1. How can we connect?
Satya and Simon are going to keep in touch with their
Learn about
friends to tell them about their adventures. To do this,
• how different technologies can they will need to use the Internet.
be used together
• applications software versus
locally installed software
• advantages and disadvantages
of online data
• online storage versus local
storage
• features, functions and target
audience of different forms of
online communities
• ways in which ICT is used to
communicate and collaborate
on a global scale
Starter
Most providers have ‘roaming’ facilities enabling you to use your
mobile phone abroad. Investigate the major networks to find out how
much it costs to phone and send texts from Europe.
Did you know? Connecting to the Internet
There are tens of thousands of
When Satya and Simon are travelling, how can they connect to the Internet?
cyber cafés around the world,
The Internet is a huge network and there are two main ways that people can
with at least one in almost
connect to it from their computers:
every small community in many
countries. • by cable
• using a wireless connection (see Figure 2.4).
Radio
waves
Figure 2.4 A computer with both cable and wireless connections to the Internet
47 Unit 1 Living in a Digital World

2. CYBER CAFÉS
Cyber café – a café or coffee shop
A cable connection to a network is always far quicker than a wireless
that has a number of personal
connection, but there won’t be many places where Satya and Simon will be
computers connected to the
able to find a socket to plug in their computer when they are travelling. Internet and available for use by
They could use a cyber café, but they would have to pay. customers. Most charge by the
hour or fraction of an hour.
Task 2.10 e-component
Look at the Cyber Captive Search Engine on Website 2.4. Use it to locate:
.
a) cyber cafés in the area where you live
b) cyber cafés in Paris for Satya and Simon to use.
Using the Internet in a cyber café
Task 2.11 e-component
If Satya and Simon are going to use computers in a cyber café that other
people will be using, they will have to take extra security precautions.
Produce a set of instructions for Satya and Simon to follow. Look at
Website 2.5, which contains a useful article from the Internet Techies
website, to get you started.
Chapter 2: On the move 48

3. WiFi ACCESS
Most of the hostels that you found in Paris should offer WiFi access, as this is
far easier to do than provide cabled access.
In many towns and cities around the world, there are places where you can
use a WiFi connection to the Internet for free. They are mostly located at
hotels, restaurants and café chains such as Starbucks and McDonald’s. These
places are called wireless hotspots.
Task 2.12 e-component
Using Website 2.6 find hotspots in your area.
2.6,
You can also use this site to find hotspots around the world. Find some
hotspots near the main sights in Paris for Satya and Simon.
With free WiFi Internet access, they will be able to keep in contact with their
friends.
Task 2.13
List the ways that Satya and Simon will be able to use the Internet to
keep in contact with their friends to tell them what they are doing and
showing them what they have seen.
Online photo albums
Instead of emailing copies of photos to their friends, they have decided to
Hotspot – a venue that offers create lots of online photo albums and allow access to the people they want
a WiFi Internet connection. to show each album to. Figure 2.5 shows an example of an image from an
Many are located in hotels and album.
restaurants and lots of them are
free.
Cloud computing – a system in
which all computer programs
and data is stored on a central
server owned by a company (e.g.
Google) and accessed virtually.
Web app (web application) – any
application that can be accessed
using a web browser. The
application can be as simple as a
message board or guest sign-in
page on a website, or as complex
as a spreadsheet.
Figure 2.5 An image from an album that Satya and Simon’s friend shared with them
49 Unit 1 Living in a Digital World

4. Task 2.14
What are the advantages of uploading images to online albums and
allowing friends to access them rather than emailing them or placing
them on a social networking site?
Uploading and storing images online is safer than simply keeping them on
the camera or netbook, where they might get deleted or even stolen.
Cloud computing
Satya and Simon could use cloud computing, a system in which computer
programs and data are stored centrally. All they would need to access this is
a connection to the Internet and an input device. There would be no need
to buy and install expensive software or powerful computers and hard disk
drives.
Satya and Simon can use cloud computing as they are travelling and use
free online software such as Google Docs, which will allow them to create
documents and spreadsheets. The documents are also saved online.
Many businesses are using software such as this for financial reasons and also
for collaborative working. Have a look at:
e-component
• Google Docs for personal use on Website 2.7
• Google Apps for business use on Website 2.8.
In practice Examiner’s tip!
e-component
As more people recognise the advantages of cloud computing, Computers connect to a network
giving users the ability to access software on the Internet and share in two main ways: using a wired
data with anyone, thousands of web apps are being produced connection or using a wireless
covering all needs and interests. Many of these are free and can be connection (WiFi). In the exam, you
found through directories such Simple Spark – see Website 2.9. may be asked to identify which
method is most appropriate in a
particular scenario. Remember
that while WiFi is often more
Task 2.15 convenient, speeds can be much
With your class consider the advantages and disadvantages of cloud
slower.
computing.
You need to consider the security
of WiFi connections when you are
Skills builder 2.5 out and about because many of the
Investigate features and functions of online photo albums. Upload some free WiFi connections offered at
of your own photos to an online photo album and set the access rights
hotspots are unsecured.
so that your friends can view and comment on your photos.
Using email on a mobile phone
uses a different type of connection.
Chapter 2: On the move 50