Internet: Impact and Potential for Learning and Instruction

The Dawn of the Internet

The dawn of the Internet can be dated back to 1623 when Wilhelm Schickard invented the first calculating machine. The mechanical calculator performed addition and subtraction of numbers with as many as six digits. Another important invention in the evolution of the Internet took place in 1679, when Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed the binary number system based on 0 and 1, which is the basis for modern electronic data and information processing. In 1810, Joseph-Marie Jacquard introduced the punch card, which represents a very early version of modern information storage used in the analytical engine introduced in 1832 by Charles Babbage, which marked the birth of program-controlled computing.

The Z3 computer built by Konrad Zuse in 1941 is regarded as the first properly functioning computer containing a binary calculation system, a memory function, and a central data processor. In 1945, J. Presper Eckert Jr. and John W. Mauchly completed the ENIAC (electronic numerical integrator and computer), the first digital general-purpose computer. Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby developed the first integrated circuit in the late 1950s, which enabled the development of smaller and faster computers. In the years that followed, the microcomputer was developed further, featuring audio, colors, peripheral and input devices, and a graphical user interface (GUI). Starting in the late 1960s, the Internet emerged from experimental networks in the United States.

Several technological advances shaped the dawn of the Internet, most importantly the development of packet switching, which allows information to travel in pieces through multiple network routes. The vision of a globally interconnected computer was put forth by J. C. R. Kicklider of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who was the head of the computer research program at Advanced Research Project Agencies (ARPA) during the early 1960s. In 1969, the ARPANET was created, connecting various academic and military locations using the packet switching technology. The further development of ARPANET in the early 1970s included several major innovations such as e-mail (electronic mail for sending simple messages to other users across the network), telnet (a remote connection service for controlling other computers), and file transfer protocols (for sending bulk information across the network). The use of the network for nonmilitary purposes increased during the 1970s, and in 1979, the Usenet as a worldwide discussion system was introduced, allowing conversations about specific topics by posting public messages to one or more categories (newsgroups). With the introduction of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), networks known as local area networks (LANs) were established at universities and research groups. The 1980s also saw the first use of the term Internet and the introduction of the Domain Name System (DNS), allowing easy-to-remember alphabetical names to be converted to numerical IP addresses automatically. Tim Berners-Lee conceptualized the World Wide Web (W3 or WWW) at the end of the [Page 417]1980s and finalized the code including the standards for HyperText Markup Language (HTML), HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The Web is an interlinked system using the HTTP protocol for finding and accessing documents (including text, pictures, and videos) through hyperlinks in a user-friendly way. A hyperlink refers to a reference to information that a user can directly follow (i.e., navigating or browsing). Programs called browsers display the hyperlinked information known as webpages.

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