The Web pages for the group
brings you this paper contain a collection of documents and
studies on projects

Mail lists

Many people on electronic mailing lists such as Ednet, Kidsphere
and the Consortium for School Networking Discussion List
their projects and ask for partners and collaborators

News groups

The K12 hierarchy of Usenet News has several groups
educators post these invitations as well. For subscription
these and other electronic lists and for names of news groups
Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

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Conferences

There are also a number of conferences worth looking in to.
National Education Computing Conference (NECC) and Tel-Ed,
held annually, are conferences sponsored by the
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The Internet
(INET) conference is the annual conference for the
Society. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" for
information for these organizations

Specific computer information servers, mail lists, news groups
and conference sponsors are listed in Section 9, "Resources
Contacts." A number of Web sites also provide
"bookmarks," or lists of sites for educators. Bookmarks are
included in Section 9, but you will quickly find them if you
at any of the Web server entry points listed here

6.2 What are some examples of how the Internet is being used
classrooms now

Projects which use the Internet sometimes request sites from all
the world to contribute data from the local area then compile
data for use by all. Weather patterns, pollutants in water or air
and Monarch butterfly migration are some of the data that have
collected over the Internet. In Appendix C, "Examples of
Projects Using the Internet," you will find several
collected from various online servers and electronic mailing
pertaining to education, each from a different content area
representing different ways of using the Internet. Some of
projects require only that you be able to use email, some
that you have access to the most advanced Internet services, and
offer varying levels of participation

There are a number of specific projects you may find interesting

KIDS. KIDS is a project managed by the nonprofit KIDLINK Society.
includes discussion lists and services, some of them only for
who are ten through fifteen years old

Academy One. Academy One is part of the National Public
Network (NPTN) and usually has a number of projects running at
time

I*EARN. The International Education and Research Network (I*EARN),
project of the nonprofit Copen Family Fund,
telecommunications in schools around the world

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Chatback Trust. Initiated to provide email for schools in the
Kingdom and around the world with students who have mental
physical difficulty with communicating, Chatback Trust and
International maintain a network server that you may want
investigate

ESP. The European Schools Project (ESP) involves approximately 200
schools in 20 countries and has as its goal building a support
for secondary school educators

Electronic Field Trips. The online interactive projects on NASA'
Quest server and the JASON Project are designed especially to
classroom contact with real science and scientists

For contact information on these groups and computer
servers refer to Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

6.3 Are there any guides to using the Internet in schools that list
these resources in one place

Printed guides to using the Internet in education are appearing
with the new books on the Internet and you can expect to see more
the near future. The problem with paper resource guides is that
Internet is a changing environment so they become outdated quickly
Most (like this document) try to list only the most stable
sites, and even if not everything you try is available, these
can be particularly helpful if you are new to the Internet. Try
books entitled "Education on the Internet," "Teaching with
Internet: Putting Teachers Before Technology," and "Brave
Schools" listed in Section 8, "Suggested Reading," for a sampling
those available at the time of this writing. Check bookstores
libraries, and booksellers' catalogs for others

One answer to the problem of printed Internet guides is
newsletter. Two we recommend are specifically for primary
secondary school educators interested in networking and
information on new services on the Internet that are of interest
educators, projects for collaboration, conferences, new books
publications, essays, and practical tutorials on using network
and services. NetTeach News is published ten times a year and
available both hardcopy and via email. Classroom Connect
published nine times a year. Information on subscribing and
online services for both newsletters can be found in Section 9,
"Resources and Contacts."

Internet computers which act as guides to the Internet for
are, among others, BBN's Copernicus server, the Global
server, NASA's Quest server, the University of Illinois College

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Education's Learning Resource Server, and