Learning With Internet Inquiry Tools - Chapter 4
This chapter will focus on the following questions:
- - What are the properties of multimedia and hypermedia that characterize World Wide Web content?
- - Can learners really become "lost" as they explore World Wide Web material?
- - How can teachers and students keep track of valuable web resources they have located?
- - How can learners take advantage of online services to locate needed information through the processes of browsing and searching? What can learners do to increase the efficiency of their searches?
- - What tools besides the web browser allow access to Internet information resources?
- - Can learners really become "lost" as they explore World Wide Web material?
This book would not exist without the World Wide Web. Interest in the Internet and the potential of the Internet for education has reached a fever pitch as a consequence of the ease of use and access opportunities the web offers. The concept of "killer app" seems a fitting way to describe the reaction to the web. A killer app (short for killer application) refers to a new application (or idea) that is so powerful it will eliminate earlier applications (perhaps this is the killer part) and so impressive it will attract new users to the technology. The web and related tools (hardware and software) clearly qualify. The web has encouraged schools to connect to the Internet, purchase more equipment, and invest in support staff. As more schools make such commitments, it appears there is also growing pressure on other schools to do the same thing.
This is a "business" term and it seems to be useful in describing why a trend occurs. It is important to note that an application could qualify as a killer app for many reasons and that educational trends may or may not actually have the desired consequences for learners. Part of our motivation in writing this book is to encourage you to differentiate for yourself what is hype and what is valuable.
A. The Web: Multimedia and Hypermedia (pp. 98-100)
A.1 What are multimedia and hypermedia?
A.1.a Multimedia - a communication format that integrates several media categories; e.g., text, audio, video.
A.1.b Hypermedia - an application that allows multimedia to be experienced in a nonlinear fashion.
In hypermedia, units of information are connected to each other in multiple ways. Hypermedia is sometimes described as interactive because the user can make some choice as to which element of information to consider next.
A.2 Navigating with links
User decisions in a hypermedia environment are implemented by selecting one of several possible links. Each link offers the opportunity to move from the present source of information to another source of information. The World Wide Web (WWW) is hypermedia on a massive scale. Not only does a web user typically have the opportunity to follow links within a particular web site, but also to move from web site to web site.
B. The Web Browser (pp. 100-108)
The web browser is the software program used to take advantage of web resources.
Figure: Key browser interface components
B.1 Browser content window
The content window is the part of the browser display used to present multimedia information.
In some situations, the content window is divided into multiple areas called frames. The content of each frame is independent in that the content presented in one frame can change while the content in other frames remains the same. A common application of this independence is to use links presented in one frame to control the content presented in another frame.
Figure: Example of display using frames (this is an image so the links are not functional)
B.2 The browser interface
The content window is surrounded on three sides by various user controls. Collectively, these controls make up the browser interface. The user acts upon these controls by clicking on buttons, entering information in fields, or selecting options from menus.
B.2.a Location window
The location window is located near the top of the browser display. The address of the web page displayed by the browser appears in this window. When the address for a web page (Universal Resource Locator - URL) is entered in this window (field), the browser will attempt to connect to the designated web site and display the page.
B.2.b Toolbar and menubar
The most common browser actions are available through buttons located on the toolbar. These same actions and some additional actions are available from the menubar.
B.3 How the Browser Works
B.3.a Assemble and display content
The browser assembles and then displays the multimedia information sent from a server. Web servers send individual components (text, images, video) and the browser integrates these components to produce the display you see on the monitor. The instructions used in constructing this display are present in the HTML (hypertext markup language) that is part of the text information sent to the browser.
You can view the HTML by selecting View Source from the menubar (try View Source to examine the HTML for this page).
