Tues, Sept 29

DUE TODAY: Internet search engine investigation

HOMEWORK TONIGHT: Answer the five unit questions (in today's lesson, below)

FOCUS TODAY: Internet search engines, alternative Internet voices, Internet ownership issues

Results from Internet investigations reported

A brief investigation of Internet control (pgs 55-58) with PowerPoint presentation

NOTE: NO CLASS NOTES will be posted for this presentation, so take notes in class!

A textbook will be checked out to you today. Take care of it!

HOMEWORK: Answer these unit questions using a combination of the textbook, your notes, and our conversations in class:

Unit questions:

1. How did the Internet originate?
2. How is the structure of the Internet a strong system for freedom of information?
3. How does media convergence indicate a different phase in mass media history?
4. Who are the major players vying for control of the Internet? How much control do these players have right now?
5. What are the major alternative players on the Internet?

Fri, Sept 25 - Live Internet Investigation

DUE TODAY: Nothing

HOMEWORK TONIGHT: Complete your Internet search engine investigation

FOCUS TODAY: Blogs: Valuable or Ignorable?

VIDEO: "Blogging: Serious media or just a rant?"

Questions:

1. What benefits can be seen from the increase in blogs in the Internet?
2. What are two pitfalls that may occur when considering blogs?
3. What do you think would happen if the majority of the stories in the news and magazines were the stories from the places that normally do not have a "voice?"

Wed, Sept 23 - Intro to the Internet

DUE TODAY: Nothing

HOMEWORK TONIGHT: 

You will be assigned a topic to search. You will use four different search engines to search on the same topic, and record observations about your search experience. Handout given in class.

FOCUS TODAY: History of the Internet

Song of the day: "Zeroes and Ones" by Jesus Jones

We will first review the exam and your responses.

UNIT 2: THE INTERNET

Unit questions:

1. How did the Internet originate?
2. How does the World Wide Web work? Why is it significant in the development of the Internet?
3. How is the structure of the Internet a strong system for freedom of information?
4. How does media convergence indicate a different phase in mass media history?
5. Who are the major players vying for control of the Internet? How much control do these players have right now?
6. What are the major alternative players on the Internet?

Questions for today:

Pg 43: 

1. What effects did the privatization of radio broadcasting have?
2. What law limits your ability to truly have full freedom on the Internet?

Pg 44-45:

1. What are the three typical steps/phases in media innovation?
2. What were the original goals of the system that became the Internet?
3. What is the unique characteristic of a "distributed network" system?

Pg 46: 

1. Why is it ironic that the national defense industry created this system?
2. How did email begin?

Pg 47:

1. What is HTML, and what does it allow users to do?
2. How does XHTML build on HTML?

Pg 48:

1. How did Yahoo! begin? What was its original purpose?
2. How did Microsoft, AOL, and Google differ in how they wanted to position themselves for success?

Pg 48-49:

1. What technology allowed people to move away from telephone dial-up ISP service? Explain.
2. Who are the major players in the online subscriber business?

Pg 50-51: 

1. Explain the difference between catalog directory searching and algorithmic searching.
2. How did Google improve searching?
3. How is "paid placement" good for commercial business, but not for non-profit and educational information?

Pg 52-53:

1. What three innovations help distinguish the Internet from older media forms?
2. How were digital communication, microprocessors, and fiber-optic cable breakthroughs in technology?

Mon, Sept 21 - First exam of the term!

DUE TODAY: Nothing specific, but I will collect late work from students who have some to turn in

HOMEWORK TONIGHT: We're starting a new unit on the Internet, so ... browse the Internet! What do you see? What sites do you prefer? How does advertising seem to work? What grabs your attention vs. what does not?

FOCUS TODAY: History of the Internet

Today's exam will be taken using your notes AND team members. That's right - you will be placed on a team to complete the exam, and the notes from all team members can be used to complete the test. All team members will receive the same grade, unless there is an outstanding team member who you think should earn more credit, or a team member who did not contribute to help the team.

Introduction to the Internet