Network Working Group                                         J. Sellers
Request for Comments: 1941                   Sterling Software/NASA IITA
FYI: 22                                                     J. Robichaux
Obsoletes: 1578                                                 InterNIC
Category: Informational                                         May 1996


                Frequently Asked Questions for Schools

Status of This Memo

  This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
  does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
  this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

  The goal of this FYI document, produced by the Internet School
  Networking (ISN) group in the User Services Area of the Internet
  Engineering Task Force (IETF), is to act as an introduction to the
  Internet for faculty, administration, and other school personnel in
  primary and secondary schools. The intended audience is educators who
  are recently connected to the Internet, who are accessing the
  Internet by some means other than a direct connection, or who are
  just beginning to consider Internet access as a resource for their
  schools.  Although the Internet Engineering Task Force is an
  international organization and this paper will be valuable to
  educators in many countries, it is limited in focus to
  internetworking in the United States.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction...................................................  2
  2. Acknowledgments................................................  3
  3. Questions About the Internet in an Educational Setting.........  3
  4. Questions About Getting the Internet into the School...........  7
  5. Questions About Using Internet Services........................ 17
  6. Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects, & Collaboration. 21
  7. Questions About Security and Ethics............................ 25
  8. Suggested Reading.............................................. 29
  9. Resources and Contacts......................................... 31
  10. References.................................................... 50
  11. Security Considerations....................................... 51
  12. Authors' Addresses............................................ 51
  Appendix A: Glossary of Terms Used in this Document............... 52
  Appendix B: Ways to Get Requests for Comments (RFCs).............. 60
  Appendix C: Examples of Educational Projects Using the Internet... 61




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 1]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


1.  Introduction

  As more and more schools begin using technology to achieve
  educational goals, access to the worldwide network of computer
  networks known as the Internet is expanding. Help for schools in the
  form of printed materials, electronic resources, and people is also
  expanding. The Internet School Networking (ISN) group of the Internet
  Engineering Task Force (IETF) remains committed to articulating the
  advantages of Internet connections for schools and providing
  solutions to the challenges schools face in getting connected. The
  FYI (For Your Information) series, which is a subset of the IETF-
  produced RFCs (Requests for Comments) is one way to achieve these
  goals. (See Appendix A, "Glossary of Terms Used in This Document" for
  further explanation of "FYI" and "RFC.")

  While the IETF and ISN are international groups, the authors of this
  document are experienced only in bringing the Internet to schools in
  the United States. We are aware that culture and the national economy
  effect how one views the issues surrounding school networking. (To
  give just one example, in the United States, educational reform is an
  important reason for schools to get connected to the Internet. Other
  countries may not have the same incentive to transform the teacher's
  role to more of a guide toward knowledge and less of a sole provider
  of information.) So, while this document may have a U.S. flavor, we
  feel that the focus will not prevent it from being useful to those in
  other countries!

  Some of the questions educators have about the Internet are of a more
  general nature, and for those we recommend reading FYI 4, "Answers to
  Commonly Asked 'New Internet User' Questions." (For information on
  how to get this and other IETF documents of interest to the general
  Internet user, See Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs.")

  Remember that the Internet is a changing environment. Although we
  have tried to include only the most stable of network services and
  contacts, you may still find that something listed is unavailable or
  has changed.  The positive side of this constant change is that you
  will discover much on your own, and some of what you discover will be
  new since the writing of this document.

  This is an update of an earlier document (FYI 22/RFC 1578, "Answers
  to Commonly Asked 'Primary and Secondary School Internet User'
  Questions"), and renders that document obsolete. If future updates
  are produced, the RFC number will change again, and the FYI number
  (22) will remain the same.






Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 2]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


2.  Acknowledgments

  In addition to Ronald Elliott, Klaus Fueller, Raymond Harder, Ellen
  Hoffman, William Manning, April Marine, Michael Newell, and Anthony
  Rutkowski, all of whom contributed to the first version of this
  document, we would like to thank Sepideh Boroumand, Sandy Dueck, Jeff
  Gong, Bill Grenoble, Pat Kaspar, Ed Klein, Yermo Lamers, Gary Malkin,
  April Marine, Michael Newell, and Jan Wee for their invaluable
  suggestions and contributions to this version. Thanks also to Nathan
  Hickson for checking each of the entries in the formidable Section 9.

3.  Questions About the Internet in an Educational Setting

3.1  What is the Internet?

  The Internet is a large and rapidly growing worldwide network
  comprised of smaller computer networks, all linked by a common
  protocol, that enables computers of different types to exchange
  information. The networks are owned by countless commercial,
  research, government, and education organizations and individuals.
  The Internet allows the almost 5 million computers [1] and countless
  users of the system to collaborate easily and quickly either in pairs
  or in groups. Users are able to discover and access people and
  information, distribute information, and experiment with new
  technologies and services. The Internet has become a major global
  infrastructure used for education, research, professional learning,
  public service, and business.

  There is a confusing variety of types of Internet access. These types
  of access are distinguished either by the services one can use
  (telnet, Gopher, FTP or File Transfer Protocol, World Wide Web) or by
  the technology underlying the access (the protocol, or rules the
  computers must follow in order to communicate with one another). The
  Internet is most clearly defined by its technology, but other
  technologies now offer access to many of the same Internet services,
  most notably electronic mail and the World Wide Web. The most
  important question for a user today is probably not "Am I on the
  Internet?" but "Do I have access to the Internet services I want?"
  See Section 5, "Questions About Using Internet Services," for further
  discussion of telnet, Gopher, FTP, the World Wide Web, and electronic
  mail.

  While there is no official governing body of the Internet, the
  Internet Society serves as the international organization for
  Internet cooperation and coordination. See Section 9, "Resources and
  Contacts" for Internet Society contact information.





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 3]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  For a more complete basic introduction to the Internet, see FYI 20,
  "What is the Internet?" cited in Section 8, "Suggested Reading." For
  information on how to retrieve FYI documents produced by the Internet
  Engineering Task Force, see Appendix B, "Ways to Get RFCs."

3.2  What are the benefits of using the Internet in the classroom?

  The Internet is an exciting classroom resource. It expands the
  classroom dramatically by delivering information, data, images, and
  even computer software from places otherwise impossible to reach, and
  it does this almost instantly. This access to up-to-the-minute
  information can make a student's education more relevant. Some of
  these materials are original sources which are too expensive or in
  other ways difficult for schools to own. Some information is news
  unfiltered by mass media, requiring students to critically assess its
  content and value.

  But the Internet is not strictly a place from which to gather
  something.  It is also a place to communicate, to make contact with
  people all over the world. The Internet brings into the classroom
  experts in every content area, new and old friends, and colleagues in
  education. And it allows students and teachers to leave the classroom
  by sharing ideas with people far away. The isolation inherent in the
  teaching profession is well-known among educators. By having Internet
  access to colleagues in other parts of the world, as well as to those
  who work outside of classrooms, educators are not as isolated.

  Your site can become a valuable source of information as well.
  Consider the expertise in your school which could be shared with
  others around the world. For guidance in finding schools with a
  presence on the Internet, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

  Use of the Internet shifts focus away from a teacher-as-expert model
  and toward one of shared responsibility for learning, making it a
  vital part of school reform. Many reform efforts attempt to move away
  from teacher isolation and toward teacher collaboration, away from
  learning in a school-only context and toward learning in a life
  context, away from an emphasis on knowing and toward an emphasis on
  learning, away from a focus on content and toward a focus on concepts
  [2]. The Internet can play an integral part in helping to achieve
  these shifts, since it is well-suited for use as a project resource.
  Information on the Internet, as in the rest of the world outside the
  classroom, is not divided into separate disciplines such as geometry,
  writing, geography, or painting.

  As a hands-on classroom tool, the use of the Internet encourages the
  kind of independence and autonomy that many educators agree is
  important to the learning process. Internet use itself can also be a



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 4]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  motivator for students. Additionally, because class, race, ability,
  and disability are removed as factors in communication while using
  the Internet, it is a natural tool for addressing the needs of all
  students.

  There are a number of resources you can use to convince others of the
  benefits of the Internet in the classroom. The NASA IITA (National
  Aeronautics and Space Administration Information Infrastructure
  Technology and Applications) K-12 Internet Initiative has produced an
  11-minute video describing the benefits to schools in using the
  Internet.  Its title is "Global Quest: The Internet in the
  Classroom." Another video appropriate for a mixed audience of
  stakeholders is "Experience the Power: Network Technology for
  Education," produced by the National Center for Education Statistics
  in the U.S. Department of Education. Several articles appearing in
  various periodicals make a strong case for using the Internet in the
  classroom. A particularly good one by Al Rogers of the Global
  SchoolNet Foundation is called, "Global Literacy in a Gutenberg
  Culture." Student essays can also give compelling testimony.  For
  information on the Rogers article, see Section 8, "Suggested
  Reading." Some student essays can be found on NASA's Quest server
  listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," as can information on
  the videos.

3.3  Will using the Internet replace teachers?

  Just as textbooks, periodicals, videos, guest speakers, and field
  trips are often used to support a curriculum, the Internet can be
  used as a tool for teaching and learning. This does not mean that it
  must be the sole instructional method in a classroom. Teachers will
  remain responsible for making educated and informed decisions about
  the best way to use the Internet as a tool, just as they do with
  other materials used in the classroom. They can also use the Internet
  to individualize student learning, making a student's classroom
  experiences more relevant.

3.4  Will this technology replace books?

  There is room in any school for all kinds of materials and resources.
  Books and other print materials will certainly continue to be
  important.  Internet resources have the advantage of tying together
  information from all over the globe, making them useful research
  tools. As mentioned before, they can also provide up-to-the-minute
  information and are therefore particularly relevant. In addition, you
  may be able to engage an expert in a dialog that clarifies or updates
  what you find in published materials.





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 5]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  One factor to consider is that much of the material published on the
  Internet lacks the authority imputed by an established publishing
  house or a reputable author, and may therefore be viewed as less
  reliable than books. For example, an encyclopedia or almanac found in
  a school library might reasonably be accepted as valid without
  question, while a source found on the Internet may require a more
  critical look. However, lack of authority is not always a negative.
  Reading an account of the fall of the Berlin Wall by a student in the
  local region the day it happened can be valuable even if the student
  is not a reputable author. Moreover, while it's true that with
  Internet materials it becomes increasingly important to evaluate
  where they came from, one of the hallmarks of a good education is the
  ability to assess information critically, whether the source be
  print, television, or some other media.

3.5  How can use of the Internet be integrated into the existing
    curriculum?

  This is a key question. In order for the Internet to be used
  successfully in schools, it must be employed as a tool to teach
  content and to reach educational goals that have already been
  established. It cannot be seen as an end in itself.

  Individual teachers will first need to become familiar enough with
  the Internet to know how to do at least two things: find information
  on topics they consider important and locate people with like
  educational goals.  Sections 5 and 6, "Questions About Using Internet
  Services" and "Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects, and
  Collaboration" will give you some ideas about how to begin.

  Once they are familiar with how to find content on the Internet, most
  teachers can decide how to use Internet resources to help their
  students meet goals. For example, science teachers often teach about
  hurricanes and other weather phenomena in the normal course of
  instruction. With Internet access they can use information and
  satellite data pertaining to the most recent storm to make their
  points, rather than outdated examples from textbooks.

  When teachers become familiar with finding other people on the
  Internet, some of them already grouped into network "communities" of
  interest, they can gain experience in using the Internet from
  educators who have been using it longer; they can join existing
  projects, contribute to the evolution of proposed projects, and
  propose their own projects; and they can ask for and give help to
  solve problems in the classroom ranging from the content they teach,
  to addressing students as individuals, to mastering effective
  discipline.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 6]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Internet access supports project-based learning. A teacher in an
  individual classroom can use the data and information available on
  the Internet as a resource for classroom projects, and there are also
  a variety of projects which take place over the Internet in more than
  one classroom at a time. A project may be initiated by any educator
  with an idea. A popular example of an educator-initiated project is
  one which requires data to be collected from diverse sites around the
  world or at least around the country. For example, together students
  in various locations have tracked butterfly and bird migrations,
  compared bodies of water, and measured the north-south circumference
  of the Earth. Various organizations also run projects in which
  schools can participate. Among the many groups which have invited
  schools to participate in projects with a focus on a specific topic
  are the Global SchoolNet Foundation, The European Schools Project,
  the International Educational and Research Network (I*EARN), and
  groups associated with such federal agencies as the Department of
  Energy, the United States Geological Survey, and the National
  Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  The Internet can also be used for peer review of student materials;
  as a medium for publishing student newspapers, art exhibits, and
  science fairs; and in a global email pen-pal program for the
  discussion of classroom topics.

  It cannot be stressed enough that the key factor these Internet uses
  have in common is that they are supporting classroom curriculum, not
  defining it.

  Learning about the Internet and how to use it is an important goal
  for any school's Internet program, but in the classroom, the message
  needs to be emphasized over the medium.

  There are several sources of material for discussing curriculum
  infusion, including mailing lists, World Wide Web sites, and archives
  of sample lesson plans. Most of the mail lists, Internet computers,
  and organizations in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," address
  infusion of technology into the curriculum. See also Appendix C,
  "Examples of Educational Projects Using the Internet."

4.  Questions About Getting the Internet into the School

4.1  How much does it cost to connect to the Internet, and what kind of
    equipment does my school need to support the Internet connection?

