What is Internet ?
The internet is an excellent way of sharing information and is a useful tool especially for students. It is also know as the World Wide Web (WWW) Because the internet is really a network of computers all over the world. Peopleall around the world "go online' everyday to find informarion on website,send email and cat each other. And this is possible just with a computer. amodem and telephone line. If you don't have a computer at home,you can go to cyber cafe to connect to internet. While today the internet is used to for sharing information, it was first developed as a security device.
Around the late sixies, the government of united States decided tocentralise its communication system and make it secure from enemy attack.the Department of Defence devloped a network of computers to enablethe commanders to remain in touch with one another.this networks of computersis called ARPANET. After the war this network sloely expanded and began to be use by the common people for sharing information. Todya, thay ar millions of computers all around the world connected to the internet, and India self thausand of internet connections.
In the begining,you could only share text based informaion on the internet. So those eho wanted to use the internet had to remember lots of commands to connect to the internet and get information. It was only in the early nineties that a software called 'browsers' were developede which enabled both text and graphics to be shared. Slowly, the browsers were developed and now you can not view text and graphics online but also listen to music or watch vidio clippings.
Today on the internet, you send masages to your friends, visit websites,play games,watch video clipping of the latest movie and download music graphics and software. Website have 'hyperlink' which take you to another page or website when you click on thwm. This way of jumping from onewebsite to another is called 'surfing'
e-mail is the most popular feature of internet. unlike the podtal servise (which is called 'snail mail' in the internet lagnguage) messages reach instantly. So you do not have to wait for days or weeks for a reply. e-mail messages canreaxh any nook and corner of the word within minutes. In addition to text masages, email can also contain photos, audio and video. There are many sites which let you send application forms and other important documents throgh e-mail and thus save a lot of paper and time. In ome foreing schools,student send their homework to their teacher by e-mail.
Another way to interact with people around the world is by chating. Tochat with other people, a software need to be installed on the computer. once online the software will connect with caht server and slow you the deferent people who are loged on. then you can chat with tham.
If you need help with your homework, ot fine more about topic that you teacher have suggested, you can go to search engine search engine like your telephone directnory- they contain a list of websites online. whene tou type in a keyword in the search engine, It will search its database and disply the website thet are releted with keyword. For example if you want to pratise 'grammer exrcieses' and you will fond on websites that help you learn grammer. In the same way, you can find website for any topic - Maths,Science and even eny languages.
Website also offer web conferencing where you can watch a live telecast of lecture or an event online.Many hospitals even have live telecast of operation on their websites. The doctor explain the whole procedure an the we can watch operation and articulates in a discussion throgh e-mail and video - chat. A web camera can be installed in your computer and those who cat with you as well as listen to you.
When you chat through a microphone it is called voice chat. there are many news channel which broadcast clipping of their news programmers on heir programmers other informative and internment channel also broadcast their programmer online, so if you mis the programmer on TV you can always go to their site download the programmers anf watch it.
You will find the internet very useful to improve your English. To learn to speak, read or write English or to learn grammar or vocabulary, all that you need to do is go to a search engine and type in the information you want for example you might open website by www.google.com and when that website opens you will get a screen.
Within the box you can type ' grammar exercises'. If you write it within quotation marks both the word are taken together. The website will search for all the site which have grammer exercises and you will get a list od thousands of websites. You can click on many one of them an start practicing your grimmer. Similar you can get materials for listening, speaking ot reading. you can learn whatever you are interested in. If you are new to the internet do not worry, you can find tips for surfing on internet itself.