Copyright © 2000 by Michael Segers, All rights reserved
Roving
back through the past year or so of columns recently, I realized that I have
produced a textbook for Internet users (once a teacher.…). Almost every
column, whether on alternative health care, dinosaurs, or movies, has included
some links, but about a quarter of the raves have specifically involved roving
around the Internet. This time, in the spirit of recycling, I’ve decided to
make things easier for you by putting these articles together for you as a
textbook, divided into units, but blissfully free of tests. Do check the end of
the article for an important note about homework.
Unit I: Economics and the Internet
Money
is the force that keeps the Internet netting (even though the word
"free" occurs in many of my titles), and the business of the Internet
is business. As I’ve emphasized many times, every "dot com" site is
a commercial venture. But, we are lucky, with a nice little non-commercial
("dot org") site to come home to. But, to see what this thing called
the Internet is all about, here are three chapters that can be financially
rewarding for you.
”Even
More Money on the Internet”
”Get
All Your Long Distance Calls for Free”
Unit II: Recreational Uses of the
Internet
All
work with no play makes Jack or Jill a dull netizen. So, kick back with an
auction, a forum, a digital image, or a few of my favorite things.
”Adventures
in Online Auctions”
”My
Favorite Things—On the Internet”
Unit III: The Philosophy of the
Internet
There
is a lot of concern about the Internet and moral issues—Ku Klux Klan material
at online auction sites, photos of a television star wearing nothing but a tea
cup. (Been there, done that.) There are times when the Internet raises distinct
philosophical issues of its own, and here, in very different ways, are
discussions of ethics, charity, rumor, and education
”The $6 Million Kidney, the Donated Kidney, and the Stolen Kidney”
”Keep
Computers Out of the Classroom”
”Get
Your Free Trip to Disney World”
Unit IV: Special interests on the
Internet
Each
person’s Internet is different from everyone else’s. Your interests, needs,
and resources are reflected in the sites you access. Here are three guides to
online genealogy, newspapers of the world, and ways to do good for yourself and
others, not just on a chilly day in February.
”Dukes
and URLS on Your Family Tree”
”Wombat
Attack... in the Worth County Schools”
Unit V: Social studies of the
Internet
Although
I taught English and Spanish for twenty years, I always considered myself a
Social Studies teacher, because history and geography are fundamental to an
understanding of any human endeavor, including the Internet. So, here you have
some prehistory as well as a couple of lessons in the geography of cyberspace.
”The
Peanuttiest Site on the Web”
Finally,
even though you are near the end of the semester, what good is a textbook
without a glossary?
Now,
girls and boys, if you have truly been good children and done your homework,
then you can watch television. Here’s a wonderful site for you. Enter your zip
code, and you’ll get a listing of programs available from your local cable
provider. Best of all, this site saves your zip code in a cookie, so that you
can simply select it as a "bookmark" or "favorite"
(depending upon your choice of browser), and then get your local television
schedule whenever you want it. You knew that if you waited long enough, you’d
find a reason for accessing the Internet, didn’t you?
Keep
your feet dry, your heart full of noble thoughts, and your computer ready and
raring to take you to the far reaches of cyberspace.