  The cost of an Internet connection varies tremendously with the
  location of your site and the kind of connection that is appropriate
  to your needs.  In order to determine the cost to your school, you
  will need to answer a number of questions. For help in learning what



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 7]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  the questions are and getting answers to them, begin asking at local
  colleges, universities, technology companies, government agencies,
  community networks (often called "FreeNets"), local electronic
  bulletin board systems (BBS), Internet access providers, or
  technology consultants. See also Question 4.6.

  To give you an idea of possible cost and equipment needs, think of
  four groups of Internet users. We will call them basic individual
  users, advanced individual users, school networks, and school
  district networks.

  How you approach acquiring service depends on which category you feel
  best describes your needs. This discussion is based on experiences in
  the United States. (For more information on the Internet services
  you'll be reading about in this section, see Section 5, "Questions
  About Using Internet Services.")

  Basic users are individuals who want to access common Internet
  services such as the World Wide Web, Gopher, and email. There are two
  types of basic users: those who plan to be online for a few hours per
  week, and those who plan to be online for many hours per day.

  Basic individual users who require access to common Internet services
  such as Web pages, FTP sites, and email for only a few hours per week
  may be best served by one of the nationwide online services such as
  America Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy. These services have the
  advantage of providing the user with a simple setup and easy,
  graphics-based access screens which hide the complex commands
  required by some Internet services. They also provide value-added
  services not available via the general Internet, such as access to
  news magazines and encyclopedias.  Hardware required is generally a
  standard Windows-based PC or Macintosh and a 14.4 kilobits per second
  (Kbs) or higher modem. At the time of this writing, prices typically
  run around $10 per month for the first 5 hours of connect time, and
  $2-4 per hour thereafter.

  Basic individual users who access common Internet services for many
  hours per day should consider a "shell" account from a local Internet
  Service Provider (ISP). Shell accounts generally provide access to a
  Unix computer which is connected to the Internet, so those choosing
  this option should be prepared to learn a few Unix commands. Shell
  account users will get all the standard Internet services but at a
  cheaper rate, generally in the $30 per month range for 6 hours per
  day access plus $1-2 per hour for extra hours. Most shell account
  vendors do not provide nationwide access, and shell accounts do not
  have graphical user interfaces, so you cannot use Web browsers such
  as Netscape and Mosaic.  While you may be able to use Lynx, a text-
  based browser, some ISPs do not install it on their computer servers.



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 8]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Many FreeNets also offer shell account access gratis, but they may
  not be able to offer much support.

  In the United States, there are a number of statewide educational
  networks, most of them with access to the Internet. To find out if
  there is a state education network in your area which gives basic
  user accounts to educators and/or students, contact the Consortium
  for School Networking (CoSN) or consult the document "Getting US
  Educators Online"  by Linda Conrad, listed in Section 8, "Suggested
  Reading."

  Advanced individual users are those who want graphical user
  interfaces to Internet services and who may want to use their
  computers to offer services to other Internet users. For example,
  they may want to create Web pages for others to access or put files
  online for others to retrieve. If you are an advanced user, you might
  consider getting a Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or Point to
  Point Protocol (PPP) account from an Internet Service Provider. The
  interface is similar to that of nationwide online services available
  to basic users, but the performance is better and the cost is less
  for someone who wants to use the service for more than just a few
  hours per week.

  Setting up a SLIP or PPP account requires configuration and
  installation of Internet and SLIP/PPP software. Some ISPs only
  provide the software, some will install the software for you, and
  some preconfigure the software and send it on disk, with instructions
  to the user, via postal mail.  Again, hardware required is generally
  a standard Windows-based PC or Macintosh and a 14.4 Kbs or higher
  modem. Costs are generally comparable to basic shell accounts, but
  for 24-hour connections expect to pay $100 or more per month.

  If in your school you plan to have more than a few individual
  Internet users, you will need to consider a network with a high-speed
  dedicated line connected to the Internet. This school network is
  probably a small- or medium-sized network in a single building or a
  very few geographically close buildings. It may include only one or
  several LANs.

  Most high speed connectivity is provided through a dedicated leased
  line, which is a permanent connection between two points. This allows
  you to have a high quality permanent Internet connection at all
  times. Most leased lines are provided by a telephone company, a cable
  television company, or a private network provider and cost $200 per
  month or more.  Typically the connection from your LAN or LANs is a
  digital leased line with a Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit
  (CSU/DSU) which costs between $600 and $1000. Less frequently, the
  connection is an analog leased line with a modem which costs between



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                      [Page 9]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  $200 and $800. You will also need a router which costs roughly $1500.
  This is a substantially more difficult setup to manage. After you
  have determined the ways in which you believe you will use Internet
  access, you should contact several ISPs in your area and compare
  prices and services.

  School district networks are even more complex. If you have several
  locations which require connectivity, you should contact several ISPs
  and get bids for the service.

  The ISP world is changing very rapidly, especially at the low end. At
  the time of the first edition of this document, local ISPs were rare,
  small, and fairly expensive. At the time of this writing ISPs abound,
  offering a wide variety of services at reasonable prices.
  Additionally, several groups are working on low-cost solutions to
  school networking. Subscribe to the mail lists in Section 9,
  "Resources and Contacts," to keep abreast of new developments.

  "Getting US Educators Online" and "Connecting to the Internet: An
  O'Reilly Buyer's Guide" by Susan Estrada are both listed in Section
  8, "Suggested Reading." Other books about the Internet and how to get
  connected to it are available and new ones are being published. Check
  libraries, bookstores, and booksellers' catalogs. Two lists of
  Internet providers available via the World Wide Web can be found in
  Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" along with the Consortium for
  School Networking.  The global regional Network Information Centers
  (NICs) such as the Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre
  (RIPE NCC) in Europe can also provide a list of service providers.
  The Asia Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) in the Pacific
  Rim will have a similar list in the near future. These two NICs are
  listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

4.2  What are the other costs associated with having Internet access?

  When budgeting for your school's Internet connection there are a
  number of factors to consider that might not seem immediately
  obvious. Technical support and training will incur additional ongoing
  costs, even if those costs show up only as someone's time. Equipment
  will need to be maintained and upgraded as time passes, and even when
  all teachers have received basic Internet training, they will most
  likely have questions as they explore and learn more on their own. A
  general rule for budget planning is this: for every dollar you spend
  on hardware and software, plan to spend three dollars to support the
  technology and those using it.

  It will be necessary for your school to have some technical expertise
  on-site. (See also Question 4.4.) Your network access provider may
  offer training and support for technical issues, and other groups



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 10]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  also offer formal classes and seminars. If your school has designated
  technical personnel, they will be good candidates for such classes
  and seminars. If your school does not have designated technical
  personnel, a teacher or other staff member with a strong interest may
  take on the task of becoming the local expert, but a better solution
  is to have someone dedicated to this at least part time. Students can
  help local experts maintain equipment and do other tasks, which
  allows them to learn new skills at the same time.

  Training is an equally significant component to deployment of the
  Internet in schools. Most teachers learn about the Internet during
  the time they use to learn about any new teaching tool, which often
  means they "steal" time at lunch, on weekends, and before and after
  school to explore resources and pursue relationships via the
  Internet. When a school is committed to providing the Internet as an
  educational resource, the administration will make in-service time
  available. It will also ensure that someone at the school is
  sufficiently knowledgeable to field questions and help people as they
  risk trying new ways of teaching using Internet resources. Again,
  some students make excellent tutors.

  Some technical support and a variety of training materials can be
  found by using the Internet itself. You can send questions to people
  in the know and join discussion lists and news groups that discuss
  and answer questions about support and training. The Edtech mail list
  is one such list. Some World Wide Web sites offer technical support
  information.  Videos also help bridge the information gap. See
  Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for a preliminary listing of
  these resources. Your local community may also have resources. These
  include colleges and universities, businesses, computer clubs and
  user groups, technology consultants, and government agencies.

4.3  How can my school afford access to the Internet?

  Although school budgets are impossibly tight in most cases, the cost
  of an Internet connection can be squeezed from the budget when its
  value becomes apparent. Costs for a low-end connection can be
  reasonable. (See the next question.) The challenge facing those
  advocating an Internet connection sometimes has less to do with the
  actual cost than it has with the difficulty of convincing
  administrators to spend money on an unfamiliar resource.

  In order to move the Internet connection closer to the top of your
  school's priority list, consider at least two possibilities. First,
  your school may be in the process of reform, as are many schools. As
  mentioned earlier, use of the Internet supports reform efforts, so
  framing Internet access as a component to systemic reform may help to
  persuade some people.  Second, to convince people of the value of a



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 11]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  connection, an actual Internet demonstration can be more useful than
  words. While this may sound like a chicken-and-egg situation (I need
  Internet access to get Internet access), some organizations will
  provide guest accounts on an Internet-connected computer for people
  in schools who are trying to convince others of the value of an
  Internet connection. Another way to begin using Internet services is
  to sign up for one of the popular online services such as America
  Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy. Once subscribed, you can use these
  services either from home or from school. This method is recommended
  only as way to introduce yourself and others in your school community
  to the value of the Internet. It is not a good long-term solution to
  providing Internet access for a lot of users at one site such as a
  school.

  Contact local colleges, universities, technology companies, service
  providers, community networks, and government agencies for both guest
  accounts and funding ideas. For alternatives to your own school's
  budget or for supplements to it, look for funding in federal, state,
  and district budgets as well as from private grants. Work with
  equipment vendors to provide the hardware needed at low or no cost to
  your school, and consider forming a School/Community Technology
  Committee, or a joint School District/School/Community Technology
  Committee. Also investigate the possibility of a back-door connection
  to a local college or university.  Service providers often allow
  schools to connect to higher education sites at a lower cost.

  A number of sites on the Internet provide more information about
  grants and organizations that offer them. Two in particular that you
  may find useful are Grants Web, for grant information of all kinds,
  and the Foundation Center, for information on private and nonprofit
  organizations.  For information on where to find these sites on the
  Internet, see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

4.4  What organizational structure needs to be in place in order for my
    school to have Internet access?

  Schools and school districts have devised structures that vary
  widely, depending on a school's particular requirements. In many
  schools, the librarians/media specialists guide the development of
  the network and policies on its use and serve as the top of the
  structure within the school. In other schools, an interested teacher
  becomes the driving force behind getting the Internet into the school
  and may be the most appropriate person to see the project through.
  The school administration, if not the guiding force, needs to be
  behind the plan to bring the Internet into the school. And all other
  parties who might have a stake in the development should be brought
  in as early as possible, whether or not they are knowledgeable about
  the Internet. These might include area businesses, community leaders,



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 12]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  teachers with Internet access at home, the librarian or media
  specialist, parents, and anyone in the school who finds the idea of
  bringing the Internet into the school appealing. In short, any
  organizational structure will do as long as it is clear and simple
  and includes the people who might have a stake in the process of
  bringing the Internet into the school.

  One way to ensure that an organizational structure develops and that
  the right people become involved is to invite a wide variety of
  people to create a technology plan for the school. The by-product of
  technology planning can be the development of an organizational
  structure, but of course the planning is useful in itself to help
  your school define and meet goals for Internet and other technology
  use. The National Center for Technology Planning hosts a collection
  of technology plans and planning aids for people who need help, new
  ideas, or solutions as they tackle technology planning in their
  schools or districts. Information on the National Center for
  Technology Planning can be found in Section 9, "Resources and
  Contacts."

  No matter what the structure, there should be someone at the school
  who can take the lead in working with vendors and Internet Service
  Providers (ISPs). This person should be knowledgeable about - or
  willing to learn about - the technical aspects of connecting to the
  Internet, including knowledge about any networks the school already
  has in place. The lead person should have an alternate so that the
  school is not completely dependent on one person. If your school
  hires an independent consultant, someone at the school should be
  aware of everything the consultant does and should receive at least
  some training in the areas of the consultant's work.

  Another role that must be filled is that of in-house network
  administrator. Having an already busy teacher take on this role as an
  extra duty is a bad idea; a greater time commitment is needed.

4.5  What questions do I need to ask people who are selling network
    services?

  There are a number of questions you should ask. Anything you hear
  that you don't understand must be questioned. If a vendor knows the
  product and the process well, he or she should be able to explain in
  terms you can understand.

  You should also ask any kind of vendor how available they are and at
  what point they either stop helping you or begin charging by the
  hour. Get references from other customers, preferably including at
  least one school which has requirements similar to yours.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 13]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Questions for LAN vendors:

     If the school has not yet purchased a Local Area Network (LAN),
     ask the LAN vendor how the product will interact with TCP/IP.
     (TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
     Protocol, the technology which forms the basis of the Internet.)
     If necessary, arrange a meeting with the LAN vendor, the ISP, and
     any consultants that may be involved.

     Make a list of the school's requirements, including security, the
     number of computers on the LAN which will have Internet access,
     and the Internet services you want students and teachers to be
     able to use. (See Section 5, "Questions About Using Internet
     Services," for an introduction to the services.) Ask the vendors
     if they can provide services that will meet your requirements.

  Questions for Internet Service Providers:

     In general, ask the ISP what services are included with your
     purchase of Internet connectivity.

     Will they terminate the circuit in a router and leave you to your
     own resources to take care of the "LAN side" of the connection?

     Will they provide a primary domain name server for you?

     Will they register your domain name with the InterNIC?

     Are they providing you with all the IP addresses you need?

     Will they help you with security issues?

     Do they provide a newsfeed or a newsreading service? (Do you know
     the difference?)

