Computer Networks & the Web

What this lesson covers

Computer Networks & the Web is a 10-part Class 7 Computer Science lesson. Each part makes one point and then hands over to the next, so it can be read in a sitting or picked up again at the part you stopped on. It defines the idea in plain words before using it, works through an example step by step, breaks the topic into its parts and compares them, shows where it is used outside the textbook, names the mistakes that cost marks in an exam, ends with a recap of what to remember.

How it begins

A network is two or more devices connected so they can exchange data and share resources. LAN: Local Area Network. One building: a school, an office, a home. WAN, Wide Area Network. Spread across cities or countries. The internet: the largest WAN, connecting networks worldwide. The word "internet" literally means a network of networks, which is exactly what it is.

The 10 parts

1. A network is shared connection
2. The hardware involved
3. IP addresses and DNS
4. What happens when you open a page
5. The web is not the internet
6. Why your connection is slow
7. Networks around you
8. Where it usually goes wrong
9. What to remember
10. Watch one worked through