LI 840

The Structure and Organization of Information Technology

Spring 2003
Marilyn Sherman

Introduction    

Everything is on the Web!  Or is it? In this age of instant communication and technology that allows us to be in contact, literally with anyone in the world at any given moment, the Internet gives us instant access.  Not only does the Internet allow communication, but it is much more than that.  It contains a collection of many different resources, such as the World Wide Web, newsgroups, mailing lists, chat rooms, pictures, music, documents and much more.

With the enormous growth of the Internet and web pages, it is assumed that any information needed can be easily found with one or two words and a click.  Do the terms "Internet " and World Wide Web" mean the same thing?  Can any information be easily found on the web and how?  What is the best way to find information?  For this project, I will explore six different aspects of the Internet.  I will start with understanding what makes up the Internet and the World Wide Web.  Are they really the same thing?  Also discussed in the concept of the invisible web, how to conduct effective information searches, what are search engines and how to use them and what is meant by the term data mining.  

The last topic explored is information on Spanish language resources.  I speak fluent Spanish and have lived in Latin America for over five years.  I have a continuing interest in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.  I constantly see a need for bilingual resources in my own community of Olathe, Kansas where the Spanish speaking population is growing at a very fast pace.  I hear the Spanish language spoken everywhere in the community and I see a constant need for information in Spanish.  Current technology is capable of helping to cross cultural gaps with language translators and there are information resources in Spanish that are helpful to the person more comfortable using their native Spanish language when conducting  information searches.

Go to each topic in the chart below for an annotated list of resources.  After reviewing each topic, go to the conclusion for a summarizing statement of this project for The Structure and Organization of Information Technology.

  Conclusion

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