     If they agree to do some work on the LAN side, what is the extent
     of that work? (Configure individual computers? Handle subnetting
     and routing issues?)

     Will they answer questions from your network administrator?

     Will a dedicated computer be needed as an Internet server for such
     things as domain name service, the World Wide Web, Gopher, and
     FTP?

     Do they provide any training sessions for your staff and are these
     sessions included in the connectivity price?




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 14]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


     Do they offer any other classes or seminars and are these included
     in the connectivity price?

     Does the ISP do their own training or do they contract to someone
     else, and if the latter, who is it? Check references on any
     contractors.

     Questions for Internet Service Providers furnishing dial-in
     service:

     There are some specific questions you should ask of an ISP who is
     providing dial-in connections. (See Question 4.7 for a further
     discussion on dialing in from home.)

     What is the charge per minute for connectivity?

     Is SLIP or PPP connectivity available?

     Will the ISP be providing software which allows you to use
     Internet services such as email and the World Wide Web or will
     they help you obtain it?

     Will they help you install it?

     Ask for references of other clients using dial-in service and when
     you check them, one of the questions to ask other customers is if
     they encounter lots of busy signals. (You can also check this
     yourself by trying the access provider's dial-in number at various
     times during the day. Just dial it by phone and see how many busy
     signals you get.)

4.6  How many of our computers should have Internet access and where
    in the school should they be located?

  You should make Internet access possible for as many of your school's
  computers as possible. Ideally, you have computers located throughout
  the school - in classrooms, the library, and laboratories - and they
  are all connected together with printers and other peripherals in one
  or more LANs. In that case, you acquire one dedicated Internet
  connection of 56 Kbs (Kilobits per second) or higher to serve the
  whole school.

  If your budget and existing computer equipment are both limited, you
  can use a dial-up service and a modem to access the Internet, but in
  most cases that will only be viable for one computer at a time. As
  use of the Internet catches on in your school, it will eventually be
  more effective for you to create the LAN with Internet access
  mentioned above than to keep adding modems in classrooms.



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 15]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  If you must choose between Internet access in one lab in the school
  or Internet access for the same number of computers throughout the
  school, in order to get teachers to use the access you must make it
  available where they can most easily take advantage of it. This
  usually means that you make access available throughout the school.
  Although a computer lab is an easier maintenance set-up for the
  person in charge of keeping the equipment running and allows each
  individual (or pair) in an entire class to be using a computer at the
  same time, a computer located in the classroom is more convenient for
  both the teacher and the class. Internet resources can be more easily
  integrated into a classroom lesson, and the emphasis remains on using
  the Internet as an instructional tool. Since only one or two
  computers can usually be placed in each classroom, teachers will
  learn to allocate computer time creatively. And if you are able to
  provide only a few computers throughout the school, make sure that at
  least one of them is in the library where all students will have the
  chance to be exposed to the Internet as a resource.

  Networking all computers campus-wide can be expensive. You may want
  to investigate initially giving one lab, the library, and a few
  classrooms dial-up access, assuming phone lines are available. Even a
  connection to only one classroom as a demonstration may help you to
  garner more support for creating a campus-wide local area network
  that is routed to the Internet through a dedicated line.

4.7  Can people get on the Internet from home?

  This depends on your network access provider. It is certainly a
  possibility and is definitely desirable for the educators at your
  school.  To make it possible for teachers and other staff to dial in
  to the school network (and then out to the Internet) from home, you
  will need to employ, at the least, multiple phone lines and modems.
  Talk to your service provider about other technical requirements.

  Many teachers like to be able to learn at home as well as on school
  grounds, and having the ability to explore when they have the time is
  invaluable. One school district we know of made low-interest loans
  available to teachers so that they could buy home computers. When the
  technology was later made available in their classrooms, they already
  had some experience and were comfortable beginning to use it in day-
  to-day instruction.

  The question of whether or not to make the option to dial in from
  home available to students is more difficult. On one hand, a school
  may not be able to escape the idea that it is responsible for how
  students use the Internet access it provides, even though the school
  has no control over the home environment. On the other hand,
  particularly in high school, much schoolwork is done at home. Since



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 16]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  most classrooms don't have enough computers for all students to
  access the Internet at once, it is even more likely that work will
  not be completed during class time. Having Internet access from home
  becomes more important.

  Discussion of whether or not you want to make this option available
  to students - even if it is technically possible - should involve as
  many school partners as possible, including faculty, administration,
  parents, and other community members. It might take place in a public
  forum such as a school/community meeting.

5.  Questions About Using Internet Services

  The way to find people, information, software, and anything else on
  the Internet is generally to use either printed or electronic guides
  and Internet services. In this section we will concentrate on the
  services.  (See Section 6, "Questions about Classroom Resources,
  Projects, and Collaboration," for information on guides.) We answer
  more questions about the World Wide Web than about other online
  services for three reasons.  First, the World Wide Web is the
  Internet tool coming into most prominence at the time of this
  writing. Second, many (if not all) of the other services are included
  seamlessly in the Web; that is, they're there, but you may or may not
  realize you're using them. Third, making your way around the Internet
  using the World Wide Web is easy; for people not interested in
  computers, access to the Internet and has become less frustrating.

  This is not to say that finding what you want is always simple. The
  Internet is like a vast library without a comprehensive card catalog.
  New ways to do indexing and searching are being devised and employed,
  and you'll need some time to learn how to use them.

5.1  What is the World Wide Web?

  The World Wide Web (WWW) is a project initiated by the European
  Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) located in Geneva, Switzerland
  and currently driven by the World Wide Web Consortium. When exploring
  the World Wide Web, users navigate through documents by selecting
  highlighted text that leads to another document or location. The
  highlighted text can be called a "pointer," a "link," or an "anchor."
  This navigation results in a three-dimensional exploration of
  documents instead of a flat text document. The World Wide Web
  incorporates different media into its documents, including text,
  sound, graphics, and moving images.

  The World Wide Web presents either a graphical or a text interface to
  numerous Internet resources. Not only can users access documents
  specifically designed for the Web, they can also view documents on



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 17]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Gopher servers, use FTP to download files, and launch a telnet
  session. Some World Wide Web clients also allow for the use of email
  and Usenet news.  This is an easy-to-use, nonthreatening way to
  approach the Internet, and does not require in-depth technical
  knowledge. (See Question 5.5 for a discussion of these other
  services.)

5.2  How do I connect to the World Wide Web?

  First, you will need at least a SLIP or PPP connection. (See Question
  4.1 for more information; SLIP or PPP is the "advanced individual
  user" solution described there.) Accessing the Web is like using any
  other service on the Internet: you run a client on your computer
  which accesses a server, in this case a Web server, running on
  another computer. In Web terms, the client is called a browser. The
  browser retrieves and reads documents from Web servers. Information
  providers establish Web servers for use by network users, and when
  you become proficient at using the Internet, you may want to become
  exactly that kind of information provider.

  Most Web browsers share common features. One feature is the hotlist,
  or bookmark. This allows you to mark your favorite sites. Your
  browser will store these sites and their addresses and allow you to
  revisit them later by simply selecting the name of a site from a
  menu. Another feature common to most browsers allows you to save the
  current file to your local disk.  Some browsers keep a tally of the
  sites you've visited recently and allow you to revisit them without
  typing in the location again. Every browser is different, so it pays
  to explore your own client software and learn its features through
  practice. Most people, even those with little computer experience,
  find that it's easy to learn to use a browser just by exploring on
  their own.

  Each document contained on Web servers across the Internet has a
  unique address. This is called a URL, a uniform resource locator.
  Browsers negotiate URLs just like mail software negotiates email
  addresses. Users can type in the URL for the browser to access. URLs
  are also embedded in a Web document's text, providing a seamless link
  to another location or document.

5.3  How is the World Wide Web linked?

  The Web functions as a distributed hypermedia system. The purpose of
  this system is to allow the exchange of information across the
  Internet in the form of hypertext documents called Web pages or home
  pages. Hypertext is text with pointers or links to further
  information in various formats (text, graphic, video), allowing you
  to branch off to another document for more information on a given



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 18]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  topic, and then return to the same location in the original document
  with ease. Pointers in a Web document are analogous to HyperCard
  stacks or Microsoft help files in which you click on an option (a
  pointer or a link) and the program moves you to another document, or
  location.

  Documents published on the Web are constructed in hypertext markup
  language, or HTML. This is a simple language that allows you to
  format text, insert images and sound, and create links in a document.
  Tutorials on creating Web services are available at the NCSA Mosaic
  Home Page, the automatic starting place for Web exploration when
  using the Mosaic client.  There are also Web page creation resources
  listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

5.4  Where do I get a World Wide Web browser?

  The two most common graphical Web browsers at the time of this
  writing are Netscape and Mosaic. Netscape is a commercial product but
  is currently free for educational use. Mosaic is free.  Both of these
  packages are available for Macintosh, PC, and Unix platforms through
  the Internet. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for details.

  For those users with lower-speed connections that cannot accommodate
  full graphical browsers, there is a text-based browser available for
  Unix systems called Lynx. A public-access Lynx client is accessible
  through telnet at the server of the World Wide Web Consortium, which
  is listed in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

  Many commercial online services, such as CompuServe, Prodigy, and
  America Online, include a Web browser as part of their offerings.
  More and more often, Web browsers are being included as part of the
  standard connection software provided by the Internet Service
  Provider.

5.5  What are the other services on the Internet?

  There are a number of other services to help you get around on the
  Internet. The most common ones are described here. For more
  information, see "EFF's (Extended) Guide to the Internet" by the
  Electronic Frontier Foundation, and "The Whole Internet User's Guide
  and Catalog" by Ed Krol, both of which are listed in Section 8,
  "Suggested Reading," in addition to the Glossary entries mentioned
  for each tool.

  Email.  Email is probably the most basic tool on the Internet. It is
  short for electronic mail and may be used in a couple of ways. You
  can send messages back and forth with just one person, or you can
  participate with a group of people who discuss topics of common



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 19]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  interest. These groups are called mail lists. You join and leave the
  lists by sending email to one address, and you post messages to all
  the people on the list by sending email to a slightly different
  address. Sometimes a human does the list registration and sometimes a
  software program does it. For more information see the entries for
  email and mailing lists in the Glossary.  A list of mail lists
  related to primary and secondary education can be found in Section 9,
  "Resources and Contacts."

  Network News.  Also known as Usenet News or Net News. Reading news is
  similar to joining an email list, but instead of the messages coming
  to your mailbox, you use news reader software to read messages on a
  computer where they are accumulated. For more information see the
  entry for Usenet News in the Glossary.

  FTP.  FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and just as the name
  implies, it allows you to transfer files from one computer to
  another. It is the name for both the protocol and the program. A
  special kind of FTP, Anonymous FTP, allows you to access the many
  public archives on the Internet. FTP is not used by itself as much as
  it used to be, since people often use Web browsers and Gopher clients
  which incorporate FTP when they want to retrieve files. For more
  information see the entries for Anonymous FTP and FTP in the
  Glossary.

  Telnet.  Telnet allows you to log into a computer somewhere else on
  the Internet and use the services there. For example, if you don't
  have a Gopher client or a Web browser, there are some public access
  sites that you can telnet to in order to use a Gopher client or a
  text-based Web browser.

  Gopher.  Gopher is a tool that lets you browse for information on the
  Internet using menus. If you know what you're looking for and have an
  idea about where to find it, Gopher can make your search easier. And
  when you have located something of interest, whether it's a document,
  a data set, or a picture, Gopher will retrieve it for you. For more
  information see the entry for Gopher in the Glossary.

  Searching and Indexing Tools.  Archie is a tool for searching FTP
  sites; Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Network Index to
  Computerized Archives, which works the same way Archie does) is a
  tool for searching Gopherspace; WAIS (Wide Area Information Service;
  pronounced "wayz") is a tool for searching indexed databases, whether
  the databases are full of numbers, text, or graphics files; and
  Yahoo, Lycos, and WebCrawler are some of the many searching and
  indexing tools available on and for the World Wide Web. For more
  information see the entries for Archie, Gopher, WAIS, WWW, and
  Veronica in the Glossary.



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 20]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Videoconferencing. At the time of this writing, schools are beginning
  to participate in conferences, meetings, and collaborative activities
  via video. The two services or applications used are Multicast
  Backbone (MBONE) and CU-SeeMe, both of which allow for desktop
  videoconferencing, or videoconferencing via computer.

  MBONE is an option for videoconferencing using several operating
  systems at the time of this writing: Unix, Windows NT, Windows 95,
  and Mac Operating System 7.5.2. It requires that your Internet
  service provider be a part of the MBONE, which depends on a
  specialized routing strategy.  Ask your service provider if they are
  equipped to support MBONE traffic.  If so, you will need to work
  fairly closely with your provider to establish working configurations
  for your network. More information on MBONE is available at the MBONE
  Information Web. (See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts.")

  CU-SeeMe, developed by Cornell University, also presents conferencing
  capabilities over an IP network. You may participate in a CU-SeeMe
  videoconference as a sender, a recipient, or both. Through use of
  reflectors, multiple sites may participate in any given conference.
  For any of these activities, you'll need a PC or a Macintosh with a
  connection to the Internet and CU-SeeMe software. Additionally, if
  you'd like to send video and audio, you will need a video camera and
  a video board in your computer. Full information on the hardware
  requirements is available at the CU-SeeMe Web site; there is also a
  mailing list for CU-SeeMe information. For guidance and discussion
  about using CU-SeeMe as an instructional tool, the Global SchoolNet
  Foundation hosts a mail list called cu-seeme-schools which announces
  opportunities for participation in CU-SeeMe events. For information
  on the Web site and mailing lists, see Section 9, "Resources and
  Contacts."

