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| Navigating the Internet |
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Become
net-savvy in six short weeks! Learn
where the Internet came from, what
makes it tick, and where it's
headed. Learn advanced search
techniques so that you'll be able to
find fast answers to virtually any
question. Build your own start page
filled with the news and information
that most interests you. Find out
how to get free assistance with
technical issues, travel planning
and major purchases. Take advantage
of cloud computing to freely create,
edit, and collaborate with others on
documents and spreadsheets; use the
power of social networking to
reconnect with old friends and share
photos with other family members;
keep your Internet knowledge
up-to-date with the help of blogs,
wikis, and social bookmarking; gain
access to masterpieces of art and
literature; entertain yourself and
your family with free online games
and videos; and find out how to best
defend yourself against dangerous
hoaxes, viruses, worms, and other
forms of malware. |
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Please
click here to take this course through an accredited
college or university in your community.
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Syllabus:
A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of
two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each
course at least two months apart.
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end.
Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the
course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You
will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the
interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will
automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we
strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its
release.
The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once
the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete
all of your course work, including the final exam.
Week One
Wednesday - Lesson 01
In the late 1950s, the Soviet Union achieved something truly
astonishing--something that absolutely stunned the world. In this
fascinating history lesson, you'll learn exactly what the Soviets did,
and how their actions triggered the birth of the Internet. You'll hear
the very same Soviet transmission--delivered at the height of the Cold
War--that chilled Western scientists to the bone. You'll read the first
message to be transmitted across the Internet (no, it wasn't spam), and
you'll have an opportunity to view maps of both the early Internet and
its present incarnation. By the time you finish this lesson, you'll
truly understand how the Internet works, what it has to offer you, and
how it moves information to and from your computer.
Friday - Lesson 02
In this lesson, you'll learn all about one of the most powerful tools
the Internet has to offer: the World Wide Web. You'll learn where the
Web came from and how it works. You'll know the difference between a Web
server, a Web site, a Web address, a Web page, a Web link, and a Web
browser. You'll become intimately familiar with the many powerful
features of your Web browser, and you'll finally be able to decipher the
meaning behind all those letters, numbers, colons, slashes, and dots you
find in most Web addresses. You'll discover how to use bookmarks to keep
track of your favorite Web resources, and you'll become adept at using
shortcuts to get where you need to go with a minimum of effort.
Week Two
Wednesday - Lesson 03
Today, you will get an opportunity to build a personalized home page
that will serve as the launching point for all your travels across the
Internet, the first page you see when you start your Web browser. You'll
customize this page until it suits your interests perfectly, filling it
only with the news clippings, photographs, stock quotes, cartoons,
sports scores, weather forecasts, and other snippets of information that
most interest you.
Friday - Lesson 04
This lesson is a student favorite. There are more than three billion
documents stored on the World Wide Web, and thousands more are being
added daily. With that many pages, your odds of locating a single Web
document by chance are worse than hopeless. This lesson will teach you
how to filter out the garbage and dramatically improve your chances of
instantly finding the exact information you need. You'll be able to
distinguish a search engine from a directory, you'll know which tool is
most likely to deliver the results you want, and you'll discover the
secrets Internet search experts use to get the best possible results. If
you can't find what you seek after this lesson, you can bet it isn't on
the World Wide Web.
Week Three
Wednesday - Lesson 05
Today, you'll learn how to defend your family, your computer and the
information you wish to keep private from a variety of threats to your
safety and sanity. You'll find out how to recognize and guard against
hoaxes, scams, and phishing expeditions, and you'll understand the
difference between viruses, worms, and other dangerous forms of malware.
Friday - Lesson 06
Have you ever felt like looking up an old classmate, a former co-worker,
a neighbor who moved away, or a long-lost relative? Does the fast pace
of today's world make it difficult for you to stay in touch with your
dearest friends? Want to share and comment on photographs with family
and friends? Want to get together with people who share similar
interests? Interested in expanding your circle of professional contacts?
Ever wonder what a close family member is doing right now? Well, the
Internet can certainly help with all of that! In today's lesson, we're
going to explore one of the Internet's hottest topics: the social
networking phenomenon.
Week Four
Wednesday - Lesson 07
If you're anything like me, you may have a nagging suspicion that some
of the most fascinating things on the Internet are hidden in places
where you'd never even think to look. That begs a question: how do we
find the most interesting sites the Internet has to offer if we aren't
even aware that they exist? That's a very good question, and one today's
lesson on social bookmarking will help answer.
Friday - Lesson 08
The World Wide Web has granted ordinary folks (like you and I) with the
power to share our thoughts, opinions, and advice with thousands, if not
millions, of other people. As a result, the Web is literally exploding
with sites dedicated to the collection and dissemination of
user-generated content. These second generation Web sites--which are
sometimes collectively known as Web 2.0 sites--actively encourage our
participation. This is a broadly democratizing event that seems to have
no precedent in human history. Today, we'll explore several Web 2.0
sites you can use to help plan a vacation, make a wise purchase, or get
help with a nagging technical problem.
Week Five
Wednesday - Lesson 09
In this lesson, we'll continue with our exploration of Web 2.0 by
exploring Wikis--highly informative, encyclopedia-like knowledge sites
that have been developed almost entirely by volunteer contributors.
You'll also learn about blogging, a new and fast-growing phenomenon with
the potential to completely change the way we use the Internet. You'll
explore some of the most popular, useful, and fascinating blogs on the
Internet, and you'll understand how you can use blogs to save time,
learn new skills, make better investment decisions, discuss important
issues of the day, cultivate friendships, and more. You'll even get a
few tips on creating and publishing a blog of your very own with no
investment other than your time.
Friday - Lesson 10
The Internet is a literal treasure trove of art, literature, and
entertainment. Inerested in fine art, sculpture, or architecture? Today,
you'll learn how the Internet can help you bring crystal-clear images of
the world's masterpieces directly into your home. Love to read? Find out
how to freely access and read classic literature from the comfort of
your laptop. Bored? Find out how to treat yourself to the finest and
most entertaining games and videos the Internet has to offer.
Week Six
Wednesday - Lesson 11
Are you weary of the never-ending stream of software fixes, updates, and
new version releases? Tired of lugging important data files back and
forth from home to school or work? Do you regularly collaborate with
others on important documents, spreadsheets, or images? Today, you'll
learn how a relatively recent Internet phenomenon known as cloud
computing could make it a snap for you to perform all of those
tasks--and more--without breaking a sweat.
Friday - Lesson 12
The Internet is constantly evolving, and many surprising and
life-changing new tools and capabilities are in the works. In today's
lesson, you'll learn about some of the many exciting future developments
that await us as users of the Internet.
Please
click here to take this course through an accredited
college or university in your community.
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