What are internet services?
Internet services are a range of services made possible by the internet.
Picture the train network, efficiently routing trains of all kinds from one point to another, irrespective of what those trains contain. Some will have passengers, others
freight, others are perhaps maintenance stock. In the same way, the infrastructure
of the internet can be used for lots of different things.
The services which run on computer networks, including the internet, fall into
roughly two groups:
1. client–server: one computer (the client) accesses services or content running
or stored on another, typically larger, computer (the server)
2. peer-to-peer: two computers communicate directly as equals, passing data
directly to and from each other.
Examples of internet services, include:
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World wide web (WWW)
Search engines
Email
Audio and video calls: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Instant Messaging
Streaming media
Wikis and blogs
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The world wide web
In 1989, British computer scientist
Tim Berners-Lee decided to combine
the capabilities of the internet with the
functions of hypertext (documents that
include hyperlinks that allow connections to be made between different
files) to manage information systems
at CERN where he was working.
Berners-Lee developed a specification
for how an internet-based version of
hypertext would work and then wrote
the software for the first web servers
and web browsers. The result was the
World Wide Web.
The internet is about connecting computers together, but the World Wide Web is
about the connections between documents. When you click on a web link, another
web page is requested from (typically) a different web server somewhere else on
the internet.
The content of this web page is then delivered to your web browser.
Click here to learn about the standards used by the WWW
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What is the difference between the internet and the world wide web?
The internet is very different to the WWW. The internet is the infrastructure of computers and connections – it is the hardware. The WWW is the information (in the
form of web pages) on the internet.
This animation explains the difference between the internet and the WWW.
Email
Email is a good example of a client–server system using the internet (although
many people’s experience of email is as webmail accessed through a browser like
Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox). The journey of an email might be something
like this:
• Alice opens up her email client and starts typing in her email to Jon. She
includes Jon’s email address, [email protected], in the ‘To’ line of the
email and clicks ‘send’.
• The email is transmitted via the internet (or the local network) to her outgoing mail server. If the email is intended for another domain (barefootcas.org.
uk here) rather than Alice’s own (lookingglass.org) then the server will forward
the email as packets of data via the internet, which routes these through to the
incoming mail server for barefootcas.org.uk.
• The inbound mail server at barefootcas.org.uk re-assembles the message from
the packets of data, accepts this and stores this ready for Jon to collect.
• Later on, Jon’s email client connects to his mail server and asks if there are
any messages for him. The one from Alice gets transmitted to Jon’s computer
via the local network or the internet, where Jon can read it in his email software.
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Although it might look to Alice and Jon as though they are communicating directly
with each other, all their emails are going via the outbound and inbound mail servers. Notice that the contents of their emails aren’t encrypted, so the organisations
running the two mail servers can read the contents of these messages if they wish.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Not all communication on the internet uses a client– server model. For example,
peer-to-peer communication is a model used for Skype and a number of other
video conferencing or voice over internet systems. Although Skype uses a server
to maintain a list of logged-in users and the IP address of their computers, when a
call is connected the packets of data that make up the digitised video and audio for
the call are routed directly through the internet between the two parties.
Instant messaging (IM)
Many social networking and online collaboration websites such as Facebook or
Google Drives feature instant messaging, whereby you can chat in real time with
other users of the system which are logged in. There are also apps running on
smart phones such as Whatsapp or iMessage that offer instant messaging. Instant
messaging provides a quicker form of communication than email if the people you
are communicating with are online as the conversation you construct is updated
in real time.e function before moving on to more purposeful programing. When
designing their programs pupils should have experience in identifying in their
algorithm where selection is required what form of selection is most suitable. They
should also have experience of determining both the condition to be used and the
commands triggered within the selection statements.
Streaming media
Streaming media is when multimedia content (video or audio) is simultaneously
being downloaded to a user’s computer whilst they are consuming it. Examples include iPlayer and YouTube. The media is delivered to the user as a stream of data
routed across the internet from the media server storing it to the client computer on
which it is being viewed.
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Wikis and blogs
A wiki is a website or database that has been developed collaboratively by a group of
individuals. The most well known is that of Wikipedia, which has over 4.6 million articles.
Some wikis, such as Wikipedia, are open for anyone to edit, whilst others might be private
and limited to specific groups (such as a school’s blog or wiki).
Why are internet services important?
For most, internet services have become a part of everyday life which we depend upon to
go about our daily business, and which are crucial to the operation of businesses across
the world.
It is unlikely a day goes past when we don’t use the internet to access the WWW. This
might be from a laptop, tablet or desktop or via a mobile device using 3G or 4G (Third
or Fourth Generation mobile communication technology) to access the mobile web. In a
typical day we may access a vast variety of websites, including news, social networking,
travel information, online stores or blogs to read or contribute to. Search engines provide
a means of negotiating the vast volumes of information which make up the world wide
web. Without them it would be considerably more difficult, if not impossible, to locate the
information we require from billions of web pages.