6.  Questions About Classroom Resources, Projects, and Collaboration

6.1  How can I find specific projects using the Internet that are
    already developed?

  When you have learned to use some of the Internet services discussed
  in Section 5, "Questions About Using Internet Services," particularly
  the search tools, you will be able to answer that question more fully
  for yourself. In the meantime, since there are several resources on
  the Internet that are directed specifically at the primary and
  secondary school communities, here are some ideas to get you started.








Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 21]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Computer Information Servers:

     Global SchoolNet.  The Global SchoolNet Foundation's World Wide
     Web site contains a wealth of valuable information and materials,
     including help setting up projects by learning what has worked
     best based on others' experience. The GSN site also contains a
     landmark registry of projects in which schools can participate.

     EdWeb.  Andy Carvin's EdWeb is an excellent source of K-12
     information.

     CoSN.  The Consortium for School Networking maintains an Internet
     server.

     NASA.  NASA's Spacelink and Quest are directed at primary and
     secondary school educators, and both house lesson plans,
     Internet-based curriculum units, and interactive projects and
     activities. Many NASA projects also maintain computer information
     servers.

     Empire Internet Schoolhouse.  The New York State Education and
     Research Network (NYSERNet) hosts the Empire Internet Schoolhouse,
     an extension of its Bridging the Gap program.

     K-12 Schools on the Internet.  Gleason Sackman of North Dakota's
     SENDIT network for K-12 educators maintains an active list of K-12
     schools on the Internet.

     National School Network Testbed.  The Bolt Beranek and Newman
     (BBN) project called the National School Network Testbed provides
     links to numerous schools and projects.

     Internet School Networking.  The Web pages for the group which
     brings you this paper contain a collection of documents and case
     studies on projects.

  Mail lists:

     Many people on electronic mailing lists such as Ednet, Kidsphere,
     and the Consortium for School Networking Discussion List post
     their projects and ask for partners and collaborators.

  News groups:

     The K12 hierarchy of Usenet News has several groups where
     educators post these invitations as well. For subscription to
     these and other electronic lists and for names of news groups see
     Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 22]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Conferences:

     There are also a number of conferences worth looking in to. The
     National Education Computing Conference (NECC) and Tel-Ed, both
     held annually, are conferences sponsored by the International
     Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The Internet Society
     (INET) conference is the annual conference for the Internet
     Society. See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts" for contact
     information for these organizations.

     Specific computer information servers, mail lists, news groups,
     and conference sponsors are listed in Section 9, "Resources and
     Contacts."  A number of Web sites also provide favorite
     "bookmarks," or lists of sites for educators. Bookmarks are not
     included in Section 9, but you will quickly find them if you begin
     at any of the Web server entry points listed here.

6.2  What are some examples of how the Internet is being used in
    classrooms now?

  Projects which use the Internet sometimes request sites from all over
  the world to contribute data from the local area then compile that
  data for use by all. Weather patterns, pollutants in water or air,
  and Monarch butterfly migration are some of the data that have been
  collected over the Internet. In Appendix C, "Examples of Educational
  Projects Using the Internet," you will find several examples
  collected from various online servers and electronic mailing lists
  pertaining to education, each from a different content area and
  representing different ways of using the Internet. Some of the
  projects require only that you be able to use email, some require
  that you have access to the most advanced Internet services, and some
  offer varying levels of participation.

  There are a number of specific projects you may find interesting:

  KIDS.  KIDS is a project managed by the nonprofit KIDLINK Society. It
  includes discussion lists and services, some of them only for people
  who are ten through fifteen years old.

  Academy One. Academy One is part of the National Public Telecomputing
  Network (NPTN) and usually has a number of projects running at a
  time.

  I*EARN.  The International Education and Research Network (I*EARN), a
  project of the nonprofit Copen Family Fund, facilitates
  telecommunications in schools around the world.





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 23]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Chatback Trust.  Initiated to provide email for schools in the United
  Kingdom and around the world with students who have mental or
  physical difficulty with communicating, Chatback Trust and Chatback
  International maintain a network server that you may want to
  investigate.

  ESP.  The European Schools Project (ESP) involves approximately 200
  schools in 20 countries and has as its goal building a support system
  for secondary school educators.

  Electronic Field Trips.  The online interactive projects on NASA's
  Quest server and the JASON Project are designed especially to provide
  classroom contact with real science and scientists.

  For contact information on these groups and computer information
  servers refer to Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

6.3  Are there any guides to using the Internet in schools that list all
    these resources in one place?

  Printed guides to using the Internet in education are appearing along
  with the new books on the Internet and you can expect to see more in
  the near future. The problem with paper resource guides is that the
  Internet is a changing environment so they become outdated quickly.
  Most (like this document) try to list only the most stable resource
  sites, and even if not everything you try is available, these guides
  can be particularly helpful if you are new to the Internet. Try the
  books entitled "Education on the Internet," "Teaching with the
  Internet:  Putting Teachers Before Technology," and "Brave New
  Schools" listed in Section 8, "Suggested Reading," for a sampling of
  those available at the time of this writing.  Check bookstores,
  libraries, and booksellers' catalogs for others.

  One answer to the problem of printed Internet guides is the
  newsletter.  Two we recommend are specifically for primary and
  secondary school educators interested in networking and contain
  information on new services on the Internet that are of interest to
  educators, projects for collaboration, conferences, new books and
  publications, essays, and practical tutorials on using network tools
  and services. NetTeach News is published ten times a year and is
  available both hardcopy and via email.  Classroom Connect is
  published nine times a year. Information on subscribing and related
  online services for both newsletters can be found in Section 9,
  "Resources and Contacts."

  Internet computers which act as guides to the Internet for educators
  are, among others, BBN's Copernicus server, the Global SchoolNet
  server, NASA's Quest server, the University of Illinois College of



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 24]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Education's Learning Resource Server, and Web66. All are listed in
  Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

6.4  How can I add my own contributions to the Internet?

  In addition to sharing your knowledge and expertise on the electronic
  mail lists and news groups mentioned, as you gain experience you may
  find you have the knowledge and inclination to put up a Web page for
  your own site.  Many K-12 schools are maintaining Web pages, either
  on Web servers they set up at the school or on a computer at another
  site, to publish student projects and information about their
  schools. Gleason Sackman's Hot List of K-12 Internet School Sites and
  Web66 offer a comprehensive listing of these schools and provide
  links to their home pages. These pages may give you ideas about ways
  your school can use the World Wide Web to contribute to the K-12
  Internet community. There are also a number of sites which give
  instruction in how to publish on the Web and how to maintain Web
  sites, including Web66, the National Center for Supercomputing
  Applications (NCSA), and the Geometry Forum. For the Internet
  locations of these resources see Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

7.  Questions About Security and Ethics

7.1  I've heard that there is a lot of objectionable material on the
    Internet.  How do I deal with that problem?

  Because sensational media accounts tend to downplay the educational
  uses of the Internet in favor of the more controversial material
  available, this will almost certainly be an issue raised when you
  discuss getting an Internet connection in your school. Concerned
  educators should learn more about this issue and formulate a strategy
  for resolving problems before they arise. One important point to
  realize early is that students do not accidentally bump into
  objectionable material in the course of most educational
  explorations. Although we are not suggesting that people never run
  across objectionable material by chance, most find this material only
  because they're looking for it.

  At the time of this writing the most important and effective action
  schools can take is to develop clear policies to guide students' use
  of the Internet and establish rules - and consequences for breaking
  them - that govern behavior on the Internet. These policies, called
  Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs), work best when they are in line with
  rules governing other behavior at school. Additionally, schools
  should integrate issues around technology and ethics into the
  curriculum [3]. Schools need to exercise reasonable oversight while
  realizing that it is almost impossible to absolutely guarantee that
  students will not be able to access objectionable material. It may be



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 25]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  wise to make this clear to parents and students before a student is
  given access to the Internet. To limit a school's liability, some
  systems obtain signed releases from students and parents stipulating
  that they have read the AUP and that the student agrees to abide by
  it.

  Several commercial software products are available which attempt to
  address the problem of access to objectionable material. They block
  access to controversial sites, look for specific text in email
  messages, or do both. Some can be configured in the home or school
  and some block a preconfigured collection of sites which is
  maintained and configured by the company.

  Some success has been achieved through the use of proxy servers. A
  school hooks up all its computers to a single computer that has full
  Internet access. This computer server then becomes the gateway to the
  Internet for all of the school computers. The server can be
  configured to mask away sites that have objectionable material,
  including Web pages, Gopher and FTP sites, and network news and WAIS
  servers. One further step can be taken by also installing a caching
  server on the gateway machine. A caching server can hold Web pages
  locally after they have been retrieved from other sites. Once a page
  has been loaded into the server it can thereafter be fetched from the
  cache, useful if a set of Web pages needs to be accessed frequently
  from a site that is usually busy.

  Although proxy and caching servers are relatively easy to set up by a
  system administrator, entering all the sites that are objectionable
  and keeping the cache up to date can be time consuming. Also, this
  method does not stop teachers and students from receiving and sending
  objectionable material as email attachments.

  The store-and-forward method is one way to filter information to
  which students are exposed. Usenet News and email (both described in
  Section 5, "Questions About Using Internet Services") are "stored" on
  a computer until the time appointed for that computer to contact the
  next one along the path to the final destination, at which time it is
  "forwarded" along its way. Most computers are set up to process
  outgoing requests at least every 30 minutes. This method requires
  quite a bit of management on the part of humans.

  It is also possible to control the times and opportunities that
  students have to access the Internet and only allow access under
  supervision. Many teachers find that engaging their students in
  meaningful, supervised learning activities operates as an effective
  deterrent to unauthorized Internet exploration.





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 26]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  At the time of this writing none of the technical solutions discussed
  above has proven wholly successful in addressing the problem of
  student access to controversial material. However, this area is
  currently the focus of intense development efforts. In the mean time,
  these solutions may be used in combination with clear policies and
  consequences for breaking them to ensure the integrity of the school,
  its students, and its educators. No matter what option or combination
  of options you choose, teaching the ethics of Internet access as a
  matter of course is imperative.

  There are resources for further exploration of the issue of students
  and objectionable material available on the Internet. The National
  Center for Missing and Exploited Children has produced a sensible and
  practical brochure entitled, "Child Safety on the Information
  Highway," written by Los Angeles Times columnist Lawrence J. Magid.
  It is available both online and hardcopy. Another good document,
  "Internet Parental Control Frequently Asked Questions," describes the
  tools available at the time of this writing to help with issues of
  children using the Internet, from guidance by parents to government
  restrictions to rating and filtering systems. It is produced by the
  Voters Telecommunications Watch and is available on the Internet.
  There is also at least one mailing list which you may want to join
  called Children Accessing Controversial Information (CACI). For
  information on all of these, please see Section 8, "Suggested
  Reading," and Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

7.2  How do we keep our own and other people's computers safe from
    student "hackers"?

  In the language of computer folks, a "hacker" is someone who is
  excellent at understanding and manipulating computer systems. A
  "cracker" is someone who maliciously and/or illegally enters or
  attempts to enter someone else's computer system.

  Computer security is unquestionably important, both in maintaining
  the security of the school's computers and in ensuring the proper
  behavior of the school's students (and others who use the network).
  In this area, not only school policy, but also state and national
  laws may apply. One source of information which you can read to help
  you sort through security issues is the Site Security Handbook (FYI
  8), which suggests to site computer administrators, Network
  Information Centers, Network Operation Centers, and others how to set
  up security policies and directs you to further information. A good
  book available commercially is "Computer Security Basics" by Russell
  and Gangemi. The full reference for these two sources of information
  can be found in Section 8, "Suggested Reading."





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 27]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Your school's AUP (see Question 7.4) should specify the consequences
  for such activity, and it may also be prudent to require a signed
  release from each student stating that he understands these
  consequences and possible legal implications of intentional
  exploitation of computer networks.

  In the unlikely event that someone from outside your school breaks in
  to a computer on your network, you should report the activity to the
  CERT Coordination Center. Contact information for the center can be
  found in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

7.3  How do we keep viruses from attacking all of our computers if we
    get connected to the Internet?

  Even if you use the Internet to exchange only data (such as text or
  pictures), virus infection can be a problem. This is because many
  programs today allow data files to include commands which are run
  when the data is loaded. Certainly when you download software
  programs and run them on your own computer you should use caution.
  Anything you download over the Internet or an electronic bulletin
  board system could have a virus. For that matter, any program and
  even some documents, whether on tape or a disk, including commercial
  software still in its original packaging, might possibly have a
  virus. Therefore there are two precautions you should take. First,
  install virus protection software on all your computers.  Second, use
  only trusted sources from which to download software and files. If
  you are uncertain about whether to download something, ask someone
  first.

  Virus checking software is available free over the Internet via
  Anonymous FTP from the CERT Coordination Center. Your hardware or
  software vendor, your network access provider, your technical support
  resources, or your colleagues on network mailing lists should be able
  to provide more specific information applicable to your site. Contact
  information for the CERT Coordination Center can be found in Section
  9, "Resources and Contacts."

