Unit 1: The Online World

Introduction to Unit 1

How do websites work? How do emails get to your computer? How does the use of computer applications affect your daily life? This unit provides an introduction to the modern online world.

Starting with your own experiences, you will extend your knowledge of online services and investigate the technology and software that support them. You will learn more about a range of services, including email, online data storage, collaborative software, search engines and blogging.

You will also gain an understanding of the main technologies and processes behind the internet and investigate how they come together to let you view websites and send information around the world.

Considering a range of devices, including smartphones and digital music players, you will investigate the technology that enables digital devices to share and exchange information.

This unit will help prepare you for the next phase of the internet revolution, ‘the internet of objects’ or also known as ‘ubiquitous computing’. By 2020, it is estimated that there will be 50 billion interconnected devices (objects) on the planet. These will include everyday devices embedded into clothing and domestic appliances.

This technology has created new concerns regarding security and privacy. You will investigate these concerns and consider how users should behave online to safeguard themselves and respect others.