The vast majority of people use email and this is reflected in the estimated 4 billion email
accounts which are in existence. We have personal email accounts which we may use to
organise meeting friends, to place orders with shops or make enquires with businesses.
For most people email is also the primary form of communication at work. We might email
people from within our industry located around the world, or from within the same business or even the same office.
VoIP services have brought people closer together. They enable video conferencing,
bringing business colleagues from across the planet together to negotiate and collaborate. The same VoIP technology may also enable you to better keep in touch with friends
and family living around the world.
Collaboration can lead to incredible outcomes, particularly when such collaboration is on
a mass scale, as has been shown by the creation of Wikipedia. This internet encyclopedia has become most people first point of reference for information, however it’s creation
would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the technology behind wikis.
What do internet services look like in the primary curriculum?
Up to age 7, the primary focus is on becoming effective and efficient users of internet
services (developing their information technology and digital literacy skills). Between the
ages of 7 to 11, pupils continue to develop their skills as users of internet services, as well
as developing an understanding of the computer science which makes these services
possible.
Note: the following discussion refers to pupils’ digital literacy and information technology
skills as well as their understanding of the computer science behind how internet services
work.
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EYFS
Pupils gain experience in viewing web pages across the internet using a web browser.
They’ll learn to navigate between pages by clicking on links and they’ll observe that this
loads the content on a new page. Pupils may watch or listen to streaming media and
potentially experience buffering if the school’s internet connection is too slow!
Pupils may become familiar with the concept of communicating using technology
through the use of walkie talkies and other sound recording devices. Phones, computers and other digital devices can be placed in role play areas. As teachers we can model
this technology, pretending to send messages across the world to people we know, giving an opportunity to talk about how devices are connected and how to stay safe on the
internet.
KS1
Pupils use a range of computer systems to access websites on the internet. Pupils learn
to use search engines to locate information on web pages from the world wide web.
As teachers we model how to use search engines effectivity, considering what words
(terms) to use when we search to find information relating to our topics. We can also
demonstrate how to recognise and select between different categories of search result,
such as web page, image or video, for example.
Pupils may contribute to class emails. In doing so pupils develop an understanding that
emails may be read and sent from a web-based interface and that they travel across the
internet. Pupils may start to develop an awareness of the structure of an email (address
fields, subject and body) as well as the structure of an email address.
Schools might subscribe to e-learning resource websites, some of which enable pupils
to use an instant messaging window to chat to other pupils. Pupils’ families may use
Skype or other VoIP services to communicate with family and friends not living near by.
They might use a range of devices for this, such as desktop PCs, laptops, tablet devices, smart phones or internet enabled TVs.
Since pupils may be using the internet to communicate with others from an early age, it
is important they learn how to stay safe online. As teachers we can model how to safely
communicate online and browse the world wide web. Schools should be delivering a
comprehensive E-Safety curriculum throughout the primary years and beyond, which
ensure pupils understand how to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly and
know how to report concerns about content or contact.
KS2
Pupils continue to build upon their experience in becoming effective and efficient users
of internet services, continuing to deepen their understanding of digital literacy and information technology. For example, they might:
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Write and receive emails using an email account set up within a school’s email system.
Use a VoIP service to take part in audio or video calls collaborating with pupils from
around the world as part of a school twinning project, such as those organised by
The British Council.
Continue to build on their experience in using instant messaging within online games
or apps to communicate with friends.
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As teachers, we can help pupils learn to use search engines more effectively by modelling the advanced features such as search engine operators, as explained in more detail in the search technologies concept.
Pupils might contribute to class blogs or wikis and may learn to use more advanced features of the software. This might include adding images to blog posts, links and embedding streaming media. Blogging services typically offer the user the opportunity to work in
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). This is the language the world wide web is written in,
and whilst it is not a statutory requirement for pupils aged 7 -11 to learn HTML, it is valuable for pupils to start to develop an awareness of this language.
Multiple services provided by networks and the internet, such as the world wide
web
In addition to continuing to develop their skills in the effective and efficient use of internet
services, pupils aged 7-11 also take part in activities which explore the computer science
behind how some services are enabled by computer networks, including the internet.
Pupils develop an understanding that:
• The internet is made up of a vast network of computers and other devices connected
across the planet.
• The WWW is one service made available by the internet.
• Other services include email and audio/video calls etc.
Pupils take part in activities illustrating how web pages are viewed across the internet. In
doing so they learn:
• The information in web pages is stored in web servers.
• Information in a web page is broken down and transmitted across the internet in packets of data.
• The packets of data containing ordering information and are reordered within a browser to form the web page to be viewed.
Find out more about internet services
Quickstart Computing: A CPD toolkit for Primary Teachers
Video explaining the difference between the Internet and the WWW
Wikipedia page explaining the WWW
Planning from Phil Bagge to support teaching the concept of the Internet and WWW
Video of pupils at Winchester House explaining how the world wide web works
Lesson plans on how the internet works from Phil Bagge
Networks and the Internet Prezi by Miles Berry
Network of networks Prezi by Phil Bagge
E-Safety Resources from South West Grid for Learning
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