7.4  What are the rules for using the Internet?

  When your Internet connection is established, your access provider
  should acquaint you with their Acceptable Use Policy. This policy
  explains acceptable and unacceptable uses for your connection. For
  example, it is in all cases unacceptable to use the network for
  illegal purposes. It may, in some cases, be unacceptable to use the
  network for commercial purposes.  If such a policy is not mentioned,
  ask for it. All users are expected to know what the acceptable and
  unacceptable uses of their network are.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 28]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Remember that it is essential to establish a school-wide policy in
  addition to the provider's AUP. A school's AUP is usually more
  restrictive and specific than the one used by the service provider. A
  repository of sample school AUPs can be found on the Armadillo Web
  server, listed in section 9, "Resources and Contacts." As mentioned
  earlier, some school systems have found it worthwhile to make
  Internet access contingent upon a student's signed agreement to abide
  by the school's AUP.

  Beyond your service provider's AUP and the one you create for your
  school, there are no overreaching rules for Internet use. There are,
  however, community standards and conventions that should be observed.
  You can review some generally agreed-upon guidelines at Arlene
  Rinaldi's etiquette page and by reading FYI 28 (RFC 1855),
  "Netiquette Guidelines." See Section 9, "Resources and Contacts," for
  the location of the etiquette page, and Appendix B, "Ways to Get
  RFCs" for instructions on obtaining FYI 28.

8.  Suggested Reading

  Those items marked with an asterisk (*) are available free online.
  For information on retrieving RFCs and FYIs, see Appendix B, "Ways to
  Get RFCs."

  * Connecting to the Future: A Guide For Building a Network
    Infrastructure for Education. NASA IITA, Department of Education
    NCES. 1995. Gopher: quest.arc.nasa.gov/How to Get Connected to and
    How to Use the Internet  (Also available from NASA CORE with
    accompanying video. See NASA Central Operation of Resources for
    Educators in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts.")

  * Conrad, L. B. "Getting US Educators Online"
    http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/online/table.html  (State-by-state
    compilation of Internet service offerings especially for teachers.)

  Cummins, J. and D. Sayers. Brave New Schools: Challenging Cultural
    Illiteracy Through Global Learning Networks. New York: St. Martin's
    Press, 1995.

  Ellsworth, J. H.  Education on the Internet: A Hands-on Book of
    Ideas, Resources, Projects, and Advice. Indianapolis, Indiana:
    Sams Publishing, 1994.

  * Electronic Frontier Foundation. EFF's (Extended) Guide to the
    Internet.
    http://www.eff.org/pub/Net_info/EFF_Net_Guide/netguide.eff
    and from the EFF online archives at ftp.eff.org, gopher.eff.org,
    AOL keyword EFF, CIS EFFSIG forum.



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 29]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Estrada, S. Connecting to the Internet: An O'Reilly Buyer's Guide.
    Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc., 1993.

  * FYI 4  "FYI on Questions and Answers: Answers to Commonly asked
    `New Internet User' Questions," Marine, A., J. Reynolds, and
    G. Malkin. (fyi4.txt or rfc1594.txt)

  * FYI 5  "Choosing a Name for Your Computer," Libes, D. (fyi5.txt or
    rfc1178.txt)

  * FYI 8  "Site Security Handbook," Holbrook, J.P. and J.K. Reynolds.
    (fyi8.txt or rfc1244.txt)

  * FYI 18 "Internet Users' Glossary," Malkin, G. and T. LaQuey Parker.
    (fyi18.txt or rfc1392.txt)

  * FYI 20 "What is the Internet?" Krol, E. and E. Hoffman. (fyi20.txt
    or rfc1462.txt)

  * FYI 26 "K-12 Internetworking Guidelines," J. Gargano, D. Wasley.
    November 1994. (fyi26.txt or rfc1709.txt)

  * FYI 28 "Netiquette Guidelines," Hambridge, S. (fyi28.txt or
    rfc1855.txt)

  Giagnocavo, G., et. al. Educator's Internet Companion (with diskette
    and video). Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wentworth Worldwide Media,
    1995.

  Harris, J. Way of the Ferret: Finding and Using Educational Resources
    on the Internet. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for
    Technology in Education, 1995.

  Krol, E. The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog, Second Edition.
    Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1994. (Also available
    in textbook version)

  * National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
    http://www.missingkids.org/information_superhighway.html (Online
    brochure "Child Safety on the Information Highway")
    Also available from
    National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
    2101 Wilson Boulevard
    Suite 550
    Arlington, VA 22201-3052
    1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

  Protheroe, N. and E. Wilson. The Internet Handbook for School Users.



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 30]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


    Arlington, Virginia: Educational Research Service, 1994.

  * RFC 1480  "The US Domain,"  Cooper, A. and J. Postel. June 1993.
    (rfc1480.txt)
    [This document will also be useful to people not in the United
    States.  See the sites listed under the FYI documents for the
    location nearest you from which to download the file.]

  * Rinaldi, A. "The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette,"
    http://rs6000.adm.fau.edu/rinaldi/netiquette.html

  * Rogers, A. "Global Literacy in a Gutenberg Culture,"
    http://gsn.org/gsn/article.gutenberg.html

  Russell, D., and G. T. Gangemi, Sr. Computer Security Basics.
    Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly and Associates, 1991.

  * Safdar, S. J. "Internet Parental Control Frequently Asked Questions,"
    Voters Telecommunications Watch, 1995.
    http://www.vtw.org/pubs/ipcfaq, or email [email protected] and in the
    subject line type "send ipcfaq" without the quotes

  Steen, D.R., M.R. Roddy, D. Sheffield, and M.B. Stout. Teaching with
    the Internet: Putting Teachers Before Technology. Bellevue,
    Washington: Resolution Business Press, Inc., 1995.

9.  Resources and Contacts

  -----------
  CONFERENCES
  -----------

  A list of other conferences, primarily in the United States, can be
  found at http://www.classroom.net/classroom/conf.htm

  NECC and Tel-Ed
     International Society for Technology in Education
     1787 Agate Street
     Eugene, Oregon  97403-1923
     USA
     Phone:  503-346-4414 or 1-800-336-5191
     Fax:    503-346-5890
     Email:  [email protected]
             (CompuServe:  70014,2117)
             (AppleLink:  ISTE)

  See also "Internet Computers" in this section.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 31]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  INET
     Internet Society
     12020 Sunrise Valley Dr.
     Suite 210
     Reston, Virginia  22091
     USA
     Phone:  703-648-9888
     Fax:    703-620-0913
     Email:  [email protected]

  ---------------------
  ELECTRONIC MAIL LISTS
  ---------------------

  Lists of electronic mail lists which you can search by category can
  be found via the World Wide Web at http://tile.net/listserv, at
  http://k12.cnidr.org:90/lists.html, and at
  http://catalog.com/vivian/interest-group-search.html.

  Classroom Connect mailing list
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]
     Leave the Subject field blank and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe

  CACI (Children Accessing Controversial Information)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  Cosndisc (Consortium for School Networking Discussion List)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe cosndisc YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 32]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Cu-seeme-l (General CU-SeeMe discussion list)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe cu-seeme-l YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  Cu-seeme-schools (Discussion about using CU-SeeMe as an instructional
       tool)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe cu-seeme-schools

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  Ednet
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe ednet YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  Edtech (Educational Technology list)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe edtech YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  European Schools Project (ESP)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 33]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe bbs YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  Internet School Networking (List for the working group which produced
       this document)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe isn-wg (NOTE: Do not add your name)

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  Kidsphere
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]
     Type any message asking to subscribe.

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  KIDLINK (Also KIDS-96, KIDS-97, etc.)
     KIDLINK operates 24 public mailing lists in English, Spanish,
     Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, and Scandinavian languages, and
     a private "chat" network for members.

     To learn about KIDLINK projects, subscribe to the news service by
     sending a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe KIDLINK YourFirstName YourLastName

     To receive a file of general information on KIDLINK, send email to
     the same listserv address, leave the Subject field blank, and in
     the first line of the body of the message enter...
     get kidlink general







Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 34]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  K12admin (A list for K-12 educators interested in educational
     administration)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe k12admin YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  LM_NET (A list for school library media specialists worldwide)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     subscribe LM_NET YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  NOVAE Group: Teachers Networking for the Future (Distribution list --
        not discussion list -- of projects and happenings of interest
        to educators)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of
     the body of the message, enter...
     subscribe novae YourFirstName YourLastName

  UK-schools (for teachers and others interested in the use of the
        Internet in UK schools and for general discussion about
        anything concerning international classroom connections)
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of the body
     of the message enter...
     join uk-schools YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]






Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 35]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  WWWedu (the World Wide Web in Education list; pronounced "we do")
     To subscribe, send a message to...
     [email protected]

     Leave the Subject field blank, and in the first line of
     the body of the message, enter...
     subscribe wwwedu YourFirstName YourLastName

     To post, send a message to...
     [email protected]

  ------------------
  INTERNET COMPUTERS
  ------------------

  Academy One (National Public Telecomputing Network)
     via WWW:
     http://www.nptn.org/cyber.serv/AOneP/index.html

  Armadillo's WWW Server
     via WWW:
     http://riceinfo.rice.edu:80/armadillo/

  BBN National School Network Testbed
     via Gopher:
     copernicus.bbn.com

     via WWW:
     http://copernicus.bbn.com:70/testbed/

  Censorship/Freedom of Speech/Child Safety on the Internet Web page
     via WWW:
     http://www.voicenet.com/~cranmer/censorship.html

  Classroom Connect on the Net
     via WWW:
     http://www.classroom.net/

     via FTP:
     ftp.classroom.net/wentworth/Classroom-Connect/aup-faq.txt (for an
       FAQ document on Acceptable Use Policies)

  Chatback Trust and Chatback International network server
     via WWW:
     http://www.tcns.co.uk/chatback/welcome.html






Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 36]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  CERT Coordination Center
     via WWW:
     http://www.sei.cmu.edu/SEI/programs/cert/CERT.info.html
     http://www.sei.cmu.edu/technology/trustworthy.html

     via email:
     [email protected]

     via FTP: info.cert.org
     cd pub/

  Consortium for School Networking
     via Gopher:
     cosn.org

     via WWW:
     http://cosn.org/

  CU-SeeMe
     via WWW:
     http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu/

  Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
     via WWW:
     http://ericir.syr.edu/

     via Gopher:
     ericir.syr.edu

     via telnet:
     telnet bbs.oit.unc.edu
     login: launch
       (Follow directions on screen for registration. At the main menu,
       choose number 4, "Topical Document Search (WAIS)", and move to
       eric-digests.  For help in WAIS, type a question mark.)

     via email:
     [email protected]
       (In your message ask for the topic you're interested in. A human
       will answer you.)

  Empire Internet Schoolhouse
     via Gopher:
     nysernet.org (port 3000)

  Electronic Frontier Foundation ("A non-profit civil liberties
     organization working in the public interest to protect privacy,
     free expression, and access to online resources and information.")



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 37]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


     via WWW:
     http://www.eff.org/

     via email:
     [email protected]

     via snailmail, telephone, and fax:
     The Electronic Frontier Foundation
     1550 Bryant Street
     San Francisco CA 94103 USA
     +1 415 668 7171 (voice)
     +1 415 668 7007 (fax)

  EdWeb
     via WWW:
     http://edweb.cnidr.org:90/

  European Schools Project
     via WWW:
     http://www.educ.uva.nl/ESP/

  Foundation Center
     via WWW:
     http://fdncenter.org/

  Geometry Forum
     via WWW:
     http://forum.swarthmore.edu/
     http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~steve/steve/wwwhtml.html ("Learning
       to Use the Web and Create Web Pages")

  Global SchoolNet Foundation
     via WWW:
     http://gsn.org/
     http://gsn.org/gsn/article.connect.levels.html ("Internet
       Connectivity Levels")
     http://gsn.org/gsn/article.design.project.html ("How to Design a
       Successful Project")
     http://gsn.org/gsn/article.gutenberg.html ("Global Literacy in
       a Gutenberg Culture")

  Grants Web
     via WWW:
     http://infoserv.rttonet.psu.edu/gweb.htm

  Hot List of K-12 Internet School Sites (Gleason Sackman, SENDIT)
     via WWW:
     http://www.sendit.nodak.edu/k12/



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 38]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  International Education and Research Network (I*EARN)

     via WWW:
     http:// www.iearn.org/iearn/

     via Gopher:
     gopher.iearn.org (port 7008)

     via email:
     [email protected]

  Internet School Networking (ISN) working group home page (publishers
       of this document)
     via WWW:
     http://spider.lloyd.com/isn/index.html

  International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
     via WWW:
     http://isteonline.uoregon.edu/

     via Gopher:
     isteonline.uoregon.edu

  KIDLINK
     via WWW:
     http://www.kidlink.org/

     via Gopher:
     gopher.kidlink.org

  Learning Resource Server, University of Illinois College of Education
     via WWW:
     http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/
     http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/Activity-Structures/ (Judi Harris' Network-
        Based Educational Activity Collection)

     via Gopher:
     gopher.ed.uiuc.edu

  MBONE (Multicast Backbone)
     via WWW:
     http://www.mbone.com/techinfo/

  NASA Jason Project
     via WWW:
     http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/JASON/JASON_HOME.html





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 39]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  NASA Online Educational Resources
     via WWW:
     http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/OER/

  NASA Quest
     via WWW:
     http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/
     http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/essay/essay-index.html ("Networks, Where
        Have You Been All My Life" student essay contest winners)

     via Gopher:
     quest.arc.nasa.gov (port 70)

     via FTP:
     ftp quest.arc.nasa.gov

  NASA Spacelink
     via WWW:
     http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/

     via Gopher:
     spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

  via telnet:
     telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
     login: guest

     via FTP:
     ftp spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

  To find information on the NASA Teacher Resource Center Network,
  choose "Educational Services," then "Teacher Resource Center Network."
  For television schedules, follow the menu for "Educational Service"
  to nthe menu option, "Technology."

