The Internet & Your Browser
Internet vs the Web, how a browser works, tabs, bookmarks, history and downloads, zoom, Find on page and private browsing, URLs and domains, and HTTPS.
⌨️ Start with your 10-minute typing warm-upBy the end, you will be able to:
- Explain the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web, name common browsers on computers and phones, and read a URL: its protocol, domain, extension and padlock.
- Use the browser's controls and shortcuts: the address bar, Back, Forward and Refresh, tabs (open, switch, close and reopen with Ctrl + Shift + T), bookmarks, history, zoom and Find on page (Ctrl + F).
- Download a file, find it in the Downloads folder, and leave a shared computer safely: private windows, signing out and clearing browsing data.
What you need
No computer at home? Print the PDF and practise on paper.
Follow these steps in order
Tick each step when you finish it. Your ticks are saved on this device, so you can stop and come back later.
Learn the ideas ⏱️ 35 min
Read pages 1–4 of the workbook and try every small task. Type your answers straight into the boxes: they save by themselves.
Explore the 3D lab ⏱️ 15 min
Play with the 3D model below. The 🎯 missions tell you exactly what to do next. When you finish every mission, this step ticks itself.
Do the Lab Mission ⏱️ 25 min
Page 5 is the hands-on task. Do it on a real computer, step by step. You need: a computer with internet and a web browser.
Check yourself ⏱️ 10 min
Answer the questions on page 6 without looking back, then check your answers below.
Finished? Check your answers
Your turn (Page 2): answers vary: Chrome (three dots ⋮), Edge (three dots in a row ⋯) or Firefox (three lines ☰).
Who runs each website? (Page 3)
- https://www.ug.edu.gh: a university in Ghana (the University of Ghana); .edu.gh means education.
- https://statsghana.gov.gh: the government (the Ghana Statistical Service); .gov.gh means a government organisation.
- http://free-phones-winner.example.com: a company or anyone at all, and it has no "s" (not secure) and promises free phones: do not trust it or type anything into it.
Circuit record sheet (Page 5): times vary. Two or three tabs at once; the number of times "canopy" appears varies as Wikipedia is edited; the file is in the Downloads folder; yes, the bookmark is still on the bar in a private window (bookmarks are kept, history is not).
1. True or False? (Page 6)
- The Internet is the network; the Web is the pages that travel on it: True.
- Ctrl + Shift + T brings back a closed tab: True.
- A website with a padlock always tells the truth: False (the padlock protects the connection, not the truth).
- Downloads go into the Downloads folder unless you choose another place: True.
- In a private window nobody, not even the website, can see what you do: False (only the browser forgets; the website and the network can still see).
2. Written Review Questions
- Any three of: sign out of her email; close the browser; do not let the browser save her password (or remove it); clear browsing data with Ctrl + Shift + Delete if allowed; close any private windows; take her downloaded files with her or delete them.
- It tells you the connection is secure: what you send is scrambled so snoopers cannot read it. It does NOT tell you that the website is honest or that the information on it is true.
Rate yourself and save your work ⏱️ 5 min
Tick how confident you feel on the last page, then press 🖨 Print / Save as PDF in the workbook to keep a copy. On a shared computer, press Clear my answers when you have saved it.
🌍 Internet Town
Send a web request (and see why HTTPS matters), follow an email through the digital post office, and co-edit a cloud document. Follow the 🎯 missions on the right: they tell you what to do next.
Stuck? Try this
Most problems are one missed word. Look for the Panic Button or Help box in the workbook.
Refresh the page. On a very old computer it may not show 3D. The workbook still has everything you need.
Answers save on the computer you typed them on. Open the workbook on that same computer and browser.
Ask your mentor, a teacher or a friend. Show them the step number you are on.