B.3.b Helper applications and plug-ins
Web browsers are not able to present all of the information formats that the web offers. Companies creating software that generate information in these formats (e.g., a unique method for present sound, video, 3-D virtual experiences) also generate either helper applications or plug-ins to support the information source the company is promoting. A helper application is a presentation program that runs in parallel with the browser. When the browser receives a file type it is unable to present, it will launch the helper application to present the information. A plug-in functions within the browser so it is a way of adding a new capability to the browser. In nearly every case, the helper applications or plug-ins are free. Companies would find it difficult to convince web authors to purchase the software tools for developing these unique formats if the authors felt web users would be resistant to paying for the tools to experience what the authors created. It is typically easier for companies to make their money by selling tools to web authors.
Often, when web authors use a unique file format that requires a helper or plug-in, they will provide a link to a source for the helper or plug-in on the same page that provides access to the unique type of information. Users who are unprepared to take advantage of the web resource can then easily obtain the helper application or plug-in.
B.3.c Interactivity
B.3.c.1 Links
The most basic form of interactivity involves the use of links to control the information to be experienced. Links can take the form of:
B.3.c.1.a Text - usually underlined and appearing in a distinct color
B.3.c.1.b Image - often surrounded by a colored border
B.3.c.1.c Part of an image - regions of an individual image function as links
The use of areas of an image as links is called image mapping. This technique is typically used when the area of the image can be associated with a particular function - e.g., clicking on a state or province within a map of the country to obtain weather information for that region.
B.3.c.2 Forms
Links limit the user to preestablished alternatives. Web pages also allow users to enter information - perhaps by entering text within a field - and then send this information to the server. This technique makes use of a form. If you have ever ordered a book or other merchandise online, you have entered your name, address, and probably credit card number in a form. If you have ever used a web search engine (see pages 118-124), you have entered information to guide the search using a form. The information entered in the form is sent to the server where the information is interpreted and some consequence occurs (e.g., the search locates web pages appropriate to your search request and sends the list of web pages back to you).
B.4 Learning in a hypermedia environment (pp. 108-113)
To understand the web as a tool for inquiry, it useful to compare web resources with other learning materials you are familiar with. Online materials tend to be created according to different design principles and because much of what is available on the web is hypermedia learners play some role in structuring the learning experience (e.g., what will be experienced next, what will be experienced and what ignored). There is some research from studies of hypermedia identifying several categories of multimedia learners (Lawless & Brown, 1997):
B.4.a Knowledge seekers
Learners who use a strategic approach, concentrating on the examination of material consistent with an assigned goal.
B.4.b Feature explorers
Learners who seem captivated by special effects and gravitate toward options such as movies and sound files.
B.4.c Apathetic users
Learners who spend very limited time interacting with the material, moving through what is available rapidly and in a linear fashion.
When learners use hypermedia ineffectively, it can be for several different reasons. They may wander off, get lost, or simply lose interest.
It also appears that experience plays a role in determining effective use. With poor background, learners may be unable to make good decisions about how to take advantage of the flexibility hypermedia allows.
B.4.d Scaffolding
When learners are unable to impose their own structure on learning resources, it is important to provide structure for them. The idea of scaffolding was introduced in Chapter 2 and is a useful way to think about how teachers might guide student work.
C. Using a Browser Efficiently (pps. 113-125)
C.1 Using bookmarks (favorites)
When using the web as an inquiry tool, there is typically an exploratory phase. During this phase the learner is looking around to try to see what useful resources might be available. It is important to have an efficient method for retaining a list of the sites that should be visited again. Saving a list of bookmarks (Netscape Navigator) or favorites (Internet Explorer) is an easy way to keep track of valuable resources.
A bookmark list is basically comprised of links that will take the user back to the web page associated with each link.
C.1.a Saving a bookmark
Adding a bookmark is accomplished by selecting an option from the bookmarks menubar option.
Note: The specific terminology used here refers to Netscape Navigator. Very similar actions are required when working with Microsoft Internet Explorer.
A recently added bookmark will appear at the bottom of the bookmark list available from this same menubar option. To return to the web page associated with the bookmark, simply select the bookmark from the list.