  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
     via WWW:
     http://www.missingkids.org/
     http://www.missingkids.org/information_superhighway.html (Online
        brochure "Child Safety on the Information Highway)

  National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
     via WWW:
     http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/NCSAMosaicHome.html
        (Mosaic Home Page)
     http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html
        (A Beginner's Guide to HTML)




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 40]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


     via FTP:
     ftp ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu (to download the Mosaic WWW browser)

  National Center for Technology Planning
     via Gopher:
     gopher.msstate.edu

  Choose "Resources Maintained at MS State University," then select
  "National Center for Technology Planning."

  National Science Foundation's (United States) Science and Technology
  Information System (STIS)

     via WWW:
     http://stis.nsf.gov/

     via Gopher:
     stis.nsf.gov

     via telnet:
     telnet stis.nsf.gov
     login:  public
     Follow instructions on screen.

  Netscape Communications
     via WWW:
     http://www.netscape.com/

     via FTP:
     ftp ftp.netscape.com

  Netscape's WWW browser can be downloaded from Netscape's FTP sites at
  ftp.netscape.com, ftp2.netscape.com, ftp3.netscape.com...through
  ftp7.netscape.com.

  Office of Educational Research and Improvement (U.S. Department of
  nEducation)

     via WWW:
     http://oeri.ed.gov/

      via Gopher:
      gopher.ed.gov








Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 41]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Providers of Commercial Internet Access (for a list of Internet
  Service Providers)

     via WWW:
     http://www.celestin.com/pocia/

  THE LIST (for a list of Internet Service Providers)
     via WWW:
     http://thelist.com

  Voters Telecommunications Watch
     via WWW:
     http://www.vtw.org/
     http://www.vtw.org/pubs/ipcfaq [Internet Parental Control
        Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Shabbir J. Safdar]

  World Wide Web Consortium
     via WWW:
     http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/

     via telnet:
     telnet telnet.w3.org (public access Lynx client. Use "lynx"
        without the quotes if a login is requested.)

  Web66
     via WWW:
     http://web66.coled.umn.edu/
     http://web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html (International WWW Schools
        Registry)
     http://web66.coled.umn.edu/Cookbook/contents.html (Classroom
        Internet Server Cookbook)

  -----------
  NEWS GROUPS
  -----------

     alt.algebra.help
     alt.comp.shareware.for-kids
     alt.education.distance
     alt.kids-talk
     bit.listserv.edtech
     comp.security.announce
     k12.chat.elementary
     k12.chat.junior
     k12.chat.senior
     k12.chat.teacher
     k12.ed.art
     k12.ed.business



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 42]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


     k12.ed.comp.literacy
     k12.ed.health-pe
     k12.ed.life-skills
     k12.ed.math
     k12.ed.music
     k12.ed.science
     k12.ed.soc-studies
     k12.ed.special
     k12.ed.tag
     k12.ed.tech
     k12.edu.life-skills (especially for school counselors)
     k12.euro.teachers (in Europe)
     k12.lang.art
     k12.lang.deutsch-eng
     k12.lang.esp-eng
     k12.lang.francais
     k12.lang.russian
     k12.library
     k12.news
     k12.sys.projects
     misc.education
     misc.education.language.english
     misc.education.multimedia
     misc.kids
     misc.kids.computer
     news.announce.newusers
     uk.education.misc
     uk.education.teachers

  ------------------------
  NEWSLETTERS and JOURNALS
  ------------------------

  Classroom Connect

     Published monthly during the school year, a subscription currently
     costs U.S. $39.00.

     Wentworth Worldwide Media
     1866 Colonial Village Lane
     P.O. Box 10488
     Lancaster, PA 17605-0488
     USA
     Phone:  1-717-393-1000
             1-800-638-1639
     Fax:    1-717-390-4378
     Email:  [email protected]




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 43]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


     via WWW:
     http://www.wentworth.com/classroom/crcpub.htm (Classroom Connect
        homen page)
     http://www.wentworth.com/classroom/orderform.htm (order form for
        Classroom Connect Newsletter, books, software, and videos about
        the Internet for educators)

  Electronic Learning

     Published eight times per year, a current subscription to this
     magazine for technology and school change costs $23.95.

     Scholastic, Inc.
     2931 East McCarty Street
     P.O. Box 3710
     Jefferson City, MO  65102-3710

  Learning and Leading with Technology (Formerly "The Computing
  Teacher")

     Published monthly, the current U.S. $61.00 ISTE membership fee
     includes $36.00 for this journal.

     ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)
     1787 Agate Street
     Eugene, OR  97403
     Phone:  1-503-346-4414

  MultiMedia Schools

     Published five times a year, a subscription currently costs
     U.S. $38.00.

     Online, Inc.
     462 Danbury Road
     Wilton, CT  06897-2126
     USA
     Phone:  1-800-222-3766

  NetTeach News

     Published ten times a year, subscription prices are as follows.

     Annual hardcopy subscription cost:
     U.S. $38.00  for individual subscriptions in the U.S.
     U.S. $45.00  for individual subscriptions in Canada and Mexico
     U.S. $60.00  for individual subscriptions outside North America




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 44]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


     Annual ASCII electronic copy cost:
     U.S. $22.00  for individual subscriptions worldwide

     Site licenses are available for the electronic version.
     Discounts are available for ten or more orders of the printed
     version for educational institutions.

     For subscription questions and submissions contact:

     Kathleen M. Rutkowski, Editor
     Chaos Publications
     13102 Weather Vane Way
     Herndon, VA  22071
     USA
     Phone:  1-703-471-0593
     Fax:    1-703-471-0596
     Email:  [email protected]

     via WWW:
     http://www.chaos.com/netteach

  -------------
  ORGANIZATIONS
  -------------

  Asia Pacific Network Information Center
     c/o The United Nations University
     53-70 Jingumae 5-Chome
     Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150
     Japan
     Phone:  +81-3-5467-7014
     Fax:    +81-3-5467-7015
     Email:  [email protected]
     WWW:    http://www.apnic.net

  AskERIC Project
     ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources
     Syracuse University
     4-194 Center for Science & Technology
     Syracuse, New York 13244-4100
     Phone:  315-443-3640
     Fax:    315-443-5448
     Email:  [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" above.






Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 45]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  CERT Coordination Center (Formerly CERT, Computer Emergency Response
  Team)
     Software Engineering Institute
     Carnegie Mellon University
     Pittsburgh, PA 15313-3890
     USA
     Phone:  412-268-7090
     Fax:    412-268-6989
     Email:  [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" above.

  Chatback International
     Dr. R. Zenhausern, Executive Director
     Psychology Department
     St. Johns University
     SB 15, Marillac
     Jamaica, NY  11439
     USA
     Phone:  718-990-6447
     Fax:    718-990-6705
     Email:  [email protected]

  The Chatback Trust
     Tom Holloway, UK Director
     6 St. Mary's Crescent
     Royal Leamington Spa
     Warwickshire, 1JL
     Phone:  +44-926-888333
     Fax:    +44-926-420204
     Email:  [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" above.

  Consortium for School Networking
     P.O. Box 65193
     Washington, DC  20035-5193
     USA
     Phone:  202-466-6296
     Fax:    202-872-4318
     Email:  [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" above.








Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 46]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  European Schools Project ("...a support system for secondary schools
        to explore applications of educational telematics.")
     University of Amsterdam
     Centre for Tele-Learning
     Wibautstraat 4
     1091 GM Amsterdam
     The Netherlands
     Contact: Dr. Pauline Meijer or Dr. Henk Sligte
     Phone:   +31-20-5251248
     Fax:     +31-20-5251211
     Email:   [email protected]
     WWW:     http://www.educ.uva.nl/ESP

  FidoNet
     1151 SW Vermont Street
     Portland, OR 97219
     USA
     Contact: Janet Murray
     Phone:   1-503-280-5280
     Email:   [email protected]
     WWW: http://bbs.owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.html (A Fidonet Primer)

  Global SchoolNet Foundation (formerly FrEdMail)
     P.O. Box 243,
     Bonita, CA 91908
     USA
     Phone: (619) 475-4852
     Fax: (619) 472-0735
     Email:  [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" above.

  International Education and Research Network (I*EARN)
     c/o Copen Family Fund
     345 Kear Street
     Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
     USA
     Contact: Dr. Edwin H. Gragert
     Phone:   914-962-5864
     Fax:     914-962-6472
     Email: [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" above.








Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 47]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Internet Society
     12020 Sunrise Valley Dr.
     Suite 210
     Reston, Virginia  22091
     USA
     Phone:  703-648-9888
     Fax:    703-620-0913
     Email:  [email protected]
     WWW:    http://www.isoc.org/home.html

  KIDLINK Society
     4815 Saltrod
     Norway
     Phone:   +47-370-31204
     Fax:     +47-370-27111
     Email:   [email protected]

  See also "Internet Computers" and "Electronic Mail Lists" above.

  K12Net
     1151 SW Vermont Street
     Portland, OR 97219
     USA
     Phone:   503-280-5280
     Contact: Janet Murray
     Email:   [email protected]
     Gopher:  gopher.psg.com
     WWW:     http://arlo.wilsonhs.pps.k12.or.us/k12.html

  Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC)
     Kruislaan 409
     NL-1098 SJ  Amsterdam
     The Netherlands
     Phone: +31 20 592 5065
     Fax:   +31 20 592 5090
     Email: [email protected]
     WWW: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/default.html














Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 48]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  ------
  VIDEOS
  ------

  Master Communications Group
     7322 Ohms Lane
     Minneapolis, MN  55439
     Phone:  1-800-862-6164
     Fax:    1-612-835-9573

  Titles:
     Experience the Power: Network Technology for Education (produced
       by the National Center for Education Statistics)
     Future Schools: Connected to the World (produced by MIT)

  NASA Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE)
     Lorain County Joint Vocational School
     15181 Route 58 South
     Oberlin, OH  44074
     USA
     Phone:   1-216-774-1051, x293/294
     Fax:     1-216-774-2144
     Email: [email protected]

  Titles:
     Global Quest: The Internet in the Classroom
     Connecting to the Future: A Guide for Building a Network
        Infrastructure for Education
     Global Quest II: The Internet in the Curriculum
     Others

  The fee for the videos is cost plus shipping and handling.  You may
  also make a copy yourself by taking a blank copy to the nearest NASA
  Teacher Resource Center. For information on the NASA Teacher Resource
  Center Network or on NASA Select, contact your nearest NASA facility
  or consult NASA Spacelink, listed above in "Internet Computers."















Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 49]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Wentworth Worldwide Media
     1866 Colonial Village Lane
     P.O. Box 10488
     Lancaster, PA 17605-0488
     USA
     Phone:  1-717-393-1000
             1-800-638-1639
     Fax:    1-717-390-4378

  Titles:
     The Amazing Internet
     Internet Email
     Searching the Internet
     Discovering the World Wide Web
     Others

10.  References

  [1] "Internet Domain Survey, January 1995," Network Wizards
      http://www.nw.com/zone/WWW/report.html

  [2] "Restructuring Schools: A Systematic View," Action Line, the
      newsletter of the Maryland State Teachers Association, a National
      Education Association Affiliate. R. Kuhn, Editor. No. 93-6. June,
      1993.

  [3] Sivin, J. P. and E. R. Bialo, "Ethical Uses of Information
      Technologies in Education." Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of
      Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of
      Justice. 1992.





















Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 50]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


11.  Security Considerations

  General security considerations are discussed in Section 7 of this
  document.

12.  Authors' Addresses

  Julie Robichaux
  InterNIC
  505 Huntmar Park Dr.
  Herndon, VA  22070
  Phone: 703-742-4839
  EMail: [email protected]


  Jennifer Sellers
  Sterling Software/NASA IITA
  700 13th Street, NW
  Suite 950
  Washington, DC  20005
  Phone:  202-434-8954
  EMail:  [email protected]





























Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 51]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


APPENDIX A:  GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT

  The following is a short glossary of terms used in this document. For
  a more complete glossary of Internet terms, refer to FYI 18,
  "Internet Users' Glossary." These definitions are largely excerpted
  from that glossary. (See Section 8, "Suggested Reading," above for
  complete reference information.)

  Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

  The policy which defines the uses of the network that the network's
  administrators consider appropriate. Enforcement of AUPs varies with
  the network.

  Anonymous FTP

  Accessing data via the File Transfer Protocol using the special
  username "anonymous." This was devised as a method to provide a
  relatively secure way of providing restricted access to public data.
  Users who wish to acquire data from a public source may use FTP to
  connect to the source, then use the special username "anonymous" and
  their email address as the password to log into a public data area.

  Archie

  A system to automatically gather, index and serve information on the
  Internet. The initial implementation of Archie provided an indexed
  directory of filenames from all anonymous FTP archives on the
  Internet.  Later versions provide other collections of information.

  Client

  An application which requests information from, or requests a service
  of, a shared resource (a computer or "server"). See also Server.

