asynchronous communication which does not occur at the same time or place. Examples of this are emails, blogs and discussion forums.
asynchronous Learning Networks ALN networks of education and training modules or courses where students learn in online courses in contrast to synchronized presentations in traditional classrooms.
audio Voice, music, and other sounds recorded and stored in analog or digital form.
authoring Developing (writing of text, recording of audio, importing of video, inserting graphics, etc.) hypertext and hypermedia learning, entertainment, and reference materials.
authoring software This term refers to software that enables the creation of multimedia or hypertext documents and presentations.
avatar This term refers to an interactive representation of a human in a virtual reality environment; the term was popularized by Neal Stephenson's novel "Snow Crash."
AVI Audio Video Interleaved digitized video files (with audio tracks) that can be played on Windows playback. The Media Player (mplayer.exe) file that is included in Windows operating systems runs AVI files.
bandwidth bits per second that determines the amount of data, audio, and video that can flow over the network. The higher the bandwidth, the faster the download.
Bit Binary DigIT. A single digit number in base-2 (either a one or a zero). This is the smallest unit of computerized data.
blog or Weblog An online journal which can be used by an individual or an organization. Blogs can be personal or professional. They can be in text form, audio (see podcast) or video (see vlog).
Blogging The act of writing on a blog or commenting on another person's blog.
browser The software application that allows you to view Internet pages.
BTW An acronym often used in e-mail messages and chat sessions to mean: "by the way."
CC = Courtesy Copy, derived from the non-digital Carbon Copy. A way to send an e-mail message to a person other than the main recipient or recipients. The CC'ed party can see that they are not the main recipient of the letter.
Computer Literacy The ability to use keyboards, word processors, printers and other computer accessories.
control key (CTRL) = A key used to access commands through the keyboard rather than the menus. CTRL commands are commonly shortcuts.
control panel A window you can open to adjust various aspects of your computer, such as the volume, fonts, desktop background, mouse speed, and clock.
CPU Central Processing Unit. The CPU is the hardware that most people consider the "brain" of the computer. It takes instructions from software, makes calculations, and helps run the show!
desktop The background behind all your windows, menus, and dialog boxes: your virtual desk. You can change the look of your desktop by applying different properties to it through your control panel.
Digital literacy This refers to understanding the various forms of information found on the internet.
domain name The unique
address name for an Internet site. The part on the left is the most
specific, and the part on the right is the most general.
download To save a file onto your computer from another source, like the Internet. People often download files, such as free-ware, share-ware, for installations, and sounds, movie clips, text files, or news streams onto their computer for viewing or listening.
Drop Down Menu This is a type of navigation. When you click on a box or button, other selections will 'drop' down so that you can see and select them.
Ethernet A common method of networking computers in a Local Area Network (LAN). Ethernet can handle from 10,000,000-100,000,000 bits-per-second (or 10-100 megabits-per-second) and can be used with almost any kind of computer.
firewall Hardware and/or
software that separates a Local Area Network (LAN) into two or more parts
for security purposes.
FTP File Transfer Protocol. A set of
rules that allows two computers to "talk" to one another while transferring
files from one to another. This is the protocol used when you transfer a
file from one computer to another across the Internet. Many Internet sites
have publicly accessible repositories of information that can be obtained
using FTP, by logging in using the account name "anonymous." These sites are
called "anonymous ftp servers."
GIF Graphics Interchange Format. An efficient method of storing graphics developed for CompuServe in the early 1980s. GIF files take up a small amount of disk space and can be transmitted quickly over phone lines. GIFs can be viewed on any computer platform and are best for illustrations, cartoons, logos, or similar non-photographic graphics.
hard drive A device for storing information in a fixed location within your computer. The equivalent of a filing cabinet in an office, the hard drive is used for storing programs and documents that are not being used.
homepage The page on the Internet which most often gives users access to the rest of the Web site. A site is a collection of pages.
host The name given to any computer directly connected to the Internet. Host computers are usually associated with running computer networks, online services, or bulletin board systems. A host computer on the Internet could be anything from a mainframe to a personal computer.
HTML Hypertext Markup Language.
This is the coding language used to create sites on the World Wide Web.
hypertext Generally any text in a
file that contains words, phrases, or graphics that, when clicked, cause
another document to be retrieved and displayed. Hypertext most often appears
blue and underlined in Web pages. Often called 'links'.
Hypertext links allow readers to pick and choose in what order they locate
information.
icon Symbols or illustrations on the desktop or computer screen that indicate program files, documents, or other functions.
