skill set 2 navigation

Using the Internet Level 1 ITQ

© CiA Training Ltd 2012 20 Internet Explorer 9

Skill Set 2

Navigation

By the end of this Skill Set you should be able to:

Recognise Web Addresses and URLs

Move Backwards and Forwards Through a Website

Stop and Refresh Page Downloads

Use Hyperlinks

Bookmark Websites in Your Favorites List

Add Websites to Your Favorites Bar

Manage Your History

Use Tabs and New Windows

Level 1 ITQ Using the Internet

Internet Explorer 9 21 © CiA Training Ltd 2012

Exercise 10 - Web Addresses and URLs

Knowledge:

Every website on the Internet has its own unique address (like every telephone has a unique number on the telephone network). The simplest way of visiting a website is by entering its web address (also known as a Universal Resource Locator, or URL) into your web browser. It is important that the exact address is entered or the page will not be found. A web address commonly takes the following form:

http://www.bigplanetsupport.co.uk

The first part of the address represents the protocol used by the World Wide Web. A protocol is a set of rules that determine how computers transfer data between one another. All websites use the protocol http (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) so Internet Explorer automatically enters http:// to the start of every web address.

Generally, the next part of the address is www (world wide web), followed by the domain name of the website (bigplanetsupport in the above example), then one or more segments indicating the kind of organisation or country where the website is located. For instance, co.uk is a company website located in the UK, gov.ie is a government website located in Ireland, org.nz is an organisation’s website located in New Zealand, and so on.

The address allows you to uniquely identify any web page you visit, even if you have arrived there as the result of a hyperlink or search.

Activity:

1. Start Internet Explorer and make sure you are connected to the Internet. Your Home page will be displayed.

2. Click once in the Address bar of the browser window to highlight the text already there. Enter www.bigplanetsupport.co.uk.

3. Press <Enter> or click the Go to button, , The home page of the Big Planet Support website will be displayed in the browser’s View Window. Notice that it replaces the previous page, i.e. there is still only one Tab open, and that http:// has been automatically added to the start of the address.

Note: Big Planet Support is a dedicated website created specifically to accompany this guide.

4. Read the text on the home page, and leave it open for the next exercise.

Note: To view a page on a company intranet, you can also enter its address into the Address bar (e.g. http://companyweb).



Exercise 11 - Hyperlinks

Knowledge:

One of the most important and powerful features of the Internet is the hyperlink (also known simply as a link). A hyperlink is a picture, a button, or a piece of text which, when clicked, immediately takes you to a different location on the Internet. Often a hyperlink will simply take you to another page within one website, but it can also link to a page on an entirely different website anywhere in the world.

As any web page can be linked to any other page, each one of which could be linked to many more, it is possible to browse the World Wide Web using only hyperlinks. Indeed, you may find links to new topics that you did not consider and find yourself on a path far removed from your original location. This process of following links is sometimes referred to as “surfing the web”.

Activity:

1. The Big Planet Support website will be open from the previous exercise.

Note: The web page displayed on your screen may not look exactly like that shown above. Internet pages are constantly changing as updates are made.

2. Find and familiarise yourself with the column of hyperlinks shown on the left of the page under Navigation (Home, Downloads, Hyperlinks, etc).

Note: Although web designers can design and build websites any way they like, most are structured in a consistent and similar way which you will learn to recognise over time. Most feature a common navigation panel containing links to other pages on the site (usually shown at the top or left side of all pages), and a content panel that will change in response to the links clicked.

Navigation

panel



Exercise 11 - Continued

3. Click the Hyperlinks link on the left Navigation panel. A new page of content is displayed. Read the information that is displayed.

4. Click the picture-link titled An Image Hyperlink.

5. You are taken to another page. Read the information that is displayed, and then click the text-link Return to the previous page.

Note: How do you know what’s a hyperlink and what isn’t? When you roll your

mouse pointer over a hyperlink it will change to a hand cursor, . Most text hyperlinks are also underlined and are shown in a different colour than the rest of the surrounding text.

6. Click the Image Gallery link on the left Navigation panel. A page containing links to three further sub-pages is displayed (i.e. Cartoons, Computers, and Places).

