Help Area : Learning about the Internet
This page contains information and links to web sites which cover
most of the basic Internet skills and questions which might arise
in the course of completing MACH 2010. Much of this material is also
covered in the Internet Skills module shown on the Modules
List. Use the menu below to locate the Internet skill or topic
area you are interested in. Many specific Internet questions are also
addressed in the FAQ listings.
Inclusion of following
links does not constitute an endorsement of the content on
these pages. Links are included only for the assistance of MACH 2010
students.
Introduction and General Internet Review
This listing of links leads to a series of web sites which explain
the Internet starting from basic principles. Still wondering
what the Internet really "is", how email gets from here
to there, what the heck FTP is, how web pages work, etc.? Then browse
these sites for the review you need.
PBS's Guide to Understanding
and Using the Internet
Easy to understand descriptions of most Internet functions.
[http://www.pbs.org/uti/]
What is
the Internet? and more...
A fairly simple and easy to understand description of many parts
of the Internet including FTP, the World Wide Web, Email, etc..
Hosted by Wayne State University.
[http://wizard.pharm.wayne.edu/netprimer.html]
What is a browser
and what does it do?
Find out at the JV Brown Library web site.
[http://www.jvbrown.edu/primer.html]
The Lycos
Webmonkey Guide
Good general coverage of Internet topic in plain language.
[http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/guides/]
Back to the Top
Internet Terminology, Acronyms, and Emoticons
New users of the Internet (and computers in general) find that one
of the biggest barriers they must overcome is the extensive use of
abstruse computer terminology and acronyms. While the Internet/computer
lexicon, once understood, serves a very well defined purpose, attempting
to decipher what a given term means may be a long and frustrating
process.
Instant
Web's Online Computing Dictionary
[http://www.instantweb.com/d/dictionary/index.html]
Magic Publishing's Acronym Listing
[http://www.magicpub.com/netprimer/acronyms.html]
Magic
Publishing's Emot-icon Listing
[http://www.magicpub.com/netprimer/smilies.html]
NetLingo Internet Dictionary
[http://www.netlingo.com/]
Back to the Top
Common Internet Resources
The key to developing good web surfing habits is practice and knowing
where to start. The links below provide a mix of useful and interesting
free Internet information sources. The first part of the list focuses
on sites with information related to MACH 2010 while the second half
is devoted to sites that are of general interest.
National Library
of Medicine's PubMed Literature Database
Fairly comprehensive listing of 11 million articles published in
a wide variety of biomedical journals since the 1960s.
[http://www4.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/]
The Internet Public Library
This web site lists subject specific web sites for every topic imaginable.
When you want a quick overview of a topic the IPL is a great place
to start. [http://www.ipl.org/]
Bill Trochim's Center
for Social Research Methods
This site provides a good review of basic statistics and social
research methods. Easy to follow examples and simple design make
this site a useful resource for students of any level.
[http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CDC's web site is a central resource for US health information.
[http://www.cdc.gov]
Lagenberg's Dictionary
Page
This page lists a large series of web-based dictionaries and reference
texts for free use. Use the links on the left of this page to locate
still further digital directories (names, zip code lookup, encyclopedic
references) [http://dictionary.langenberg.com/]
AltaVista/Systran BabelFish
Translator
This page allows users to freely translate words, web pages, and
short passages between English and French, Spanish, German, Japanese,
Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Italian. Fairly accurate.
[http://babelfish.altavista.com/]
MapQuest
This web site allows visitors to look up maps and driving directions
to and from any location in the United States.
[http://www.mapquest.com/]
Back to the Top
Search Engines
Though the Internet is repleat with information sources and web
pages on every topic imaginable it is not always easy to locate a
specific page or piece of information just by browsing. It is at times
like these that you will want to use a search engine. Search engines
examine all (or most) of the web pages currently on the Internet and
return a listing of those pages that meet your specifications. As
different search engines use different searching principles they frequently
generate dissimilar results. Listed below are several search engines
which have proven their utility.
Google Search
[http://www.google.com]
DogPile
[http://www.dogpile.com]
Lycos
[http://www.lycos.com]
Electronic Mail
Because of the wide variety of email software on the market and
the highly context-specific settings which must be applied we can
not host pages for every possible problem you might encounter. If
you suspect that your problem is email related please contact MACH
Technical Support directly for help.
We strongly encourage the use of a single, remotely-accessible, email
account for all course communications. We favor this kind of email
service because it (a) facilitates communication and student tracking,
(b) allows you to access your email from any Internet-equipped computer
(home, work, at the conference), and (c) generally limits the confusion
which can result from multiple mass emaillings.
How can I tell if my email account is remotely-accessible?
- If you can pick up your email from any Internet equipped computer
then you have remote email access.
- If you pick up your email by going to a web site (like Hotmail,
Lycos, Excite mail,...) then you hav remote email access.
- Ask the IT, networking, or computer manager at your place
of work whether you can pick up your work email from home or
somewhere else (they may sometimes need to authorize remote
email access)
- Call or email MACH Technical Support and ask for help
How do I set up a FREE remotely-accessible email account?
Many free web-based email services exist on the Internet. To
set up a new account simply go to one of the providers listed
below and look for a link to their sign-up page. Follow the steps
they suggest to register. Once you have confirmation of your new
email account please send an email (from your new account) to
your teaching assistant informing them of the change in your contact
information. If you need guidance choosing an email provider or
help setting up your account call MACH Technical Support for further
assistance.
Yahoo! Mail
[http://www.yahoo.com]
Lycos Mail
[http://login.mail.lycos.com/]
For a more complete alphabetical listing of free, web-based,
email providers please visit the following site.
(http://www.emailaddresses.com/email_web.htm)
