Clearview Regional High School District
Technology Staff Development

Introduction to the Internet

The Internet is a collection of computer networks that connects millions of computers around the world, including the one on your desktop. It is also a vast source of information that is constantly changing and expanding. Since its creation in the 1960s, the Internet has grown exponentially and is now used by millions of people, from those in commercial and educational institutions to individual consumers.

Once you are connected to the Internet, you can use Internet Explorer to view a huge variety of information. You can also incorporate this information into your documents or save it to a file on your computer.

To view a page on the Internet
Click any hyperlink on your start page. A hyperlink can be a picture, a 3-D image, or colored text (usually underlined). If you want to go to the next page, click the next button on the toolbar. If you want to return to the previous page, click the back button on the toolbar. Tip: You can see whether an item on a page is a hyperlink by moving the mouse pointer over the item. If the pointer changes to a hand, the item is a hyperlink.

To go to a specific place or page
In the Address box, type the address of the page you want to open, or click the down arrow to select it from the list, and then press ENTER. Tips: To display the page in a new window, click the File menu, and then click New Window before typing the address. You can also go to a specific page by clicking the File menu, clicking Open, and then typing the address in the text box.

To return to a page you've already seen
On the Go menu, click the page in the list that you want to go to. Notes: This list is emptied when you quit Microsoft Internet Explorer. For a complete list of all the pages you've viewed in all sessions, click the Go menu, and then click Open History Folder. Then double-click the page you want to open.

To search the Internet
Click the search button on the toolbar. The search programs that are available vary depending on your Internet service provider. Tip: You can change your search page at any time.

To return to the start page
Click the home button on the toolbar. Tip: If you can't see the toolbar, click the View menu, and then click Toolbar.

To search for text on a page
1. On the Edit menu, click Find (On This Page).
2. Type the text you want to find.
3. Change any settings as needed.
4. Click Find Next.

To copy information from a page into a document
1. Select the information you want to copy. To copy the contents of an entire page, click the Edit menu, and then click Select All.
2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
3. Open the document where you want the information to appear, and then click the location where you want to place it.
4. On the Edit menu in that document, click Paste. Tip: You cannot copy information from one Web page into another.

To change your start page
1. Go to the page you want to appear when you first start Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. On the View menu, click Options.
3. Click the Navigation tab, and then click Use Current. Tips: If you are familiar with authoring Web pages, try creating your own start page, with hyperlinks to your favorite Web sites. To restore your original start page, click Use Default.

To change your search page
1. Go to the page you want to use as your search page.
2. On the View menu, click Options.
3. On the Navigation tab, select Search Page from the Page list.
4. Click Use Current. Tip: To use your original search page, click Use Default.

To create a collection of favorite pages
1. Go to the page you want to add to your collection of favorite pages.
2. On the Favorites menu, click Add To Favorites.
3. Type a new name for the page if you want to. Tips: To store your page in a different folder, click the Create In button in the Add To Favorites dialog box.

To open one of your favorite pages, click the favorite button on the toolbar, and then click the page you want to open. To keep track of your favorite pages, you can organize them into folders.

To organize your favorite pages into folders
1. On the Favorites menu, click Organize Favorites
2. To create a new folder in which to store shortcuts to your pages, click new folder, type a name for the folder, and then press ENTER.
3. Drag the shortcuts in the list to the appropriate folders. Tips: You might want to organize your pages by topic. For example, you could create a folder named Art Pages for storing information about art exhibits and reviews and a folder named Flying for storing information about aviation. If the number of shortcuts or folders makes dragging impractical, you can use the Move button instead.