7. Click the Places link to display another page containing pictures of various locations around the world.

Note: You can also click the Places submenu link, shown under Image Gallery on the Navigation panel, to display the Places page.

8. Click on any image that interests you to view a larger version of it.

Note: Smaller versions of large images shown in this way are known as thumbnails.

9. Click the Cartoons submenu link, under Image Gallery, to display another collection of images. Click on any of these to view a larger version.

10. Click the Computers submenu link to display yet another collection of images. Again, click on one to view a larger version.

11. Leave the website open for the next exercise.



Exercise 12 - Navigation Buttons

Knowledge:

Internet Explorer records the order in which you view web pages, and moving between them is made easy by using the Back and Forward buttons. The Back button moves backwards through your list of recently viewed pages – one at a time – until the first one is reached. The Forward button does the opposite, moving you forward until the most recently viewed page is reached.

Also, to return directly to your starting Home page (without needing to use the Back button), you can do so at any time by using the Home button.

Activity:

1. The Big Planet Support site should still be open from the previous exercise.

2. As you clicked a number of links to reach this point, the Back button will be active. Click this once to return to the previously visited page.

Note: This exercise moves between different pages in one site. The buttons will also move between different sites.

3. Repeat this action, stepping back through each page visited, until the button becomes ghosted (pale grey). This means that the first page viewed this session has been reached (which should be your Home page).

4. Now click the Forward button once. Internet Explorer will go to the next page in the sequence of viewed pages.

5. Repeat this action to move forward through the list of all recently viewed pages until the Forward button becomes ghosted. This indicates that the most recently viewed page has been reached again.

Note: You can also use <Alt �> to move forward and <Alt �> to move backwards.

6. Click the Home button to the right of the Address Bar. You will return directly to your personal Home page without needing to click the Back button multiple times.

Note: Clicking from the Command bar will also display your designated Home page.

7. Leave Internet Explorer open for the next exercise.



Exercise 13 - Favorites

Knowledge:

When browsing the web, it is likely that you will have visited some websites that contain useful information that you would like to revisit on a regular basis. Internet Explorer’s Favorites feature provides a quick way of doing just that! In a few easy steps a favourite web page can be added to a list so that you can jump directly back to it at any time. This is also known as bookmarking.

Your list of bookmarks can be displayed at any time in the Favorites Center. Any page on the list can be revisited by clicking its entry. Importantly, the Favorites list is not deleted at the end of a browsing session; entries are retained until manually removed.

Activity:

1. Type www.bigplanetsupport.co.uk into the Address bar and press <Enter>. The Big Planet Support site appears.

Note: As you have already visited the Big Planet Support site, as you type its address into the Address bar, you will notice that the full address appears automatically to save you time. This is known as autocomplete.

2. Click the Favorites button to display the Favorites Center. Make sure the Favorites tab is selected.

Note: Alternatively, click Favorites from the Menu bar and select Add to favorites.

3. Click the Add to favorites button to display the Add a Favorite dialog box (notice the Favorites Center closes automatically).




4. In the Add a Favorite dialog box, edit the text in the Name field to Support.

5. Click Add to add the page to your Favorites list.

6. Click your Home button to return to your Home page.

7. Display the Favorites Center again by clicking the Favorites button. Make sure the Favorites tab is selected.

8. Notice that the Support bookmark now appears at the bottom of the Favorites list.

9. Move your mouse pointer over the Support bookmark. It will change to a hand cursor to inform you that this is a hyperlink.

Note: Notice the Tooltip that appears containing the name and web address of the bookmarked website.

10. Click the Support bookmark. You will be taken directly to the Big Planet Support website.

Note: Unless you have pinned the Favorites Center open, it will close automatically.

You can click the Pin the Favorites Center button to prevent the panel from disappearing when you select a link or click the main View Window. It will then remain on screen until you manually close it.

11. Leave Internet Explorer open for the next exercise.



Exercise 14 - The Favorites Bar

Knowledge:

Your most favourite websites can also be added directly to the Favorites bar, for even quicker access. This bar is optional and can be displayed above the View panel.

Activity:

1. If the Favorites bar is not displayed, right click in a blank space at the top of the window and make sure Favorites bar is selected.