C.1.b Making a bookmark more informative
One of the problems in working with bookmarks is interpreting the bookmark titles stored on the bookmark list. The author of a web page assigns the title to the page and this title may have little meaning to you. To change a title, select Edit Bookmarks, select the bookmark you want to modify and then use the "Get Info" option to replace the original title with one you find more useful.
C.1.c Organizing bookmarks
New bookmarks are added at the end of the list. As you acquire a long list of bookmarks, it becomes more and more difficult to locate the specific one you want. One way to improve your ability to locate a specific resource is to organize the bookmark list. Once in the Edit Bookmark window, you can simply drag bookmarks to a new location in the list and this procedure can be used to impose a structure on the list.
The Edit window also allows the creation of a hierarchical filing system based on folders. Folders can be assigned meaningful labels (e.g., Lesson ideas) using "Get Info" and bookmarks can be moved into folders.
C.1.d Exporting bookmarks
You can turn your bookmark list into a web page using "Save As." There are several reasons for doing this. First, after investing a great amount of time in creating a bookmark list, you will have want to have a backup of your work. Second, the html page created by exporting a bookmark list can be passed on to others. For example, a teacher might want to create a bookmark list focused on a topic he/she wants the class to investigate and then pass this list on to students using the exported web page.
C.2 Locating Information: Browsing and Searching
Teachers and students must develop some skills to efficiently located resources within the web's vastness.
C.2.a There are two general techniques:
- Browsing is based on a hierarchical directory of headings and subheadings. To locate information you select from these headings until you get to a listing of links appropriate to your interests.
- Searching involves the use of an online database. A user submits a query and then examines web sites that match the terms provided in the query.
C.2.b Browsing Example - Yahoo!
C.3 Search services
C.3.a Search engine and directory combinations
Some search services are based on a cataloging system very much like that maintained by conventional libraries. Human editors examine web sites and catalog them. A search engine is applied to this database. The Yahoo! database can be examined in this fashion.
C.3.b Index search engines
An index search engines relies on a computer-generated index of the content of web sites. A computer program explores the web and generates a database users can search. Example: Hotbot
C.3.c Meta-index
A meta-index accesses and returns the results from several search engines. Example:Metacrawler.
C.4.d Searching skills
There are several ways to improve search productivity:
C.4.d.1 Narrow a search with quotation marks
Enclosing a phrase in quotation marks causes the search engine to match the phrase rather than individual terms.
C.4.d.2 Use Boolean combinations
A boolean search combines terms using boolean operators - AND, OR, NOT. A combination of terms targets pages more accurately.
C.4.d.3 Search forms
Some search engines provide forms which allow phrase, boolean, and other search techniques to be conducted in a very convenient manner. The form allows the user to select options rather than requiring that the user enter the terms (AND, OR, NOT) and operators ("", +, -) for submitting more complicated searchers. Example: Hotbot.
D. Accessing Other Forms of Internet Information (pp. 125-131)
D.1 FTP - File Transfer Protocol
Various commercial and public organizations maintain archives of files than can be downloaded. There are special clients that can be used for file transfer, but most users now simply use a web browser. Many users have transferred files by FTP and not recognized that this is what was happening. A common example would be downloading an upgrade of the web browser you might be using.
Another common use of FTP would be in uploading web pages students have created to a web server.
D.2 Streaming Audio and Video
As access to "high-bandwidth" connections has improved, educators are beginning to experience web applications that involve audio and video.
Technically, streaming implies situations in which the audio and video are played as they are received rather than received first and then played. In true streaming, the client and the server negotiate the presentation quality based upon the speed of the connection. In a related approach called progressive download, the presentation quality is set and the client will attempt to present the content as it arrives. If the connection cannot keep up, the presentation will stop and the user will have to wait and then manually begin the presentation.
The video associated with this web site presently relies upon the progressive download technique.
Popular formats include: