ONLINE COURSE 1: CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET

TIRED OF HAVING YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION TIME OUT?

WASTING TIME WAITING FOR A DOWNLOAD?

LEARN ABOUT OTHER WAYS TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET!

READ ON . . .

• To begin, your computer needs to be connected to the Internet.  This can be done in
  several ways:
  
           1) telephone;
  
              2) DSL (Verizon’s digital line subscriber);
  
               3) cable (Time Warner, Cablevision).
  
  DSL and cable cost approximately $30.
  
  It is very uncommon now to connect using a telephone line since the complexity 
  of downloaded files demands a more efficient connection: DSL or cable. An example 
  of this efficiency:  to download a program takes over an hour by a telephone connection
  and takes approximately 5 minutes by way of DSL or cable.  
  
  No longer do you need a dedicated phone line for your computer.
  You can lessen your land line phone bill:
  
                 1) by disconnecting that phone;
  
                  2) by using it as an additional phone.  
  
  Whichever way you connect to the Internet, Internet Explorer is the most 
  direct and versatile program. Its icon is the big E on your desktop.
  

•  1. using a telephone connection, sign on and once connected, minimize
   that program.  You do this by clicking the minus (–) sign in the upper
   right hand corner—3^rd choice from the edge.  
  
    2. after this preparation, all users should connect to the Internet by 
   clicking on the big E Internet Explorer.  
  
  Once there, you can change the site that appears each time you click 
  the E by making a few adjustments.  Perhaps you want a search 
  engine to appear; for instance, GOOGLE.  in the address box, the 
  top of the page, the center box, type in google.com.  When Google
  appears, go to TOOLS at the top of the Internet Explorer toolbar—5^th
  choice in and click this.  Then click INTERNET OPTIONS.  The first 
  page asks you to choose a HOME PAGE. Click CURRENT and OK 
  and Google will appear each time.  You can do this for any page you
  choose.   

• An important caveat: two boxes may appear on the web page.  They have
  different functions. 
  
  1) the top box is the address box in which you put a web address: example,
   www.google.com .  There should be an Internet address in the box.  Just
  delete it and put the address you want in it.  Click GO or ENTER and you’ll be
  to that site shortly.  
  
  2) the second box which is below the address box is the search box.  You put
  concepts into it, not web addresses.  If you're doing research on global
  warming, you would put in global warming Arctic, for example.  After clicking
  GO or ENTER, all the websites giving info on this concept will appear.  When
  you click on one of these websites, you will get specific information on this
  topic.  Search Engines are probably the most important programs on the web.
  
     
  

• To summarize: DSL and cable are the most efficient ways to connect to the Internet.  And
  Internet Explorer is the most effective program to locate sites on the web. To locate these sites,
  Internet Explorer uses search engines such as google.com to scan the entire web for your request.

• In Online Course 2, search engines will be further explored.

• Try answering these:  

• 1. The approximate cost of cable and DSL is ________________.
  2.  An example of cable and DSL's efficiency is __________________.
  3. The Search box is found where?
  4. The Address box is found where?
  5.  The symbol for Internet Explorer is _______________.

• Answers: 1. $30
              2. files can be downloaded much more quickly than telephone connection.
              3. in the middle of search page.
              4. at the top of search page.
              5. the big "E"
  
   Congratulations!  You have completed Online Course 1.