2. Click once in the Address bar of the browser window to highlight the text already there. Enter www.bbc.co.uk.

3. Press <Enter> or click the Go to button, to display the BBC’s home page.

Note: CiA Training has no control over the availability and content of external websites. If you experience any problems completing any exercise, a list of alternative websites can be found at www.bigplanetsupport.co.uk.

4. Click the Add to Favorites bar button, at the left of the Favorites bar. A new bookmark appears automatically on the bar.

5. Enter www.nasa.gov into the Address bar and press <Enter>. The home page for NASA appears.

6. Click the Favorites button to display the Favorites Center.

7. Click the drop down arrow on the Add to favorites button, and select Add to Favorites bar. Another bookmark is added to the Favorites bar.

8. Click the bookmark for the BBC Homepage. You will be taken directly to the BBC website.

9. Explore the site a little: click one or two hyperlinks that are of interest.

10. When finished, click the Home button to return to your Home page and leave Internet Explorer open for the next exercise.



Exercise 15 - History

Knowledge:

As you are browsing the World Wide Web, Internet Explorer keeps a record of all the web pages you have visited. This is known as your “browsing history”, and can be viewed in the Favorites Center. If you ever need to return to a recently viewed web page, but can’t remember its location, you will find this feature very useful.

By default, details of pages you visit are kept for 20 days, although this period can be altered to suit your tastes. It is also possible to delete this history at any time.

Activity:

1. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Address bar, . Notice the list of recently visited websites (which may appear as addresses or by name).

2. There is a list of recently typed addresses, a list of recently visited pages (History) and a list of visited Favorites pages. The History and Favorites lists can be expanded by clicking the buttons. Click on the entry www.bbc.co.uk. The BBC home page is displayed again.

3. A more complete and structured history list is available in the Favorites Center. Click the Favorites button and then select the History tab. The History view will appear.

4. Click the View By drop-down and select View By Date. All sites visited (up to the default history time limit) are grouped into time periods.

5. Click Today to view a list of sites you have visited today.

6. Click the entry for the BBC website (www.bbc.co.uk) to see a further list of pages visited within that site.

View By

drop-down




7. Click any one to return to that page.

8. Click the Favorites button again, select the History tab and click the View By drop-down. Notice you can also sort your History websites by Most Visited (in order number of visits) or By Site (in alphabetical order).

9. To delete your browsing history, click the Tools button, , select Safety then select Delete browsing history.

Note: Safety is also an option on the Command bar.

10. A dialog box appears with options for deleting the various aspects of your history. Read the descriptions below each checkbox to see the type of history information you can delete.

11. Check Temporary Internet files and History only.

12. Click Delete. After a short delay a message will be displayed to show that the history has been deleted. Click the small close button to dismiss this.

13. Open the Favorites Center again and view your History – none of the websites visited earlier should appear.

Note: Deleting your history does not remove anything from your Favorites list or Favorites bar. You will see more about History settings in a later exercise.

14. Close the Favorites Center and check the Address bar drop-down list. This has also been cleared.

15. Click the Home button, , to return to your default Home page.



Exercise 16 - Stop and Refresh Page Loads

Knowledge:

When a web page is opened, it automatically begins to load. On most modern Internet connections this can be almost immediate, but if the connection is slow or the site contains a lot of graphics, it can still take a long time. The page load can be stopped if necessary.

The Refresh feature will start the page load again. Most websites are being constantly changed or updated, even as they are viewed. Refresh can ensure that the most up-to-date pages are being viewed.

Activity:

1. Enter the following web address in the Address bar: www.discovery.com. Press <Enter>.

2. As the page is loading, click the Stop button to the right of the Address bar. The page load will halt.

Note: If you have a high speed broadband connection the page may download before you have a chance to stop it.

3. Click the Refresh button. The loading begins again. If any information on the page has changed, the latest version will be displayed.

Note: If you missed the chance to stop the page load earlier, refreshing allows you to try again.

4. Explore the website for a moment by clicking any links that are of interest.

5. Use the Favorites bar to display the BBC site.

6. Use to return to the Discovery site. The download may be faster, because the images downloaded previously may still be available on your computer as Temporary Internet Files.

Note: Refresh can be useful when viewing pages where content may be changing quickly, for example, webcams (live images from cameras which are displayed on a web page) and online sports results.

