Session I - So, what's a Web Page, anyway?

Let's start with the Internet.  Just as the U.S. government built the interstate highway system partly as a part of our overall defense infrastructure during the Cold War, the government established the beginnings of a computer network to connect defense installations and several universities.  Over time, that network evolved toward university use, then public and commercial use.  It has expanded to include millions of users all over the world - well, to simply say "it expanded" is a little like saying Bill Gates' business has grown since 1984.   See some of the links below for more details about the history of the Internet. 

As for web pages, scientists who wanted to have a method for putting both text and graphics on the Internet for their colleagues to access devised "HyperText Transfer Protocol" - a system for transferring hypertext documents across the Internet.  Hypertext (such as this page) may include links to other pages as well as graphics files and even sound, small computer programs (called aplets), animations, sound, etc. Read further for more about the basic elements of a web page.

Basic elements of a web page:

• Title:  A web page title may be shown by your browser as text in the title bar of the browser window.  This page's title is "Web Page Introduction".
• Heading:  The text at the very top of this page and the "Basic elements..." label are both headings.  They come in six sizes and are bold text.
• Horizontal Rule:  This is a graphic which looks like a horizontal line.  Typically used as a separator of sections of information, one can be seen above the "Basic elements..." heading just above on this page.
• Normal text:  Text which looks like traditional paragraphs is the normal text display of a web page.  There are two normal text paragraphs above the horizontal rule on this page.  Notice that normal text paragraphs do not include an indented line at the beginning and are separated by one blank line - this is standard.
• Lists:  This text is an example of an "unordered list".   It uses bullets or some other graphic symbol to begin each new list item.   Lists which are ordered (numbered) may also be created and the computer will automatically provide the numbering even when new list items are inserted within and existing list.
• Images:  This page contains a picture/logo for the Blue Valley School District shown directly below the headings at the top of the page.  Images may be clip art (as above) or digitized photographs.  Also, textured or colored backgrounds may be added to pages - this page has a texture "behind" all of its contents.
• Hyperlinks:  Typically shown as blue underlined text, hyperlinks allow us to click with a mouse or trackball to cause our browser to access and display another web page or another part of the current web page.  Several hyperlinks are included below this list.
• Tables:  A table allows us to include a grid - rows and columns of text or graphics usually displayed with separation lines between the rows, the columns, and around the edges of the table.  A table of popular links is shown below in the "Want to know more?" section..

Want to know more?

Here are a few hyperlinks to sites with introductions to or tours of the Internet.  Click, browse, and enjoy!