  Cracker

  A person who uses computer knowledge to attempt to gain access to
  computer systems and/or maliciously damage those systems or data.

  Dial-in (also dial-up)

  A connection, usually made via modems, between two computers (or
  servers) over standard voice grade telephone lines.







Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 52]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Download

  To copy data from a remote computer to a local computer. The opposite
  of upload.

  DSU/CSU (Data Service Unit/Channel Service Unit)

  The digital equivalent of a modem. A Channel Service Unit connects to
  a telephone company-provided digital data circuit, and a Data Service
  Unit provides the electronics required to connect digital equipment
  to the CSU.  Paired together a DSU/CSU allows computer equipment to
  be connected into the telephone digital service for highly
  conditioned, high speed data communications.

  Electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS)

  A computer, and associated software, which typically provides
  electronic messaging services, archives of files, and any other
  services or activities of interest to the bulletin board system's
  operator. Although BBSs have traditionally been the domain of
  hobbyists, an increasing number of BBSs are connected directly to the
  Internet, and many BBSs are currently operated by government,
  educational, and research institutions.

  Email (Electronic Mail)

  A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other
  computer users (or groups of users) via a communications network.

  FidoNet

  A network of computers interconnected using the FIDO dial-up
  protocols.  The FIDO protocol provides a means of "store and forward"
  file transfer similar to UUCP.

  FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

  A protocol which allows a user on one host to access, and transfer
  files to and from, another host over a network.  Also, FTP is usually
  the name of the program the user invokes to execute the protocol.

  FYI (For Your Information)

  A subseries of RFCs that are not technical standards or descriptions
  of protocols.  FYIs convey general information about topics related
  to TCP/IP or the Internet. See also RFC (Request for Comments).





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 53]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Gopher

  A distributed information service that makes available hierarchical
  collections of information across the Internet. Gopher uses a simple
  protocol that allows a single Gopher client to access information
  from any accessible Gopher server, providing the user with a single
  "Gopher space" of information. Public domain versions of the client
  and server are available

  Hacker

  A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the
  internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in
  particular. The popular media has corrupted this term to give it the
  pejorative connotation of a person who maliciously uses computer
  knowledge to cause damage to computers and data. The proper term for
  this type of person is "cracker."

  Home page

  A form of Web page that serves as the introductory or main page for a
  subject. The home page generally contains basic information about a
  subject and hypertext links to other pages which contain more
  detailed information. See also WWW and Web page.

  Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

  The IETF is a large, open community of network designers, operators,
  vendors, and researchers whose purpose is to coordinate the
  operation, management and evolution of the Internet, and to resolve
  short-range and mid-range protocol and architectural issues. It is a
  major source of protocol proposals and standards.

  Internet Service Provider (ISP)

  See Network Access Provider.

  InterNIC

  A Network Information Center (NIC), funded by the National Science
  foundation, that provides information about the Internet. The
  InterNIC offers support in the areas of Information Services (the
  task most often cited in this document), Registration Services, and
  Directory and Database Services.







Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 54]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Kbs (Kilo-Bits per Second)

  A data transmission rate expressed in 1000 bit per second units. For
  example, 56 Kbs is 56*1000 = 56,000 bits per second.

  LAN (Local Area Network)

  A data network intended to serve an area of only a few square
  kilometers or less. Since such networks are relatively small, they
  can usually be directly controlled by the users and operate at
  relatively high speeds (up to 100 Mbs [10 million bits per second])
  over inexpensive wiring.

  Leased line

  A leased line is a special phone company permanent connection between
  two locations. Leased lines are generally used where high-speed data
  (usually 960 characters per second and higher) is continually
  exchanged between two computers (in the Internet, generally between
  routers). A leased line is billed at the same rate per month
  independent of how much the line is used and can be cheaper than
  using dial modems depending on the usage.  Leased lines may also be
  used where higher data rates are needed beyond what a dial modem can
  provide.

  Listserv (mailing list server)

  An automated program that accepts mail messages from users and
  performs basic operations on mailing lists for those users. In the
  Internet, listservs are usually accessed as "listname@host." For
  example, the list server for the hypothetical list
  "[email protected]" would be called "[email protected]." Sending
  email to "[email protected]" causes the message to be sent to all
  the list subscribers, while sending a message (to subscribe or
  unsubscribe, for example) to "[email protected]" sends the message
  only to the list server program. Not all mailing lists use list
  servers to handle list administration duties. More than one automated
  mailing program exists on the Internet, although the term "listserv"
  is sometimes confusingly used to refer to any such program.

  Mailing Lists

  A list of email addresses.  Generally, a mailing list is used to
  discuss a certain set of topics, and different mailing lists discuss
  different topics.  A mailing list may be moderated. That is, messages
  sent to the list are actually sent to a moderator who determines
  whether or not to send the messages on to everyone else.  Many
  mailing lists are maintained by mail handling software such as



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 55]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  listserv, majordomo, or listproc, which are programs that
  automatically handle operations such as adding new people to the
  list.  (See above.) In the Internet, for those mailing lists
  maintained by a human, rather than by a program, you can generally
  subscribe to a list by sending a mail message to: "listname-
  REQUEST@host" and in the body of the message enter a request to
  subscribe.  To send messages to other subscribers, you will then use
  the address "listname@host."

  Modem (MODulator/DEModulator)

  A device that converts the digital signals used by computers into
  analog signals needed by voice telephone systems.

  Network Access Provider (Network Service Provider, Internet Service
  Provider)

  Any organization that provides network connectivity or dial-up
  access.  Service providers may be corporations, government agencies,
  universities, or other organizations.

  Network News

  Another name for "Usenet News."

  NIC (Network Information Center)

  A central place where information about a network within the Internet
  is maintained. Usually NICs are staffed by personnel who answer user
  telephone calls and electronic mail, and provide general network
  usage information and referrals, among other possible tasks. Most
  network service providers also provide a NIC for their users.

  Port

  A specific access point on an Internet computer, designated by a
  number.  Most common Internet services, such as the World Wide Web,
  have specific port numbers associated with them, which makes it
  easier for applications on the Internet to interact. Human users of
  the Intern et normally do not need to worry about port numbers.

  PPP (Point to Point Protocol)

  A protocol used to establish TCP/IP connections using serial lines
  such as dial-up telephone lines. Similar to SLIP (see below), PPP is
  a later standard that includes features such as demand dial-up,
  compression, and better flow control.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 56]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Protocol

  A formal description of message formats and the rules two computers
  must follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can describe low-
  level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in
  which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges
  between allocation programs (e.g., the way in which two programs
  transfer a file across the Internet).

  Protocol Stack

  A series of protocols linked together to provide an end-to-end
  service.  For example, the File Transfer Protocol uses the
  Transmission Control Protocol, which uses the Internet Protocol,
  which may use the Point to Point protocol, to transfer a file from
  one computer to another. The series FTP->TCP->IP->PPP is called a
  protocol stack.

  RFC (Request for Comments)

  The document series, begun in 1969, which describes the Internet
  suite of protocols and related experiments. Not all (in fact very
  few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all Internet standards are
  written up as RFCs. The RFCs include the documentary record of the
  Internet standards process.

  Router

  A computer which forwards traffic between networks. The forwarding
  decision is based on network layer information and routing tables,
  often constructed by routing protocols.

  Server

  A shared resource which provides information or services to user
  applications or clients. See also Client.

  SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol)

  A protocol used to establish TCP/IP connections using serial lines
  such as dial-up telephone lines. Small computers, such as PCs and
  Macintoshes, can use SLIP to dial up to servers, which then allow the
  computer to act as a full Internet node. SLIP is generally used at
  sites with a few users as a cheaper alternative than a full Internet
  connection. SLIP is being replaced by PPP at many sites.






Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 57]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

  TCP/IP is named for two of the major communications protocols used
  within the Internet (TCP and IP). These protocols (along with several
  others) provide the basic foundation for communications between hosts
  in the Internet. All of the service protocols, such as FTP, Telnet,
  and Gopher, use TCP/IP to transfer information.

  Telnet

  Telnet is the Internet standard protocol for remote terminal
  connection service. The name "telnet" also is used to refer to
  programs that allow interactive access to remote computers, as well
  as the action of using said programs. For example, the phrase "Telnet
  to host xyzzy" means to interactively log into host "xyzzy" from some
  other host in the Internet.

  Upload

  To copy data from a local computer to a remote computer. The opposite
  of download.

  Usenet News

  An electronic bulletin board system created originally by the Unix
  community and which is accessible via the Internet. Usenet News forms
  a discussion forum accessible by millions of users in almost every
  country in the world. Usenet News consists of thousands of topics
  arranged in a hierarchical form. Major topics include "comp" for
  computer topics, "rec" for recreational topics, "soc" for social
  topics, "sci" for science topics, etc. Within the major topics are
  subtopics, such as "rec.music.classical" for classical music, or
  "sci.med.physics" for discussions relating to the physics of medical
  science.

  UUCP (Unix-to-Unix CoPy)

  This was initially a program run under the Unix operating system that
  allowed one Unix system to send files to another Unix system via
  dial-up phone lines. Today, the term is more commonly used to
  describe the large international network which uses the UUCP protocol
  to pass news and electronic mail.

  Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Network Index to Computerized
  Archives)

  A utility which searches Gopher servers based on a user's list of
  keywords.



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 58]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Virus

  A program which replicates itself on computer systems by
  incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among
  computer systems. The term virus is also often used more generally to
  refer to any unauthorized software intrusion into a computer, no
  matter the type or behavior of the program.

  Web

  See WWW.

  Web page

  A document, usually containing hypertext links, which is available
  through the World Wide Web. Web pages are composed in a special
  language called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which allows basic
  formatting such as font sizes, bold, underline, blinking text, and
  inclusion of graphics images. Web pages usually contain hypertext
  links to other Web pages. See also WWW and Home page.

  WAIS (Wide Area Information Server)

  A distributed information service which offers simple natural
  language input, indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a
  "relevance feedback" mechanism which allows the results of initial
  searches to influence future searches. Public domain implementations
  are available.

  WWW (World Wide Web)

  A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by
  researchers at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in
  Switzerland.  The Web information system may be used to create, edit,
  or browse hypertext documents. The Web protocol interlinks
  information in such a way that a user can traverse the Web from any
  starting point. The protocol also interacts with many other Internet
  services, such as Gopher, to provide one consistent, transparent user
  interface to the Internet. Client and server software is widely
  available via a number of methods: as free software, as client
  software often included as part of an Internet connection package, or
  as a commercial product.









Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 59]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


APPENDIX B:  WAYS TO GET RFCs

  FYI documents such as the one your are reading are a subset of the
  Internet Engineering Task Force's RFC documents.

  Note that the latest version of the following file may be found on
  the World Wide Web at http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc-editor/rfc-info

  For more information on Internet Engineering Task Force publications,
  visit the RFC Editor's home page on the World Wide Web at
  http://www.isi.edu:80/rfc-editor/rfc-sources.html

  RFC-Info Simplified Help
  ------------------------

  Use RFC-Info by sending email messages to [email protected].

  1.  To get a specific RFC send a message with text as follows:

          Retrieve: RFC
           Doc-ID: RFC1500

  This gets RFC 1500.  All RFC numbers in the Doc-Id are 4 digits (RFC
  791 would be Doc-ID: RFC0791).

  2.  To get a specific FYI send a message with text as follows:

          Retrieve: FYI
           Doc-ID: FYI0004

  3.  To get a list of available RFCs that match a certain criteria:

          LIST: RFC
           Keywords: Gateway

  Returns a list of RFCs with the word Gateway in the title or specified
  as a keyword.

  4.  To get the Index of all RFCs published:

          HELP: rfc_index

  5.  To get information about other ways to get RFCs, FYIs, STDs, or
      IMRs.

          HELP: ways_to_get_rfcs
          HELP: ways_to_get_fyis
          HELP: ways_to_get_stds



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 60]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


          HELP: ways_to_get_imrs

  6.  To get help about using RFC-Info:

          HELP: help

      or

          HELP: topics

APPENDIX C:  EXAMPLES OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS USING THE INTERNET

  The following examples of projects using the Internet appeared on
  various online computers and electronic mailing lists pertaining to
  education during the 1995-96 school year. The messages have been
  edited in the interest of space and because many of the details about
  how to participate will become dated, but the information presented
  can give you a feel for the types and range of projects that are
  happening at the time of this writing.

  A good source for project examples is "Judi Harris' Network-Based
  Educational Activity Collection" and other World Wide Web sites
  listed above in Section 9, "Resources and Contacts."

  ------------------------------------------
  Example One: Interdisciplinary, Grades 2-4
  ------------------------------------------

  From> KIDSPHERE Mailing List <[email protected]>
  Subject> interdisciplinary project - grades 2-4

  Project description: This interdisciplinary data collection activity
  will enable students to answer the question: Does our community size
  and location affect the types and numbers of pets we own?

  For grades 2,3,4

  Timeline:  January 29-March 4

  Our classes will collect and share information about our communities
  and will then collect and share data about the types and numbers of
  pets we own.  Students will be able to use the collected information
  to draw conclusions.

  To participate, please send me your:
  Name and grade level
  School address
  community size generalization:  rural, urban or suburban



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 61]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  -----------------------------------------------------------
  Example Two: Science, Engineering, and Careers, Levels K-12
  -----------------------------------------------------------

  NASA is pleased to announce another exciting opportunity for K-12
  classrooms to interact with our scientists, engineers and support
  staff.

