On the Internet

Assignment

To illustrate that technological change is still with us, let's look at the Internet. There is no single inventor of the Internet. The story is worth investigating. First, because we tend to think that things like the Internet (or electricity, or the internal combustion engine) have always existed, we forget that everything has a history. Second, the collaborative work that went into the building of the Internet reminds us that most of human endeavor depends on cooperation and dependence on others. It is the rare discovery or innovation that arises completely independent of anything that has gone before.

Check out this short history in Forbes from 2015 by Gil Press (Links to an external site.).

Then move over to this timeline from Live Science (Links to an external site.).

Yes, there is an Internet Society, and its website features a longer history of the Internet (Links to an external site.). You're welcome to read the whole article (there is a lot of specific, science vocabulary there), but you may just to skip to the end, the section titled "History of the Future." I have a couple of questions on the assessment from that section.

Oh—and you should know the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web. The folks at HowStuffWorks.com have a short explanation (Links to an external site.).

You don't need to memorize these timelines—that isn't the point of this exercise. I would like you to look for a pattern of development. Yes, there are a few details worth noting—like when and how the Internet started. Overall, though, I'd like you to think about the ramifications of this network. What is the goal of the Internet? What might be the consequences (and we are seeing some now) of the Internet? It isn't all bad; it isn't all good. We need discernment to use this powerful tool wisely.

When you've finished the reading, take the assessment.

Assessment

Complete this quiz based on what you learned through the activity in the lesson Industrial Revolution.

You have fifteen (15) minutes to complete this quiz from the time you access the questions. You may refer to the reading/site and your notes to answer the questions. You may not consult others on the answers. By submitting your answers, you are agreeing that you have neither received nor given any help to answer the questions.