Internet Essentials with Internet Explorer 4

Is this course for you?

This course is intended for anyone wanting to start using and exploring the Internet. It starts off by exploring the World Wide Web and shows various ways to find information from the vast range of resources that are available, including downloading software and other data. It also shows how to use the Internet for e-mail and for accessing newsgroups, and finally shows the essentials of preparing documents for publishing on the web.

The course is based around Internet Explorer 4 (and Outlook Express and Front Page Express which are shipped with Explorer). You don't need previous experience, but familiarity with basic Windows is helpful.

The course includes the following elements:

Lesson 1: Introduction Lesson 12: E-mail 2
Lesson 2: Web sites Lesson 13: Talking with others
Lesson 3: Web addresses Lesson 14: Mailing lists
Lesson 4: Search sites 1 Lesson 15: Print Web pages
Lesson 5: Search sites 2 Lesson 16: Cut, copy and paste
Lesson 6: Search sites 3 Lesson 17: Sound and video
Lesson 7: Using Favourites Lesson 18: Create a Web site
Lesson 8: Starting points Lesson 19: Pictures, backgrounds and tables
Lesson 9: Surfing Lesson 20: Link web pages
Lesson 10: Finding software Lesson 21: Receiving feedback
Lesson 11: E-mail 1 Lesson 22: File transfer
Pre-defined curricula What you will need to enrol

Lesson 1: Introduction top list 
Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Open a sample web site
  • Use Links to navigate a web site
  • Return to the Home Page
    		• The Internet allows you to communicate with other people through your computer. For example, you can exchange electronic mail, files, pictures and even music. You can search for information and join newsgroups where you can communicate with other people who share your interests. You can also publish information using a web site. In this lesson we look at a sample web site to introduce some of these Internet activities and see how to navigate around web pages.

    Lesson 2: Web sites top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Control the Web browser window appearance
  • Understand Web site basics
  • Use hyperlinks
  • Use the browser navigator buttons
    		• The way to get access to information published on the World Wide Web is with a 'Web Browser', a software application designed specifically for exploring or 'surfing' the web. In this lesson we a look at web browsers and explore a typical web site using Microsoft's Internet Explorer software.

    Lesson 3: Web addresses top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Launch Internet Explorer
  • Understand Web addresses
  • Use a Web address
  • Work off-line
  • Use the Network icon on the taskbar
  • Close the connection
    		• Exploring the World Wide Web involves searching for information from many sites around the world. Each web site has its own unique address (or URL). In this lesson we look at how these addresses are make up and see how to connect to a web site.

    Lesson 4: Search sites 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Connect to the Infoseek search site
  • Do a basic text search
  • Do a further search within the search results
  • Narrow down a search using keywords
  • Limit a search to a complete phrase
  • Explore links provided by a search
    		• There are literally millions of web sites, so how do you know where to look? One way is to search for keywords or phrases using a 'search engine' or 'search site' which give you links to other web sites which match your search. There are many search engines available on the Internet, but in this lesson we focus on basic searches using Infoseek.

    Lesson 5: Search sites 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Search for types of information
  • Use categories
  • See how different search sites produce different results
    		• In the previous lesson you saw how to go to a search site and find relevant information using keyword searches. Another way is by using the preset categories you find on a search site. In this lesson we look at the categories on the Yahoo and Infoseek sites.

    Lesson 6: Search sites 3 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Search for telephone numbers
  • Search for e-mail information
  • Look up names
  • Look for business information
  • Use Yellow pages
    		• Most of the search sites provide special directory listings which are the equivalent to paper-based yellow pages and other directories. Finding information on individuals can be difficult as many sites rely on the individuals themselves visiting the sites and adding their own details. However, finding information on organisations or businesses is much easier. Most will want to promote their products or activities so will be listed in the electronic yellow pages.

    Lesson 7: Using Favourites top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Open a page to save
  • Add a site to Favourites
  • Use Channels and Links
  • Create a Favorites folder
  • Delete Favorites
    		• Once you have found a web site you may want to revisit it, so you need to keep a record of its address. One way to do that is with the Favorites option which helps you to organise your web addresses so you can speed up your access over the Internet. In this lesson we look at using Favorites and how to build up your own set of resources for future reference.

