How to explain the internet to a four year old

HOW TO EXPLAIN THE INTERNET TO A FOUR YEAR OLD? 1

INTRO Since the 1990’s the internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture, commerce, technology and communication.

Looking at the way that it has grown the last ten years, it is predictable that the role of technology will be even bigger coming ten years. Everyone is familiar with the fact that we learn the easiest and fastest when we are young. So why don’t we start explaining and learning about technology in this stage of life. If we look at nowadays education we see an old fashioned way of teaching, with old fashioned subjects and tools. This book is a step towards the direction of teaching children about technology at a young age.

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DEVICES To access the internet you need a device with an internet connection. Compare it with a book, you need this book to access the story inside of it. To access the information on the internet you need a device to get there.

Instead of having one book with one story in it, you have multiple devices to access the story on the internet. There are four devices to use; the smartphone, tablet, laptop and PC.

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THE PC

The PC (personal computer) is the oldest device to access the internet. The PC consist out of; a screen, that displays your information. A mouse, this is your navigator on the screen. A keyboard, that makes it possible to type and control your PC. And last but not least; the computer. This can be seen as the heart of the whole PC. It contains the on and off button, different ports, and CD-rom drive.

LAPTOP

The laptop is a portable version of the PC. It is easy to transport because all the components are gathered inside one machine. Same as the PC it has a screen and a keyboard. Instead of a loose mouse it has a touchpad; a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user’s fingers to a relative position on the operating system that is made output to the screen. And the heart of the laptop is inside it, just as humans.

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TABLET

The tablet is a mobile computer with a touchscreen display. The touchscreen display uses gestures by finger to replace the mouse, trackpad and keyboard used in laptops. Most tablets also have sensors, digital cameras and a microphone. It is often used for recreational purposes, rather than professional use.

SMARTPHONE

The smartphone is a mobile phone, but it has way more purposes than just calling and texting. It also has a internet connection, which makes it possible to browse on the internet. Smartphones vary in size and composition. The display is almost always a touchscreen, fingerprint recognition and sometimes additionally a keyboard.

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THE INTERNET Now we have learned what kind of devices we need to get entrance to the mysterious world of the internet, it is time to explain what the internet excactly is.

The internet is like a big supersmart robot, that can do a lot of tasks at the same time. All the devices are connected to this robot, but this connection is not visible or sensible. Luckily though, because otherwise we could not go outside without tripping over countless amount of cables. You couldn’t fly an airplane through the sky without getting tangled up.

So, lets say that all our devices have a voice. A secret voice, that we humans can not hear. They all speak to eachother in the same language that we call ‘WI-FI’.

When you will go on your computer and, for instance, want to sent an e-mail to your best friend.

Your computer will talk in WI-FI language to the super robot and the super robot will tell this further to the computer of your best friend.

The computers and the super robot can talk way and way faster to eachother than humans. This makes the internet really, really fast.

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A B C

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Aa

A

An algorithm is a detailed step-by-step instruction for solving a problem or completing a task. In the computer world, programmers write algorithms that instruct the computer how to perform a task. Algorithms are everywhere! A recipe for making food is an algorithm, brushing your teeth is an algorithm!

ALGORITHM

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Bb Your computer and all other divices speak in Binary. The binary number system is a base-2 number system. This means it only has two numbers: 0 and 1, with those to numbers we can create all the numbers. The number system that we normally use is the decimal number system. It has 10 numbers: 0-9.

BINARY NUMBERS

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Cc Capacity or storage capacity is the maximum amount of data that a device, such as a hard drive, can hold. See it as a car, full is full! There are cars that can transport only five people, but there are also cars that can transport ten people. A device can also very in the amount of data they can hold.

CAPACITY

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Dd A directory is a location for storing files on your computer. It is a big invisible closet for all the possesions you keep on your device!

DIRECTORY

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Ee Short for electronic mail.

It is the same as sending a written letter.

Instead of a mail man picking it up and transporting it from one house to another, it is transported by an internet connection. This internet connection makes it superfast and worldwide. If we send a written letter, that is transported by the mail man, it takes a while to be delivered. Depending on the distance and the transport possibilties. The time to transport an E-mail is worldwide in a range of a couple of seconds. Depending on the quaility of your internet connection.

E-MAIL

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Ff A file is an object on a computer that stores data, information, settings. A file is created using a software program on the computer. For example, to create a text file you would use a text editor, to create an image file you would use an image editor, and to create a document you would use a word processor.

FILE

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Gg A glitch is an issue with a program caused by a mistake in the computers brain. It often creates a distortion effect on the screen. Other words for glitch are bug and error.

GLITCH

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Hh A Hub is a device that enables multiple devices to be connected to the same network at the same time. It is often compared with the hub of a bicycle weel, the central point where all the spokes come together. The hub is the central point where all the devices are connected with a network.

HUB

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Ii Short for Internet Protocol address, an IP or IP-address is a number used to indicate the location of a computer or other device. It is the same as the adress of your house, this indicates the location of your home.

IP-ADRESS

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Jj A jump drive is a portable storage device.

