Become net-savvy in six short weeks! Learn where the Internet came from, what makes it tick, and where it's headed. Learn five secrets about e-mail that you'll wish you knew long ago. Learn how to attach programs, documents, links, and pictures to simple e-mail messages. Learn how to safely download, locate, decompress, and open almost any type of file. Learn advanced search techniques so that you'll be able to find fast answers to virtually any question. Learn how to get free help on almost any subject in the newsgroups, and learn how you can conduct live conferences over the Internet with chat or Internet Telephony. Take control of remote computers with Telnet. Become expert at blogging, the newest and most exciting phenomenon to sweep the Internet since the advent of the World Wide Web.

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Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

In the late 1950s, the Soviet Union achieved something truly astonishing--something that absolutely stunned the world. In this fascinating history lesson, you'll learn exactly what the Soviets did, and how their actions triggered the birth of the Internet. You'll hear the very same Soviet transmission--delivered at the height of the Cold War--that chilled Western scientists to the bone. You'll read the first message to be transmitted across the Internet (no, it wasn't spam), and you'll have an opportunity to view maps of both the early Internet and its present incarnation. By the time you finish this lesson, you'll truly understand how the Internet works, what it has to offer you, and how it moves information to and from your computer.

Friday - Lesson 02

In this lesson, you'll learn all about one of the most powerful tools the Internet has to offer: the World Wide Web. You'll learn where the Web came from and how it works. You'll know the difference between a Web server, a Web site, a Web address, a Web page, a Web link, and a Web browser. You'll become intimately familiar with the many powerful features of your Web browser, and you'll finally be able to decipher the meaning behind all those letters, numbers, colons, slashes, and dots you find in most Web addresses. You'll discover how to use bookmarks to keep track of your favorite Web resources, and you'll become adept at using shortcuts to get where you need to go with a minimum of effort.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

There are more than three billion documents stored on the World Wide Web, and thousands more are being added daily. With that many pages, your odds of locating a single Web document by chance are worse than hopeless. This lesson will teach you how to filter out the garbage and dramatically improve your chances of instantly finding the exact information you need. You'll be able to distinguish a search engine from a directory, and you'll know which tool is most likely to deliver the results you want. You'll even learn the three most important tricks all Internet research experts rely on.

Friday - Lesson 04

This lesson is a student favorite. On this day, you'll learn to apply the same advanced searching techniques used by master Internet researchers. If you can't find what you seek after this lesson, you can bet it isn't on the World Wide Web.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Electronic mail (e-mail for short) is the single most popular service on the Internet--and one of the major reasons why the Internet was created. Although many of us use e-mail heavily, very few of us take full advantage of all its capabilities. This lesson will show you how to get the most out of e-mail. You'll discover concrete steps you can take to search for the e-mail address of a long-lost friend or relative. You'll discover how to protect your privacy when using e-mail. You'll learn what you can send, and--more importantly--what you should never send, via e-mail. You'll become proficient at attaching links, text, images, and files to your outgoing e-mail messages. You'll learn how to send one message to multiple recipients, and you'll be able to do so without revealing the identity of any one recipient to the others. You'll learn how to have free news and information delivered directly to your e-mailbox daily, and you'll learn how to filter and organize your e-mail to avoid information overload. And most importantly, you'll discover seven sure-fire strategies to deal with unwanted e-mail.

Friday - Lesson 06

In this lesson, you'll learn how to download, locate, open, and use files from the Internet. You'll be guided step-by-step through the process of downloading and installing two critical (and free) utilities no self-respecting Internet user would ever be without: a document reader and a decompression program.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Today, you'll gain practical hands-on experience with compressed files, and you'll learn how to protect your computer and the data it contains from viruses, worms, trojan horses, scams, hoaxes, and other threats to your safety and sanity.