    Lesson 8: Starting points top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Work off-line
  • Find your way round a starting point site
  • Use e-mail links
    		• Surfing the Internet is a time consuming activity and you can spend valuable time trying to find particular information. A way of speeding up this process is by using an 'informational gateway' or 'starting point' site. These are web sites which have been set up with a collection of links which take you to particular topics. This lesson introduces the concept of 'starting point' sites and looks at a sample site which you can try out.

    Lesson 9: Surfing top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use a surf guide
  • Follow links
    		• So far in the course we have looked at specific topics in each lesson; but part of the value of the Internet is exploring or 'surfing' where you can follow links, do searches and generally explore the vast range of information that's available on the web. In this lesson we consolidate some of the ideas covered so far and do some web surfing.

    Lesson 10: Finding software top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Understand how to download software
  • Understand the difference between freeware and shareware
  • Be aware of the need for virus protection before considering downloads
    		• The World Wide Web has many sources of software. Many sites have free upgrades or service releases. Other sites have free software or 'shareware' that you can try before you buy. In this lesson we look at the issues involved in downloading software and the how to obtain software via the Internet.

    Lesson 11: E-mail 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Recognise an e-mail address
  • Create an e-mail message
  • Send a message
  • Start Outlook Express
  • Open the Inbox
  • Display Sent Items
  • Compose a new message
  • Send copies
  • Use the Outbox
  • Send and Receive messages
    		• Electronic Mail or E-mail is one of the cheapest and most convenient means of communicatiing with both individuals and organisations. For example many web sites have e-mail facilities so you can enquire about goods, services and so on. In this lesson we look at 'electronic mail' and how to send e-mail via the Internet. We also look at Outlook Express as the e-mail software associated with Internet Explorer.

    Lesson 12: E-mail 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Check for messages
  • Replay to a message
  • Add an attachment to a message
  • Send an attachment
  • Look at an attachment
  • Saving an attachment
  • Organise your mail
    		• This lesson follows on from the previous one and looks at how to check for incoming mail. One of the benefits of e-mail is that you can attach files to a message and send it across the internet. In this lesson we look at how to reconise when a message has an attachment, how to read attachments and how to send them to others.

    Lesson 13: Talking with others top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Access newsgroup lists
  • Subscribe to a newsgroup
  • Post a message
  • Filter messages
  • Unscribe from a newsgroup
  • Find old news
    		• E-mail is essentially private communication, between you and the people you send messages to. Newsgroups on the other hand are essentially public areas for discussion, where newsgroup members post messages that anyone can view. In this lesson we look at how to get involved in newsgroup, post and filter messages, find 'old' news and finally unsubscribe from a newsgroup.

    Lesson 14: Mailing lists top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Start Mailbase
  • Select the Discussions and Lists option
  • Browse for lists on a subject
    		• An alternative to the public newsgroups is to sign up for a mailing list. These are generally more serious than the newsgroups, and there are thousands of available lists you can choose from. The difference between a newsgroup and a mailing list is that the messages are sent directly to your e-mail address instead of posted on the newsgroup site. In this lesson we look at using Mailbase to find lists to join.

    Lesson 15: Print Web pages top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use the Print toolbar button
  • Use the Print menu
  • Select Print options
  • Print selected text
  • Print frames of information
  • Print linked documents
  • Print background colours and images
    		• When you use the World Wide Web, you will sometimes want to print off a hard copy of the information instead of reading it on-line. The web browser has its own printing functions built in, in much the same way as a word processor might. Quite often you will only want to print part of the information on the screen so in this lesson we will look at the various options available for printing information.

    Lesson 16: Cut, copy and paste top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Open WordPad
  • Select and copy text
  • Paste text into a WordPad document
  • Control the document page formatting
  • Copy and save pictures
  • Save a web site
    		• Web sites give you access to a vast range of information which you may want to use as source f material for research, for projects and so on. You can copy material from a web site but you do need to take notice of the copyright implications - the web site should make it clear if you are authorised to copy material; if not, then you need to get permission before you use it. In this lesson we look at how to copy material on a web site and paste it into a document.