  This time, the men and women of the Galileo project will provide a
  behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be part of the flight team
  on a pioneering interplanetary expedition through the ONLINE FROM
  JUPITER project.

  Galileo scientists and mission engineers are opening their notebooks
  to classrooms, museums and the public via the Internet to share their
  observations and experiences working on the NASA spacecraft mission to
  Jupiter.

  From now through January 1996, members of the flight team will write
  brief field journal entries describing the scientific puzzles,
  engineering challenges and excitement of discovery as the Galileo
  orbiter and atmospheric entry probe begin their scientific
  investigation of Jupiter.  The atmospheric probe is set to descend
  into Jupiter's atmosphere on Dec.  7, the same day the Galileo orbiter
  begins circling the giant planet for a two-year mission.

  "For the first time, we're providing a window on the inner workings
  and interactions of a scientific deep space mission," said Dr. Jo
  Pitesky, member of the Galileo Mission Planning Office.  "In sharing
  the journal entries, we hope to give readers, particularly students,
  an idea of the tremendous efforts that go into controlling and
  collecting data from a robot spacecraft a half-billion miles away."

  After reading background material and the journals, kindergarten
  through 12th grade students and their teachers can ask project members
  questions -- via E-mail -- starting in late November and running
  through January 1996.  They will receive personal responses,
  corresponding with experts on subjects ranging from atmospheric
  science to spacecraft systems. An archive of all questions and answers
  will be available online.

  In addition, students will be able to take part in online experiments
  that will use actual probe data. Another activity will challenge
  students to predict the exact timing of the Galileo probe's first-ever
  plunge into the Jovian atmosphere. Additionally, students will be
  invited to create Stumpers (riddles and puzzles) to share with one
  another. Other curriculum resources will help teachers integrate the
  Galileo project into their classrooms. As well, mechanisms will be



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 62]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  provided to help like-minded teachers connect with each another to
  pursue collaborative projects of their own.

  Other than your own time, there is no cost to get involved. Please
  consider joining us on this learning adventure. To participate, you
  must sign up for the ONLINE FROM JUPITER maillist. To do this, send an
  email message to [email protected]. In the message body,
  write only these words: subscribe updates-jup

  For more information, make a webstop at our "continuous construction"
  site: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/jupiter.html

  These projects are part of the "Sharing NASA with the Classroom"
  series.  They are made possible by funding from the NASA Information
  Infrastructure Technology and Applications (IITA) program. IITA is
  part of the High Performance Computing and Communications program
  authorized by Federal legislation passed in December 1991.

  ------------------------------------------------------
  Example Three: MathMagic; Math at Various Grade Levels
  ------------------------------------------------------

  [Note: The MathMagic World Wide Web home page is located at
  http://forum.swarthmore.edu/mathmagic/]

  What is MathMagic?

  MathMagic is a K-12 telecommunications project developed in El Paso,
  Texas. It provides strong motivation for students to use computer
  technology while increasing problem-solving strategies and
  communications skills. MathMagic posts challenges in each of four
  categories (k-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12) to trigger each registered team
  to pair up with another team and engage in a problem-solving dialog.
  When an agreement has been reached, one solution is posted for every
  pair.

  MathMagic has received wide ideological acceptance by hundreds of past
  FidoNet users because it addresses most of the National Council of
  Teachers of Mathematics standards. A modified format has now expanded
  into the Internet and is available via regular e-mail or via the World
  Wide Web (WWW).

  Who can participate?

  K-12 teachers and students, but higher education teachers, librarians,
  technology coordinators, computer teachers, and even home-schoolers
  are joining to act as facilitators.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 63]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  What is needed?

  Any teacher with access to electronic mail via the Internet can
  participate. Several net service providers and most of the commercial
  boards (America Online, Genie, CompuServe, Delphi, The Well, etc.) now
  offer e-mail gateways and other Internet services. MathMagic is best
  suited to schools that use computers with modems and have direct
  Internet access.

  In some areas, a local Bulletin Board System (BBS) or a Net user (such
  as a parent with net access) may have to act as a go-between. Please
  ask about special arrangements.

  [Example challenge for grades 10-12:]

  ***************************************

  MathMagic Cycle 18: Level 10-12 Regular

  ***************************************

  Using the numbers 1 9 9 2 in a "locked" position, can you develop a 31
  day calendar for the month of October?  You can use addition (+),
  subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/) exponents (^)
  factorial (!) square root (sqrt) and, naturally, parenthesis ( ).

  Example: Friday the 13th could be: (1+sqrt(9))!-9-2 (Scary, isn't it?)
  (Notice that the numbers appear in the "locked" sequence)

  ****************************************

  MathMagic Cycle 18: Level 10-12 Advanced

  ****************************************

  What 6 digit number, with 6 different digits, when multiplied by all
  integers up to 6, circulates its digits through all 6 possible
  positions, as follows:

                          ABCDEF * 1 - ABCDEF
                          ABCDEF * 3 - BCDEFA
                          ABCDEF * 2 - CDEFAB
                          ABCDEF * 6 - DEFABC
                          ABCDEF * 4 - EFABCD
                          ABCDEF * 5 - FABCDE






Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 64]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  *********
  Good luck
  MrH


  [Example challenges for grades K-3:]

  *************************************

  MathMagic Cycle 16: Level K-3 Regular

  *************************************

  When two straight lines meet, they form an angle. Some angles are easy
  to recognize. For instance, a RIGHT ANGLE is any of the four angles
  formed by a piece of paper (like typing or computer paper) that has
  sharp corners.

  Using a clock and "talking" with your partners, try to figure out how
  many times in a day (24 hours) the hour hand and the minute hand form
  a right angle. You may want to do a chart and watch the hour hand move
  between the numbers, as you move the minute hand...

  **************************************

  MathMagic Cycle 16: Level K-3 Advanced

  **************************************

  One of the better known works of architecture of the Roman Empire was
  the Coliseum. For a few months, at its maximum splendor (before the
  senate began cutting its funding... yes, old problem) there stood an
  Imperial Roman Guard in each of its 1000 arches. Imagine the splendor!
  (Not too cool if you were the entertainment.)

  The first budget conscious cut called for the removal of every other
  Imperial Guard. Imagine, one stayed, the next went. The second senate
  cut called for the removal of every third guard (from the original
  count). So, the order went out that guards of gate 1 and gate 2 (if
  there was one) could stay, while guard of gate 3 (and every other
  third one) had to go...  Naturally, what the senate was doing was
  getting rid of some guards, but also getting the credit for a lot of
  "cuts" of gates that had no guard.

  The "cuts" continued number after number, until a diligent member of
  the opposition party cried foul. He said, "Only some of the cuts are
  actually getting rid of guards. A lot of them are not!" Can you build
  an argument for this senator?



Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 65]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Also, if you were a Roman Imperial Guard that every week had to choose
  a different gate you had to look after (and run the risk of loosing
  your job), which gates would be your choice?

  ------------------
  Good luck MrH
  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Example Four: Various Projects Announced by Global SchoolNet
  ------------------------------------------------------------

  Hi,

  Our teachers have been doing K12 projects over the Internet for the
  past 12 years.

  There is NO CHARGE for schools to participate in the projects. Global
  SchoolNet organizes, manages, and facilitates collaborative learning
  projects for schools with any level of connectivity . . . from email
  only . . . to desktop videoconferencing.

  To access these projects go to:
   http://gsn.org/gsn/gsn.projects.html

  Sample of Projects you will find
  ---------------------------------

  The Global Schoolhouse (Featuring Desktop Video-Conferencing)

  Today's "school of the future" uses the most powerful Internet tools,
  including live video, to link K12 classrooms to their communities and
  to other children around the world.

  CALREN: Building the California Global Schoolhouse

  Education leader (Global SchoolNet) partners with business leader
  (Aldea Communications) to discover and document how schools,
  businesses, and the community can network to share resources.

  CyberStars: Number Ones of Tomorrow

  For the first time ever, children around the globe can share their
  musical talents with the world via the Internet.

  PAACE: Personal Achievement And Career Awareness

  Students learn and practice important career skills, including those
  dealing with education, attitude, manners, grooming, and fashion.




Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 66]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Scientist-on-Tap

  Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory demonstrate the power of
  distance learning, by interacting with students around world, from the
  comfort of their own offices!

  Projects that Require Email Access Only
  --------------------------------------

  Ask a Geologist (AAG)

  Have you ever wondered about why California has so many earthquakes
  and New York does not? Why is there so much oil in Texas but not in
  Wisconsin?  What are the deepest canyons in the United States? (The
  answer might surprise you!) While the answers to many of these
  questions might be as close as an encyclopedia, some questions are
  difficult to answer without checking many sources. Beginning Monday,
  October 3, 1994, the USGS will offer a new, experimental Internet
  service - Ask-A-Geologist.  General questions on earth sciences may be
  sent by electronic mail

  Family Tree-Mail: Language Translation

  In this pilot project, children use Globalink's language translation
  software to share family histories via email in their native languages
  of Spanish, French, German, and Italian.

  Field Trips

  Join other classes on their live field trips. In turn, you take other
  classes with you when you visit local places of interest. Our
  FIELDTRIPS-L mailing list manages this "exchange" of classroom field
  trips and excursions.

  Geogame

  This perennially favorite project will excite your students as they
  immerse themselves in atlases, maps, almanacs, and other references in
  order to solve a geography puzzle. Your students help create the
  puzzle by answering 8 questions about your community: latitude,
  typical weather, land formations, time zone, points of interest, etc.
  We combine their responses with other classes to create a geography
  puzzle your students will love to solve. A simple first project for
  beginning telecommunicators.







Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 67]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  Global Grocery List

  Your students visit their local grocery stores and record the prices
  of items on the grocery list, then share their prices with other
  participating classes all over the world. The result is a growing
  table of current, peer-collected data that can be used in math, social
  studies, science, and health classes (and others). This project is
  especially good for telecomputing beginners: it has very little
  structure and no timeline.

  Jane Goodall Institute

  Students learn about the interconnectedness of all life on earth as
  they observe the world around them and become involved in
  environmental and humanitarian issues. Explore Gombe and Kibira
  National Parks, ChimpanZoo, and the Roots & Shoots Program.

  The Jason Project

  The Jason Project brings the thrill of exploration and discovery live
  to students around the world as they participate in an amazing
  electronic field trip. In 1995 they trekked to Hawaii to study
  volcanoes. The Global SchoolNet Foundation manages the Jason Project
  Listservs and features them in our Global SCHLnet Newsgroup Service.

  LOGO Foundation

  The Logo Foundation, in cooperation with the Global SchoolNet
  Foundation, is now managing a Logo listserv discussion group available
  to anybody on the Internet.

  Newsday

  Your students write articles and post them on the Newsday Newswire for
  the whole world to see! Then they read and choose articles from other
  schools to download and include in their own newspaper! Finally... you
  share your newspaper with other classes... and they in turn share
  theirs with you.  Your students' reading and writing skills will
  improve while they learn about current local, national, and global
  issues.

  Where on the Globe is Roger?

  Children are invited to learn about history, culture, geography, and
  the environment, while they electronically travel around the world
  with Roger Williams - in his quest to promote world peace!





Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 68]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  --------------------------------------
  Example Five: Professional Development
  --------------------------------------

         THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND ANNOUNCES "DISASTER IN THE CLASSROOM"
         A *LIVE* TELEVISION PROGRAM TO ILLUSTRATE USES OF REAL-TIME
         WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGERY IN K-12 EDUCATION

  Beginning in September 1995, Professor Perry Samson, University of
  Michigan professor and Director of the Weather Underground, will host
  an innovative, biweekly series of live, interactive, television shows
  aimed at teachers, administrators, and parents interested in K-12
  education, Internet resources, and the use of real-time weather
  information in science.  Aimed specifically at the professional
  development of teachers, the programs create a model for teachers to
  carry back into their classroom, a model that promotes project-based
  student centered learning environments using new technology and
  science ideas creatively.

  The programs, interactive in design, allow participants to ask
  questions and respond to information through a simultaneous e-mail
  dialogue. A strength in the design of this series is its ability to
  allow an interactive discussion of environmental issues (severe
  weather, snowstorms, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic activity , El
  Nino, etc.) in a timely manner, matching current news items to
  science activities. The programs in the virtual classroom series are
  uplinked to a satellite from the University of Michigan.  Teachers,
  administrators, parents or students can view the class either on
  their own or in groups.  Participants will be encouraged to use their
  computer and modem to log into our server during the show.  This
  interactive virtual classroom will allow participants to pose or
  answer questions live (or after the show).

  Navigation on the Internet and pointers to information specific to
  the science curriculum ideas presented on the show are emphasized and
  made available to teachers for use in their classrooms.  Participants
  are shown where on the Internet to find imagery and activities
  relevant to the topics discussed and are lead through a discussion of
  new methods to utilize these data in their classroom activities.
  Example activities utilizing current weather, climate and
  environmental conditions are demonstrated.










Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 69]

RFC 1941         Frequently Asked Questions for Schools         May 1996


  If you are interested in participating in this series from your home
  or school and would like to receive graduate credit for it, please
  contact:

          The Weather Underground
  URL:    http://groundhog.sprl.umich.edu

  [other contact information deleted]

  First show is Sept. 18, contact us or look to URL above for more
  information soon!!!!!!








































Sellers & Robichaux          Informational                     [Page 70]

You are viewing proxied material from sdf.org. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.