• Below are some important explanations of how Wires works and how you should use it. Read them now, and you can refer back to them later by clicking HOME on the menu bar which is at the bottom of every screen.

How is Wires Organized?

Wires is made up of four different sections: Internet, E-Mail, World Wide Web, and Internet Service Providers. You can jump between these sections at any time by clicking on the buttons in the menu bar at the bottom of each screen. However, each section builds on topics, terms, and concepts introduced in the previous sections so we recommend that you visit each section in order using the and buttons above the menu bar.

Where Do I Begin?

In the Internet section you will see pictures of how computers on the Internet are connected. These pictures are numbered and labeled. Clicking on the labels or the numbers will bring up an explanation in the extra window below the picture. For a complete understanding of these topics we suggest that you click on each number in order beginning at number 1, because later explanations often refer to terms explained earlier. These terms will be used in later sections, so you should return to the Internet section as a reference or look up terms using FIND on the menu bar if you need to see the explanations again.

What Else Will I See?

The first page of the E-Mail section gives an overview of how e-mail is used. On the second page, you will see a picture of the computers and networks that make e-mail work. Below the picture is an explanation of how e-mail is sent. If you prefer to see a demonstration of how e-mail works, click on the demo button above the picture. The World Wide Web section is structured the same way, with an overview of how the web works, followed by a picture and explanation of how web pages are accessed. There is also a demo for the Web section. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) section follows the same format except that because every provider is set up differently we have omitted the page on how it is used. Instead you will only see the picture, explanation, and demo of how ISPs work.

How Do I Use the Demos?

The demonstrations in the E-Mail, World Wide Web, and ISP sections cover the same material as the preceding explanations and pictures. However, the demonstrations also show you the pathway that information travels. Each picture and label is clickable. Clicking on any one picture or label will show you what that picture's role is in the process of transmitting information over the Internet. The demonstrations were created using Hyperstudio, and to view them properly you will need to have the Hyperstudio plug-in installed in the Plug-Ins folder of your web browser. Plug-ins for the Macintosh and the PC are freely available at http://www.hyperstudio.com/.

Where Do I Go For More Information?

A FIND button is included in the menu bar at the bottom of each screen which will bring you to a glossary of terms mentioned in Wires. If there are topics which you would like to learn more about, we have included our bibliography for the project, as well as a list of good web sites which contain more detail on a variety of topics relating to the Internet. These are available through the Extra Resources button at the bottom of this page.