What is the Internet?

Abstract

Students will learn about the Internet by reading and analyzing a worksheet on the origin and function of the Internet.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, students will understand basic principles of Arpanet and the concept of Packet Movement and Verification.

Student Prerequisites

• Students should be able to:
  • read and analyze data

Teacher Preparation

Students will need:

• A copy of the ARPAnet handout

Lesson Outline

Start out by asking the students questions such as "What does the word Internet mean?" or "How do people use the Internet?" Explain a little bit of the history and rules of the Internet. The ARPAnet handout contains some of this information. You might want to talk about why some logistical decisions of the Internet might not work, with questions such as: How many connections exist if each person is connected with every other person on the network? What would happen if it worked like a chain where each person was connected to only one person in front and one person behind and one connection broke?

Alternate Outlines

• The students may work in groups, as well as individually.

Suggested Follow-Up

The Server Knots activity is a good follow-up for this activity.