Friday - Lesson 08

Got a tough question you need an answer for? Looking for some advice? Want to settle a bet with a friend? Need to find out some obscure piece of trivia? Looking for a support group to help you or a loved one deal with stress, disease, or a traumatic event? Want help in deciding which product to buy? Need information on the latest in computer technology? Well, look no further. In this lesson, we'll pay a visit to the Newsgroups, where support for virtually any question you could possibly think to ask can be found.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

This lesson will help you enter the world of instant messaging, also known as chat. You'll learn the lingo (IOW, you'll know what people mean when people write TTYL, IMHO, or any number of other IM acronyms), and you'll find out how to have free live conversations with anyone at any time on any subject you choose. Bored? On the Internet, there's always somebody up for a round of virtual bridge or a game of e-chess. Find out how to join in the fun! And that's not all. You'll learn about Internet telephony and explore the fascinating world of webcams. Imagine being able to sneak an occasional peek at your home from a distant hotel, or keep an eye on your child care provider while you're at the office! It's completely possible. This lesson explains all.

Friday - Lesson 10

In this lesson, you'll learn about blogging, a new and fast-growing phenomenon with the potential to completely change the way we use the Internet. You'll explore some of the most popular, useful, and fascinating blogs on the Internet, and you'll understand how you can use blogs to save time, learn something new, make a friend, build up your business, become a better teacher, help your favorite charity, enhance your credibility, and more. You'll even find out how to create and publish your own blog with no investment other than 15 minutes of your time.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

In this lesson, you'll discover how to use Telnet--one of the Internet's oldest tools. Despite its age and charmingly antiquated interface, Telnet is still wildly popular because it allows you to remotely control faraway computers that don't even belong to you! By the end of this lesson, you'll be logging into and exploring computers at some of the world's biggest libraries, government agencies, and research institutions.

Friday - Lesson 12

What's next for the Internet? You'll find out about some very exciting things to come in this entertaining and information-packed grand finale.

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This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Craig Power.

Craig Power has worked in adult continuing education for more than 18 years. A UCLA graduate, he created custom accounting software for state and local governments; developed an online course delivery and marketing platform currently used by more than 1,500 colleges and universities in the US, Canada, and Australia; developed an interactive cellular biology video for the Los Angeles Unified School District; taught college-level information technology courses; started and grew a thriving small business; and served as an executive with a large academic publishing corporation.

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Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). and a computer of any type.

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Student Reviews:

• "Enjoyed the course very much. I took the course mainly to fill in my knowledge gaps of the Internet since I have had no formal training. It met this need well."
• "Great class. I really enjoyed learning and applying what I learned. Thanks."
• "I feel that this course is the best that I have taken for learning about the internet. I have taken two or three live workshops, but they were not nearly as beneficial as this online course. I could take my time reading the lessons and go back and even reread something that I didn't quite understand. The course gave me a chance to work at my pace. I would strongly recommend it to others as it was recommended to me."
• "I learned a great deal not only from the material but also from the interaction with the other students"
• "I learned a lot from this course. I came into it thinking I knew all of it and would be bored, but boy did you show me!!! Thank you for creating a great course."
• "I learned more than I expected. The information was very in-depth. I am more than pleased with the information covered in this course. I got more than I expected, but never felt overwhelmed by the way the information was presented."
• "I love the instructor's writing style, humor, knowledge of subject, and his vocabulary. Also, he seems to relate to a busy person. His lessons are informative and compact."
• "I really enjoyed the course. The instructor made the reading very easy and interesting."
• "I really loved taking this course and I’m looking forward to taking many other courses!"
• "I thought the course was great and the material was easy to understand and I learned quite a bit."
• "I thought this was an excellent course! I did know some of the information before I started, but what I didn't know I found to be very interesting! I really enjoyed this course and learned a lot from it!"
• "Mr. Powers is by FAR a great teacher. Although we have never met each other, I really feel we have become great friends. I someday hope to meet him in person as so to shake his hand."
• "The instructor, Craig Power has a very effective teaching method. The courses are fascinating."
• "This course was the first class I have taken on-line. I have acquired knowledge that will help not only at work but also at home. It was also a great deal of fun."
• "This is a well-written, interesting course that I found just right to squeeze in to my very busy schedule. The lessons were interesting, to the point, and very informative."
• "This was my first on-line class but will not be my last. I was sooooooo afraid to take an on-line class but you made it so easy for me. Thank you for opening a whole new way of learning for me."
• "Very interesting and thought provoking material."

To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below: