Ask Alice

Ask Alice
This is the data file for SchoolNet's Ask Alice. It is divided into three parts:
1) SchoolNet questions.
2) Internet questions.
3) General questions that have historically been asked of Alice.
Last modified by Neil Fraser, 11/11/97.

***NEW: sn.html What is SchoolNet?
(WHAT|GOAL|PURPOSE|ABOUT)* SCHOOL*NET*
WHO* USE* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET* (PURPOSE|FOR)*

SchoolNet is a Federal/Provincial/Territorial and Industry Initiative
developed in order to introduce elementary and secondary school students
and teachers to the Internet, and to enhance educational opportunities by
making national and international resources available to them. The project
was officially announced in August 1993, and committed to connect 300
schools, but now the aim of SchoolNet is to connect all 17,000 Canadian
schools. Through the Internet, participants have access to the SchoolNet
gopher and many more exciting and useful resources and services.

***NEW: sn_access.html How do I access SchoolNet?
ACCESS* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET ADDRESS

SchoolNet's Internet address is schoolnet.ca.

You can access the SchoolNet web site at: <A
HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca/">http://www.schoolnet.ca/</A> 
You can access the SchoolNet gopher at: <A
HREF="gopher://gopher.schoolnet.ca/">gopher://gopher.schoolnet.ca/</A>

***NEW: sn_schools.html How do I talk to other schools?
NAME* SCHOOL*
COMMUNICATE*STUDENTS*
COMMUNICATE*TEACHERS*
FIND*STUDENTS*
FIND*TEACHERS*
LIST*STUDENTS*
LIST*TEACHERS*

The <A HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca/wp/secure/admin/Search_WP.html">SchoolNet
Whitepages</A> is a database listing all
schools and libraries registered with SchoolNet. If you are registered with
us, you may browse this database to find the email addresses of other teachers.
If you want to chat with other teachers and students linked through SchoolNet, you
can try using <A HREF="sn_moo.html">SchoolNet MOO</A> or one of the <A
HREF="sn_listserv.html">SchoolNet Listserves</A>.

***NEW: sn_projects.html What projects is SchoolNet involved with?
PROJECTS*

SchoolNet encourages Schools to participate and initiate Classroom &
Academic projects.

Classroom & Academic Projects are projects which use electronic
communications to improve or carry out the activities involved. The projects
may just use the Internet as a carrier of data or as an integral part in the
workings of the project. Many different people, students, teachers, and/or
classes from different regions of Canada or from various countries around
the world may be involved in any project.

These projects can range from simulators to scientific experiments to
question and answer areas. This diversity of topics and the emphasis on fun
provide a great environment for students to learn.

Some of the projects require a lot of preparation time and a certain amount
of electronic communications knowledge. As a result, teachers are advised
to take that consideration into account when they choose to do a
simultaneous project with their class.

From the main menu of the SchoolNet gopher, choose Classroom &
Academic projects to get more information, and to see a listing of current
projects.

***NEW: sn_cost.html SchoolNet is free!
SCHOOL*NET* FREE*
HOW*ACCESS*SCHOOL*NET*
HOW*CONNECT*SCHOOL*NET*
COST* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET* COST*

SchoolNet doesn't cost you anything. In order to access SchoolNet, you
need Internet access; everybody who has Internet access can use SchoolNet.
The Internet access, or the equipment necessary to <A
HREF="i_access.html">get online</A> might involve some costs.

***NEW: sn_cost2.html Will SchoolNet cost me anything?
PAY* USE* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET* PAY* USAGE*
SCHOOL*NET* PAY* PER* USE*

SchoolNet is not a pay per use system, it doesn't cost you anything, no
matter how much you use it. It is a free service sponsored by <A
HREF="sn_ic.html">Industry Canada</A>.

***NEW: sn_age.html Internet age restrictions?
RESTRICT* AGE*
AGE* (RESTRICTION|LIMIT)*

There are no age restrictions to use
either SchoolNet or the Internet.

***NEW: sn_rescol.html What is Rescol?
RSC*
Rescol*
BILINGUAL*
FRENCH* SERVICES*
SERVICES* FRENCH*

Rescol is the French equivalent of SchoolNet, you can access
it the same
way you access SchoolNet. RSC (which stood for Reseau
Scolaire
Canadien) is the old name for this service.

All of the SchoolNet services are offered in both English and French. <A
HREF="http://www.rescol.ca/">Rescol's web site</A> is an exact
translation of <A HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca/">SchoolNet's web
site</A>.

***NEW: sn_use.html How do I use SchoolNet?
HOW* USE* IT*
USE* SCHOOL*NET*
ACCESS* SCHOOL*NET*
ANY* (ACCESS|USE)* SCHOOL*NET*
ANYONE* SCHOOL*NET*
APPLY* FOR* SCHOOL*NET*
GET* ON* SCHOOL*NET*

To use SchoolNet, and to join the thousands of other schools across Canada
and the World, you only need Internet access. Since you can read this text,
you must already have basic Internet access. There are no SchoolNet fees:
the only cost involved will be the equipment required to <A
HREF="i_access.html">access the Internet</A>. Everybody with Internet
access can use the <A HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca">SchoolNet
Web<A> and <A HREF="gopher://gopher.schoolnet.ca">SchoolNet
Gopher</A>, as well as many other services.

***NEW: sn_freenet.html How do I access SchoolNet from Ottawa's
FreeNet?
SCHOOL*NET* NCF*
NCF* SCHOOL*NET*
OTTAWA* FREENET* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET* NATIONAL* CAPITAL* FREENET*

If you are using the National Capital FreeNet here in Ottawa, simply type
"go schoolnet" from the main menu, and then choose the option you want.

***NEW: sn_start.html When did SchoolNet start?
WHEN*SCHOOL*NET* (BEGIN|START)*
WHEN* (BEGIN|START)* SCHOOL*NET*
HOW*LONG*SCHOOL*NET*AROUND*
HOW* SCHOOL*NET* (BEGIN|START)*
HOW* OLD* SCHOOL*NET*

SchoolNet was started during the beginning of the 1993 summer. <A
HREF="sn_ic.html">Industry Canada</A> asked a small group of university
students to post Canada Scholarships, and a few other government services
on-line on the Internet, and to teach 12 Ottawa schools how to use these
services. The project then went on a National scale, and was officially
launched in October, 1993.

***NEW: sn_who.html Who is SchoolNet?
WHO* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET SUPPORT*

The <A HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca/groupe.html">SchoolNet Support
Group</A> is a group of Internet experts, responsible for the development,
technical management, and support of the SchoolNet project.

The Internet offers many exciting possibilities to students and teachers, but
can be intimidating and confusing. That's why the SchoolNet Support Group
is ready to assist any SchoolNet user with whatever problem they may be
having - be it accessing the Internet, using the SchoolNet services, finding
resources, creating new content and functionality, etc.

***NEW: sn_done.html Is SchoolNet done?
SCHOOL*NET* OPERATIONAL*
SCHOOL*NET* DONE*
WORKING* YET*

SchoolNet has been fully operational since it's <A
HREF="sn_start.html">official launching</A> in October 1993.

***NEW: sn_whomade.html Who made SchoolNet?
WHO* MA(K|D)E* SCHOOL*NET*

SchoolNet isn't made or produced by anybody. It is a co-operative effort,
made possible by the Governments of Canada (federal, provincial, ...), the
SchoolNet Support Group, Canadian Industry, teachers and students across
Canada, and all other people involved in this great educational initiative.

***NEW: sn_new.html What's New on SchoolNet?
WHAT* NEW*

You can find out what's new on SchoolNet by visiting the <A
HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca/adm/bboard/">Bulletin Board</A> page.
All changes or additions are documented there, keeping you up to date with
SchoolNet and all its services.

***NEW: sn_join.html Joining SchoolNet.
SIGN UP*
HOW*JOIN*
REGISTER*

You can register with SchoolNet by filling out the <A
HREF="http://www.schoolnet.ca/wp/apply/register.html">on-line
application form</A>. Take a look at it for more information.

***NEW: sn_services.html SchoolNet's Services.
WHAT* SERVICES*
RESOURCES* AVAILABLE*
WHAT* CAN* SCHOOL*NET*
(RESOURCES|FEATURES|SERVICES)* SCHOOL*NET*
SCHOOL*NET* SERVICE*

The SchoolNet web is the main or central SchoolNet service, but many
other services are offered. These services include: a guide to the 100 best
Internet science and technology resources, over 400 professionals available
electronically for consultation in the Electronic Innovators program, a career
selection guide, electronic discussion groups for teachers and students, a
listserver, a SchoolNet MOO, SchoolNet Ask Alice, a Gopher
site, innovative teacher designed networking projects, a tool free help
line, and on-line support and troubleshooting. It should be noted that all
SchoolNet services are offered in both English and French, and that the
success of these services depends on how much usage they receive. You can
get more information on any of the services mentioned above by asking me a
more specific question.

***NEW: sn_penpal.html Pen Pals.
PEN*PAL*
CORRESPOND*

SchoolNet offers a Pen Pal service, as a means of encouraging Canadian
students and teachers to communicate with Canadians and with people
around the world.

Would you like to send e-mail to another student in Canada, or around the
world? One of the best ways to meet other students is to introduce yourself
to others by posting a message to the can.schoolnet.chat.student.jr
newsgroup. Include some details about yourself, your interests, and where
you live.

***NEW: sn_vv.html What is Virtual Ventures?
VIRTUAL VENTURES*
VV*

Virtual Ventures is a series of week-long day camps for elementary and high
school students. It is run ever summer from locations across Canada.
Virtual Ventures makes use of some of SchoolNet's facilities such as the <A
HREF="sn_moo.html">MOO</A>. For more information about their
programs, visit the <A HREF="http://vv.carleton.ca/">Virtual Ventures web
site</A>.

***NEW: sn_where.html Where is SchoolNet?
WHERE* (SCHOOL*NET|YOU* LIVE|ARE* YOU)*
INGENIA*
OPEN*TEXT*

The SchoolNet National Office, and the SchoolNet Support Group (under
the administration of <A HREF="http://www.ingenia.com/">Ingenia
Communications</A>) are located in Ottawa, Canada. The SchoolNet
servers and central computers (under the administration of <A
HREF="http://www.opentext.com/">Open Text Corp.</A>) are located in
Toronto, Canada.

***NEW: sn_career.html What is the Career Centre?
CAREER*
INFO* CAREER*
CAREER* INFO*
INFO* JOB*
JOB* INFO*
CAREER* CENT(ER|RE)*

The SchoolNet Career Centre is accessible via the SchoolNet gopher, and is
an area where students can access information on various occupations and
areas of study. It provides job descriptions, access to the Ministry of Ontario
Education and Training Gopher, information on major fields of study, and
University & College Course Information. Connect to the SchoolNet gopher
and take a look at this wonderful resource.

***NEW: sn_chat.html What was SchoolNet CHAT?
CHAT*

CHAT stands for "Conversational Hypertext Access Technology". It is a
natural language information retrieval system developed by Communications
Canada. This means that you can ask questions in a sentence form and the
database will respond to your query. It appears as though you are actually
having a conversation with another person.

SchoolNet had an old Telnet-based CHAT program until 1997. At that point
it was replaced with a new system with a web interface. You are using that
system right now, it's me, Alice!

***NEW: sn_whitepages.html What are the White Pages?
STUDENTS* TALK*
FIND* TALK*
TALK* OTHER*
COMMUNICATE* SCHOOL*
CONTACT* SCHOOL*
FIND* SCHOOL*
WHITE*PAGE*
LIST* SCHOOL*

The SchoolNet White Pages are a listing of registered SchoolNet schools.
The service provides a listing (by Province) of the schools currently
registered and the city in which that school resides, enabling you to find and
contact other schools participating in SchoolNet. The database requires you
to enter your email address as entered when you registered with SchoolNet
and the school name of the school you wish to contact.

Also please note that the School name must be entered exactly as it appears
or the search will not produce the correct results.

If you wish to communicate (interactively) with people on SchoolNet, try the
SchoolNet MOO, it allows you to explore a virtual environment, and
communicate real time with other participants.

***NEW: sn_postsec.html College and University information.
COLLEGE*
UNIVERSIT*

From the SchoolNet gopher you can access College and University course
calendars and information. To access this resource, simply select the career
centre from the SchoolNet Gopher.

***NEW: sn_hotel.html The Gopher Hotel.
GOPHER* HOTEL*

The Gopher Hotel is a new SchoolNet service allowing authorized registered
SchoolNet users to manipulate the SchoolNet Gopher using e-mail. By
manipulating, I mean that these selected SchoolNet participants will be able
to add, edit, or delete files in a specified area of the Gopher, without having
to contact the SchoolNet Support Group to do it for you.

To be selected as an "authorized" user, you first need to be a registered user.
You can register with SchoolNet from the Main SchoolNet gopher menu.
Once registered, or if you are already registered (you have already filled out
the ONLINE registration form), you can send an e-mail message to:
[email protected]

In the Subject of the message, type Gopher Hotel application

In the body of the message, please detail what you intend to do with this
service, how you can add to the SchoolNet gopher, and improve the present
service. The SchoolNet Support Group will evaluate all applications. The
use of this service will be restricted to those who need to use this service,
and to those who can benefit from this service.

More information, as well as help files, are available on the SchoolNet
gopher, under About Canada's SchoolNet / Gopher Hotel ...

***NEW: sn_listserv.html The SchoolNet Listserver.
LIST(| )SERV*
MAIL* LIST*

The SchoolNet listserver is aimed at creating an informative forum for all
SchoolNet users. It brings all SchoolNet schools together on a common
ground. You must first subscribe to the listserver before you can become a
part of it. To do this, send an e-mail to [email protected] and in the
body of the message, put SUBSCRIBE SCHOOLNET (your first name)
(your last name). You will receive notice that you are part of the listserver
and all postings will be delivered right to your e-mail box. To post to the
listserver, e-mail to [email protected]. The listserver is very
informative and can prove to be very beneficial when many educators share
their ideas.

See more information about <A HREF="i_listserv.html">list servers</A> on the
Internet.

***NEW: sn_ic.html Who is Industry Canada?
INDUSTR* CAN*
INDUSTR* CAN*
IC *

Industry Canada is the Federal Government's flagship economic development
department. It's programs and policies are designed to integrate the fullest,
most efficient and effective use of science and technology by Industry in
order to strengthen Canada's position in the international marketplace.

IC is the key sponsor of the SchoolNet project. Visit <A
HREF="http://info.ic.gc.ca/ic-data/ic-eng.html">IC's web site</A>.

***NEW: sn_cenc.html The Canadian Educational Network Coalition.
EDUCATIONAL NETWORK COALITION*
CENC*

The CENC, or the Canadian Educational Network Coalition is proposed to
facilitate national educational and training networking by:
<OL>
<LI>developing and supporting a moderated electronic clearing house for
education and training networks and activities;
<LI>identifying education and training network service requirements and
advising the service providers, hardware / software suppliers and regulation
agencies (CRTC) on accessibility, rate structures, and availability of services;
<LI>developing an on-line forum for sharing and evaluating curriculum
materials and strategies as they relate to education and training networking;
<LI>identifying and disseminating information and fostering national
dialogue about on-line in-service and professional development programs
related to educational networking;
<LI>identifying and evaluating educational needs, such as those for distance
education and training courses and programs, that can be better served by
educational networks;
<LI>identifying and evaluating educational needs, such as those for distance
education and training courses and programs, that can be better served by
educational networks;
<LI>facilitating a national dialogue on user interface needs among network
users, communicating the results to the software industry and possibly
offering to test and evaluate such interfaces;
<LI>expediting measurement and evaluation of the impact and benefits of