    Lesson 17: Sound and video top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Down load a video clip
  • Save a media file
  • Play media files over the net
    		• Ideally, web pages should be able to include audio and video content just as easily as showing pictures. However, standard audio and especially video files tend to be large so they can take a long time to download. Also, they can be in different file formats, so you may need extra software to view or hear them. There is an alternative approach to audio and video called streaming, where you can play the files 'live' without having to download them.

    Lesson 18: Create a Web site top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Start FrontPage Express
  • Create a page title
  • Add background colour
  • Save the page
  • Add text
  • Change text colour
  • View HTML code
  • View with the browser
    		• Web sites can contain almost any kind of information. It is not difficult to prepare a web page; the same techniques used for the World Wide Web on the Internet can work equally well on a closed network (or intranet). In this lesson we look at how to develop a basic web site using the FrontPage Express software that is supplied with Internet Explorer.

    Lesson 19: Pictures, backgrounds and tables top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Add a picture
  • Add a background image
  • Background tile
  • Remove a background
  • Add a caption
  • Change text alignment
  • Insert a table
  • Change table alignment
    		• In the previous lesson we created a home page for a web site which just contained text. Using pictures on a web page or as a background makes it much more interesting. In this lesson we look at how to make the site more interesting by adding pictures to both the page and background.

    Lesson 20: Link web pages top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Add a text link
  • Test a link
  • Create a picture link
  • Create navigation links
  • Link in a page
  • Create bookmarks on a page
  • Edit a navigation table
    		• World Wide Web browsers allow you to move between web pages by following hyperlinks. Each hyperlinks directs the browser to a new address, which can be on the same page, a new page on the same web site or a completely different web site - anywhere in the world. In this lesson we look at how to insert hyperlinks into a web pages to link to other resources as well as link up to e-mail addresses.

    Lesson 21: Receiving feedback top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Insert a text box for field
  • Control form field options
  • Add tables and labels
  • Insert a scrolling text box form field
  • Insert a check box form field
  • Control check box properties
  • Insert a radio button form field
  • Insert a drop down menu to a form field
  • Add a submit button
  • View a form
  • Link the form to the server
    		• An important feature of many web sites is the 'interactive form' which enables the web site to receive organised feedback from visitors. In this lesson we see how to use FrontPage Express to create simple forms and how to collect the information for transfer to your Internet server.

    Lesson 22: File transfer top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Start Web Publishing Wizard
  • Select the files to publish
  • Add the internet service provider address
  • Confirm the user name and password
  • Check the live web page
  • Submit a web page
    		• Once you've prepared a web site, there are two more stages to make your web available to other Internet users. You need to transfer the files to the computer of your Internet Service Provider, then make it known to the rest of the internet. In this lesson we look at using FrontPage Express's Web Publishing Wizard to transfer your files to your ISP. The final step in making your web site 'live' is to tell the Internet community about it! So we'll look briefly at the issues associated with making your web site known to the rest of the world.

    Pre-defined curricula

    Like all courses at the Reeltime College this course comes supplied with a number of predefined curricula designed to help you go straight to the subjects you're most interested in. Curricula supplied with this course include:

    1. Standard curriculum (all lessons)
    2. Overview
    3. Finding information
    4. Exploring Web content
    5. Downloading Software
    6. E-Mail
    7. Newsgroups
    8. Using Web content
    9. Multimedia
    10. Build a Web site
    11. Personal curriculum (designed by you)

    What will I need to enrol?

    This is what you need to get the most from the course:

    1. A Pentium-class PC with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or XP.
    2. Sound card and loudspeakers or headphones
    3. A CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive) either on the PC or accessible over a local network.
    4. Approximately 10 Mb spare disk capacity. If you have another 30 Mb spare, you can choose to copy introduction movies onto the hard disk.
    5. If you download the course handbook, you'll need approximately 2 Mb spare for the download.
    6. The course assumes you have a copy of the target software (Internet Explorer 4, Outlook Express and Front Page Express) correctly installed on your computer. If not, you'll be able to watch the movie segments, but not complete the hands-on segments.

    You can enrol on the course by using the Reeltime software, which also allows you to preview the course content off-line. For more information, go to the How to join Reeltime College  page.

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