Internet Explorer
this is a browser that allows you to see websites on
the internet. It is produced by Windows and the most common browser
used in Korea.
IP Number Internet Protocol number. A
unique number consisting of four parts separated by dots, for example
129.237.247.243. This is the number assigned to a host
machine which is retrieved by a DNS when a request for an Internet site is
made. These numbers usually correspond to unique
domain names, which are easier for people to remember.
Ipod an MP3 player made by Apple Computers. This player has been instrumental in the mobile audio/video podcast industry.
JPG or JPEG An efficient method for storing graphic files for transmission across phone lines. Unlike GIF files, JPG files lose a little data when the image is converted, and their files are often much larger than GIFs. However, JPGs are your best choice for photographic images.
kilobyte (KB) A thousand bytes. Very often download speed is measured by how many kilobytes are being transferred per second.
LAN Local Area Network. A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building.
mailing list A system that
allows people to send e-mail to one address, which is then copied and sent
to all of the other subscribers to the mail list. In this way, people who
may be using different kinds of e-mail access can participate in discussions
together.
menu bar A horizontal strip at the top of a window that shows the menus available in a program.
newsgroup Usenet newsgroups are Internet discussion groups whose topics are about as diverse as you can imagine. If you have an original idea for a newsgroup, and gather some people who want to subscribe, you can probably begin a newsgroup.
network A group of connected computers that allows people to share information and equipment. Many schools have a Local Area Network and are also connected to the World Wide Web.
operating system (OS) This is the programming that makes your computer run its most basic functions. Some examples are Windows 95, 98, or XP.
plug-in A small piece of software that adds features to already existing, usually large, programs.
Podcast An audio or video file that can be listened to online or downloaded for a mobile listening device. These are most commonly stored as MP3 files
Post a blog entry written by the author or authors of a blog
pulldown menu A list of options that "pulls down" when you select a menu at the top of a window. For example, the File menu in most programs is a pulldown menu that reveals commands such as open, new, and save.
RAM Random Access Memory. Readable
and writeable memory that acts as a storage area while the computer is on,
and is erased every time the computer is turned off. This memory stores data
and helps execute programs while in use.
ROM Read Only Memory. Readable memory
that cannot be corrupted by accidental erasure. ROM retains its data when
the computer is turned off.
RSS feed/aggregator Really Simple Syndication. This is a software that allows your computer to collect blogs, updated websites, podcasts and other internet information so that you can easily view it without having to visit the individual websites.
search engine Any of a
number of giant databases on the Internet which store data on Web sites and
their corresponding URLs. Some popular search engines are
Metacrawler, and Google.
server A computer or software
package that provides a specific service to client software
running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of
software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is
running, hence the popular phrase: "The server's down."
shortcuts Key strokes that enact the same commands available in the menus of a program. They are quicker and more direct, and usually involve two or three keys depressed simultaneously. An example is the save shortcut: CTRL + s on a PC.
Template a framework that creates a standard visual look for webpages.
Toolbar this is a bar shaped section on a software or internet page. The toolbar has different icons or buttons that allow users to manipulate the page. An example of this would be the 'save button' on Windows Office or the 'back button' on your internet window.
URL Uniform Resource Locators. This is the address of any given site on the Internet. The URL of this site is: http://www.njlong.com/Docs/assign1/index.htm
virtual With regard to memory, virtual refers to temporarily storing information on the hard drive. Virtual memory is controlled automatically by the operating system.
Virtual Learning Environment This is a computer simulated environment that allows learning to take place, often through gaming.
Vlog This is a blend of the words video and blog and is a video posted in a blog. The video can be brought from another source or created.
Widget a widget is a piece of HTML code that can be used to run or play things like games, calendars, clocks and counters. They can be placed on desktops, blogs or personal websites.
wiki a wiki is a software that allows multiple users to create and collaborate online. The word wiki means 'quick' in Hawaiian so the software was designed for users to quickly create 'web pages'. Teachers are using wikis to allow their students to create projects in a collaborative with each other.
word processor
The software used to produce documents, such as letters, posters, reports,
and syllabi. Common word processors used in schools are MS Works, MS Word,
or ClarisWorks.
WYSIWYG What You
See Is What You Get. Monitor output that closely resembles the printed
output. Most software now offers WYSIWYG options, like "print preview."
zipped files Zipped files
are files that are compressed and must be "unzipped" to be read. Zipped
files download faster because they are smaller than
an uncompressed equivalent.