Internet for the Family
Presented to The Prairieland Advocates for Gifted
Children, February 5, 1999
By Valerie Bock
What is the Internet?
global network of connected computers
communicating with each other via Transfer
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
full employment program for computer
geeks
Yeah, but what is it really!
communications medium
– e-mail
– chat
– newsgroups
– internet phone
– video conferencing
Yeah, but what is it really?
archive for computer programs
– patches for commercial programs
– demos
– shareware
– freeware
archive for written documents
medium for cheap publication
Well, yeah, but what is it that
would matter to me?
A way to keep in touch
A playground
with far-flung friends
and family
A place to find out
more about things I’m
interested in.
A huge catalog
A study aid
A place to publish my
work
A place to meet people
who are interested in
the same things I am
A means to keep
current in my field
A way to do business
from home
Isn’t there some bad stuff on the
Internet?
Some folks think the Internet is
for:
Being mean to people
Luring innocent
under cover of
anonymity
Offering sleazy
products, even to
people who have no
interest
Spreading hate and/or
lies
youngsters into
dangerous situations
Stealing
– intellectual property
– money
Pretending to be
someone else
So how do you avoid the bad
stuff?
Guard your privacy. Children should never
reveal:
– last name
– address
– phone number
Adults should take care when revealing this
information, and be careful about credit
card numbers and work addresses
So how do you avoid the bad
stuff?
Don’t believe everything you read
Go with your gut instinct
Parents should know where their kids go
Don’t reveal private information
What’s the big deal about
revealing my full name?
If people have your name and your town,
they can get your phone number and
address (Yahoo) and they can find out
where your house is (Mapquest)
It’s one thing to give this information to
local folks and far away folks you know,
and another to broadcast it to the world!
What about my e-mail address?
E-mail addresses are big business
Spam is everywhere
E-mail addresses published on the web
attract junk mail like flies
E-mail software with filtering capability is a
Good Thing (TM)
– Eudora
– Pegasus
– Netscape
Ok, Ok, I’ll be careful! Now can
we go on-line?
Search Engines
– Ask Jeeves
– Dogpile
Cultural Stuff
– Arts & Letters Daily
– Museums
– PBS
– NPR
Local Stuff on-line
Herald & Review
Millikin
Richland
DecaturNet
City of Decatur
Kidstuff
Internet Chess Server
Hoagie’s Kids Pages
Yahooligans
Study Web
Virtual Science Teacher
Hotwheels site
MaMa Media
GT World Moo
So, What is the Internet to You?
What isn’t the Internet?
A replacement for the
A place where you can
guidance of parents
A replacement for
teachers
A source of hugs
A replacement for
neighbors
A replacement for
friends
“really get to know”
people
A replacement for
“real life”
Have fun, Learn stuff!
E-mail me! vbock@netins.net
Check out the links from this presentation:
http://www.netins.net/showcase/vcb/pagc/
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