GoalPut four steps in how we connect in order, from slow phone lines to Wi-Fi.
New words
dial-up · a slow way to connect through a telephone linehyperlink · a word or picture that takes you to another page when you click itWi-Fi · a way to connect devices to a network without wirestimeline · a line that shows events in the order they happened
Explanation
The way we connect has changed step by step. First came dial-up. A computer used a telephone line, which was slow, and while it was busy, nobody could use that telephone. Then came a faster kind of line that did not block the telephone. Next, web pages became linked by hyperlinks. You click a word and a new page opens, like turning to another page in a book. Finally came Wi-Fi and hotspots, which connect devices through the air without wires. Each step made it quicker and easier to share information. We do not need to know the years: the order is what matters.
Slow phone-line connection→Faster line, phone stays free→Web pages linked by hyperlinks→Wi-Fi and phone hotspots
Worked examples
Youssef’s grandfather says that long ago, when he used the internet, nobody could call the house. The telephone line was busy. Today, Youssef connects with Wi-Fi and the telephone is free.
Malak reads a page about camels. She clicks the blue word ‘desert’ and a new page about deserts opens. That blue word is a hyperlink.
On a trip, Karim’s mother turns on her phone hotspot. His tablet connects without any wire and he can look at the map for the way.
Class activity
Poster: a sport as a network. On a big paper, draw a team sport (football, volleyball or relay running). Draw the players as dots and link them with arrows to show passes. Write the shared purpose in the middle. Below it, draw the four steps of how we connect, in order, as a short timeline with no dates.
Practice
1
Which came first: Wi-Fi or dial-up?
Dial-up.
2
What was the problem with dial-up and the telephone?
It was slow and it kept the telephone line busy.
3
What is a hyperlink?
A word or picture that takes you to another page when you click it.
4
Put in order: Wi-Fi, dial-up, hyperlinked web pages, a faster line.
Dial-up, a faster line, hyperlinked web pages, Wi-Fi.
