 |
Image: ©iStockphoto.com/Silent47
|
There are many ways to describe the Internet and the World Wide Web, and they not only span across a lot of technology resources, but can also be related to a very large amount of online resources that depend on them. I think many of us appeal to many meanings of the terms 'internet,' and 'web,' each of which will reference some combo of what they rely on, how they work, how they are designed and developed, the resources involved, and how they can be used. The relations between the Internet and the World Wide Web involve networking of complex information technology architectures, access to a way of sharing "data" or information, the design and development of websites and online resources, and a vast "web" of websites and online resources, all of which no one will observe in their lifetime. Few would even want to count them all.
However, if we look at the history of computer science, we find a clear-cut distinction. The internet, which originated in 1969 as a network of computers called ARPANET, is now the largest network of computers connected through complex technology architectures. The World Wide Web, which was invented by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau in 1990, is just one of the many internet-based ways of accessing information. The Web was built "on top of the internet," providing access to interlinked websites and their corresponding web page documents.
I may not know what makes the Internet work the way it does, all of its relations to the World Wide Web, or all of their possible uses. I do know how to interact with my computer to access the online resources I want to access, find new online resources, and do the things I want to do with online resources. I also know that one primary value of online resources is their multimedia value. (Some other primary values are access to multimedia and the abilities to create and share multimedia). Multimedia resources present more than just visual representations of words as text. They can also visually include graphics, diagrams, and moving pictures or animations; auditorily include sounds, words or music; or combine these different forms of media into a resource that you can hear and see.
Consider TED talks as examples of online multimedia resources: TED talks. TED is a non-profit that hosts conferences where interesting thinkers and doers around the world give talks in roughly 18 minutes or less. They talk and use multiple kinds of media (text, pictures, animated demonstrations, sound effects) to share their works or ideas with their audience. These talks are recorded and then uploaded to the Web as a multimedia resource. For an example, see John Maeda's talk about design, simplicity and complexity: john_maeda_on_the_simple_life.
Most importantly, though I do not know every detail of the Web or Internet, I know how to figure out the features I want from an online resource, how to search for or find it, and how to take steps towards integrating online resources into my life. What is missing from online resources and the Web/Internet information highway is not access. Being able to access online resources and content from any device that can surf the Web is the greatest value of the Web/Internet information highway because it allows you to access information from wherever you are and wherever your device can go.
What's missing from the Web is our abilities to know what we are looking for (what challenge or problem we want solved or the questions for which we want answers). Only we can know them. Web browsers, search engines, some social networks and certain applications are getting better at predicting what we want access to based on our habits of Internet exploration, profile and activities, but only you can decide what you are looking for, and that is as it should be. Deciding what to look for--whether you are looking for a set of features, a resource with all or any of those features, or a particular kind of experience--is essential to an self-regulator's Web learning experience. Knowing how to search for those online resources and how to integrate them into your life are key skills for applying, not simply being entertained by, online technology resources.
If you don't know very much about the Internet or the World Wide Web--or at least you do not know too many technical details about it. We can certainly use it to learn more about it. If you have not heard of Coursera, check out their web page: ABOUT COURSERA. They are a company that works with top universities to offer anyone in the world (who can access the Web) free non-credit courses (you can get certificate of completion) about different topics. One of the upcoming courses, "Internet History, Technology, and Security," with Dr. Charles Severance, starts on July 23, 2012 and will include interviews with innovators who helped shape and develop the Internet. I'm registered!
Below is a list of some other helpful online resources for learning more about the Internet.
- The first website: http://info.cern.ch/.
- A History of the Internet from the Computer History Museum.
- The Internet Society: http://www.internetsociety.org/internet.
- "The Internet Explained": http://www.southbourne.com/articles/internet-explained
Lastly, in his TED Talk, "Six Ways to Save the Internet," Roger McNamee offered some interesting remarks on the Internet, Software, and Hardware technology industries in 2011 and some interesting predictions and perspectives about the future development and use of the Internet. I am not sure how I currently think about such trends and predictions, but I know that some recent advancements from companies like Google (e.g. Google Play and the Google Nexus) and Microsoft (e.g. redesign of the Bing search engine to make it the first search engine with a social network integration; Search Goes Social) both challenge at least a little of what McNamee says and support part of what he says. Check it out.
This video is from the TEDxTalks Youtube Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment