Annotated bibliography of resources on ‘Being an advanced Internet User’

‘Being an advanced Internet User'

Module 1 - Infrastructure

TCP/IP
An Overview of TCP/IP Protocols and the Internet
http://www.garykessler.net/library/tcpip.html
Gary C. Kessler

A very interesting paper originally submitted in 1994 but updated Jan 2007. Considers the history of the internet, modern day terms used, concepts and considerations. Goes in to great detail explaining the TCP/IP architecture and considers the OSI layers and their purpose. Explained in greater detail are the Internet Layer, Transport Layer Protocols and the TCP/IP layer. It oultines the fundamental requirements of each, goes in to great detail about ports, packets and the inspection of and includes surveys and considerations of the volume of users.

Concepts : This article covers almost everything about TCP/IP and more.

URL
NetStrider Tutorials - Uniform Resource Locators
http://www.netstrider.com/tutorials/URL/
Randy D. Ralph, MLIS, Ph.D.

This is a paper that has the intention of being a tutorial resource and includes pronounciation. It does a good job of using the 4Mat model to break down a URL in to common terms of how, where, who/what - these are the basic principles that most people understand. It takes in to account common internet protocols and provides meaningful description of why they are used and for what purpose relating to the format used for the URL. The host domain names examples are easily set out and understood.

Concepts : Format, structuring, types, use.

Module 2 - Communicating in the Infosphere

Email
Electronic Mail - Using the Internet
http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/internet/email.htm
State of Victoria (Department of Education & Training)

This article was chosen because it was local, its aimed at students, sets out a good and to-the-point description of what email is being electronic mail and catered to a wide audience under the terms 'using the internet'. It describes how it works, what you need and used the Eudora mail application as an example of a very generic email application. Its very informative in terms of going through the complete process of account setup, the meaning of addresses and being able to make an understanding of domain names. The relevance to email anatomy, what and how to write email and checking for it are useful, but I particularly liked the reference to 'Style guide' and the inclusion of examples of List servers.

Concepts : Basics, Subject, Replying, Style, Interpretting, Format.

Newgroups
Internet Newsgroups
http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/2007/2007article14.htm
George Skarbek, Melbourne PC User Group, July 2000

Newsgroups have been around for a long time and most the articles about it are quite dated. In this article George uses a real world example of how he and his son use a newsgroup to get some more specific information about particular topics that they are interested in. He goes through the setup of a newsgroup application and the use of the Melbpc user group as examples. He explains that the information is wide ranging and somewhat relevant but not to everyone. Included are screenshots and tips on netettiquette.

Concepts : why, purpose, setup, netiquette, constraints, participation, abuse.


Module 3 - Contributing to the Infosphere: e-writing?

Hypertext
Toward an Organic Hypertext
http://www.wordcircuits.com/connect/ht2000.htm
Robert Kendall and Jean-Hugues Réty

There are many articles and papers on the internet about hypertext - it appears to be a topic that has relevance to literary, as in 'written' referencing to other articles, that has evolved and
matured as the electronic means of applying it have become easier. An excellent paper that considers and theorises the problem of structuring and linking relative information and the considerations made to the user and their understanding of the structure displayed. Fascinating really that so much thought has gone in to their paper.

Concepts : navigation, linear v's non-linear, Hypertext literature, adaptive hypermedia, organic form, theory, hypertext structure

Blogs
The educated blogger : Using Weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_6/huffaker/
David Huffaker (June 2004)

This paper was chosen because of its relevance to the NET11 course and that it promoted more than purely the technical aspects of computing and information authoring or archiving. The intension is to promote the literary skills of students in expressing their thoughts while being able to capture and publish the information in a journal style but also considering the fundamental skills to 'storytelling' while promoting of the ability of students to record and communicate their work beyond the classroom.

Concepts : literacy, storytelling, classroom use, use examples.

Module 4 - Module 4: Using the infosphere: taking & organising

Searching the Web
http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/searching/default.htm
Searching the Internet: Tips & Tricks
ABC Science Online

There are many articles about searching the web and in itself, a difficult process to trust the information source and correctness. This article by ABC Science explains the problem of what search engines solve ie the fact that the internet is a highly distributed group of computers of information without a central repository. The role and way that search engines operate are cleary defined as are examples of how they should look and work. There are several examples including pre-filled search boxes with terms of the clever use of Boolean logic to get more accurate results in shorter timeframes. The ability to easily click the examples makes the whole process of proving the theories both enjoyable and meaningful. Consideration is also applied to the information source and other evaluation theories made when judging content.

Concepts : size of internet, sources, search engines, boolean searching, reliability of information, authenticity of information.

Evaluating the Web
http://www.lib.flinders.edu.au/services/infolit/web/eval.html
Evaluating Information on the Web
Miranda Morfey

Within the first sentence, the key issues are raised 'quality and reliability' of information found. Reference to journalism process evaluation and peer reviews making claim to non-internet comparison versus the internet of no web filters at all. The page intends to inform the reader of techniques that they can use to evaluate the usefulness of the information. Particular attention is paid to applying a good broad range of techniques including URL review, domain information, who owns the site, a genuine address, author, date updated and more. Interestingly the reference to the aim of the page and intended audience as well as who links to the page are also very valuable in ascertaining. The triangulate method of reviewing information aainst other sources is also very helpful.


Concepts : The source URL, origin, author, age of article, aim of page, intended audience, triangulation

Assessment 1 - Setup Test

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