7. When you have finished browsing, click the Home button to return to your Home page.

Stop Refresh



Exercise 17 - Tabs and New Windows

Knowledge:

When you visit a web page it appears in the View panel. In Internet Explorer it is possible to have more than one page open at a time, each contained within its own Tab. You can swap between tabs by clicking them on the Tab bar.

It’s also possible to have more than one Internet Explorer window open at a time, each with its own set of tabs!

Activity:

1. Locate the Tab bar towards the top of the Internet Explorer window, and click the New Tab button.

2. A new Tab is opened showing the default tab page.

3. Some recent sites that you have visited may be listed. Click the BBC site if displayed. If it is not shown, use the Favorites bar to display the site

4. Open another new tab by clicking the New Tab button, and then enter www.bing.com into the Address bar and press <Enter>. You now have three tabs open, each displaying a different web page.

Note: The tab for the currently displayed page (Bing) is lighter and has a Close Tab button.

New Tab

Button

Close Tab Button




5. Click the Google tab to immediately display that page, then click the BBC tab to display that page.

Note: All sites with tabs are active whether they are displayed or not. If one of the sites is showing a video for example, it will continue to play even if another tab is being viewed.

6. To close the current tab, click its Close Tab button, . The two remaining tabs stay open.

7. From the Command bar, click the Page button and select New Window. A new window appears with another copy of Internet Explorer displaying the currently selected site as the only tab.

Note: The previous window is still open in the background and can activated by selecting its entry on the Windows Taskbar. There is not much difference between opening new tabs and opening new windows. However, you will often find it easier to open new tabs as this keeps all of the websites you are browsing in one place. However, you may find some websites automatically open links in new windows.

8. Click the Close Tab button in the new window. As this is the only tab open, closing it will close the whole browser window. The previous browser window will be displayed again with the two previous tabs still open.

9. Close this window by clicking the Close button, , in the top right corner. As there is more than one tab open, a dialog box will appear.

10. Click Close all tabs to close both open tabs and the Internet Explorer program.

Note: Clicking Close current tab closes only the active tab and returns you to Internet Explorer.

Note: If you right-click on a hyperlink, you can select to open the linked page in a New Tab or a New Window. This is a useful feature if you need to keep the current page open as you browse to another page.



Exercise 18 - Develop Your Skills

You will find a Develop Your Skills exercise at the end of each Skill Set. Work through it to ensure you’ve understood the previous exercises.

1. Open Internet Explorer.

2. Enter the address www.disney.com in the Address bar and click the Go to button.

3. When the Disney home page appears, use any of the available hyperlinks to view topics of interest to you.

4. Use the Back button to return to the Disney website’s starting home page.

5. Add the current home page to your Favorite Center’s list of bookmarks (name it Disney Online).

6. Use the Forward button to return to the most recently viewed page.

7. Now visit the CNN website (www.cnn.com).

8. Bookmark this site’s home page (with the name CNN Online).

9. Browse the CNN website by selecting any hyperlinks of interest to you, and practise using the Back and Forward buttons to navigate the site.

10. Pin the Favorites Center open.

11. Visit the Disney site again by using your list of Favorites.

12. Display the History list and use it to visit the CNN site.

13. Return to your Home page.

14. Close the Favorites Center.

15. Open the site www.msn.com in a new tab.

16. Delete your Internet History.

17. Close Internet Explorer and any open tabs.



Summary: Navigation

In this Skill Set you have seen how to recognise and use web addresses to visit websites on the World Wide Web directly. You have also learned how use hyperlinks to move from page to page, seen how the Forward and Back buttons can aid navigation, and experienced how to stop and reload a web page download.

You have also learned how to add websites to your list of Favorites, and how pages you visit are stored in your History. You have also seen methods for deleting this history and how pages can be opened in their own tabs and windows.

You should be able to demonstrate your ability to:

• Use browser software and tools to navigate web pages:

� Enter web addresses (URLs) into the Address bar

� Use the Back, Forward, Go to and Home buttons

� Stop and reload website downloads

� Use tabs and new windows to aid navigation

� Bookmark and return to sites in your Favorites list to make it easier to find information another time

� Use and delete your browser History

skill set 2 navigation

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