It is often the size of a human thumb. And it connects to a computer via a USB port.

JUMP DRIVE

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Kk The size of files on your device can be expressed in bytes. One bit is a row of eight binary numbers, that express a number, letter or sign. A kilobyte is 1024 bites. The abbreviation of kilobyte is KB.

KILOBYTE

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Ll A link is a connection between two or more devices. This link can be physical, with the use of cables. Or invisible, made with the use of a network.

It makes it possible for devices to connect and exchange data with eachother.

LINK

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Mm A Modem is the device that makes youe information you want to send to another device ready for transportation. It is actually a super fast and smart translator.

MODEM

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Nn A network is a collection of computers or other devices connected to one another to allow the sharing of data. An excellent example of a network is the Internet, which connects millions of people all over the world.

NETWORK

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Oo Any information that has been processed by and sent out from a computer or similar device is considered output. A simple example of output is anything you view on your computer screen.

OUTPUT

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Pp A protocol is a specific set of rules, that is used to set up interactions between two mobile devices. Protocols are present in all the parts of using a internet device. Your device has a protocol that makes it possible to sent messages to another device. The other device has a protocol to recieve the message. And so on.

PROTOCOL

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Qq To navigate on your laptop or PC, you will need a keyboard. This makes it possible to type, scroll and click on your screen. The most common keyboard is the QWERTY keyboard, refering to the first five letters of the keyboard.

QWERTY

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Rr A reboot is the process of restarting a working computer. Rebooting is sometimes necessary to recover from an error. A little powernap to get back to life again.

REBOOT Z

Z Z

Z .......

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Ss Software is a collection of instructions that enable the user to interact with a computer. Without software, most computers would be useless. For example, without your Internet browser software, you could not surf the Internet and without an operating system, the browser could not run on your computer. This are two examples of softwares.

SOFTWARE

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Tt When there is a problem with your device, you can do a troubleshoot. This troubleshoot will tell you wat is wrong, and (most of the time) a technician will follow a set of steps to determine the problem or solve the problem.

TROUBLESHOOT

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Uu Short for Universal Serial Bus, USB is a plug that allows a computer to communicate with other devices. USB-connected devices cover a broad range; anything from keyboards and mice, to music players and flash drives. There is also a USB stick, which you can plug into your device. This USB stick is a small stick whereupon you can storage files.

USB

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Vv A computer virus is a program, script designed to cause damage, steal personal information, modify data, send e-mail, display messages, or some combination of these actions. This can be really dangerous. A virus is often transmitted whilst downloading files on the internet.

VIRUS

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Ww Short for Wide Area Network, WAN is a collection of computers and networks connected via a network over a wide area. Wide-Area Networks are commonly connected through the Internet. A LAN is a Local Area Network, which is way smaller than a WAN. Often used in schools, home or offices.

WAN

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Yy A yoke is an input device used with computer games, such as flight simulation games, that allow a player to fly up or down, or back or forth by pulling or pushing the device.

YOKE

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Zz Zip files are a collection of files and folders compressed into a single, smaller file.

ZIP

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PRIVACY Privacy means the state of being apart from other people or concealed from their view. Privacy is very important in the online world.

A network that you use with your device is accessible for more people than just yourself.

You can have a private network, we can compare this with your own house. You can lock it, and decide yourself who can enter. A private network can be locked with a password.

Unfortunatly, there are burglars out there that aim to steal your possesions. For this reason you make sure that your house is locked and your valuable possessions are out of sight.

It is important that you approach a network in the same way. Make sure that your private network is secured with a password and that you don’t keep any important personal data on your device.

Never share your passwords with anyone that you don’t know or trust.

When your are not at home, and there is no possibilty to connect to a private network with your device, there is often a chance that you can connect to a public network. This public networks are often Wi-Fi hotspots, that you will find in coffeeshops, airports and other public spaces.

These networks are often not secured by a password, and thereby accesible for everyone.

A lot of cyber criminals (criminals that commit crimes online) make use of those networks, because they are easy accesible. They can, with special software and equipment, easily detect your device and find out what your doing on your device.

For this reason it is very important you don’t use any sensitive data when you are connected to a public network. Never access your bank account when you are connected to a public network.

It is the same as a publc space. You don’t share your valuable possesions at an airport with others. So don’t share your valuable online data with others on a public network.

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VPN Whenever you access a public network, it is best to protect your connection. This can be done with a VPN-service. VPN stands for virtual private network.

A VPN service protects your network connection, to make sure that cyber criminals can not detect you.

Make sure that you choose your VPN service carefully. Read the privacy policy, check the provider’s background and location, and do a little research.

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sources https://www.computerhope.com/jargon.htm https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jun/20/internet-everything-need-to-know http://pgcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=60038&p=385682 http://www.netlingo.com/dictionary/a.php http://www.comentum.com/internet-terms.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-explainthe-Internet-to-my-grandmother https://psychcentral.com/lib/why-and-how-to-teachgrandma-to-access-the-internet/ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/ nov/25/how-do-you-explain-the-internet-to-your-grandmother

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written and illustrated by Mies Raadgever