Wikipedia contains about 7 million articles a. on its English site b. that are available to the public c. in total
Nupedia’s volunteers were supposed to be a. well-paid b. experts c. students
Wikipedia’s community tries to a. ignore misinformation b. spread misinformation c. document misinformation
Discussion/essay questions
Do you use Wikipedia regularly? When would you not use it? Do you think it should become a more accepted source? Why or why not?
Transcript
Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites on the internet. It is available in over 300 languages, and its English site contains nearly 7 million articles. The idea for a free online encyclopedia began in the 1990s, when the internet’s user base was still growing. In 2000, an entrepreneur named Jimmy Wales created a site called Nupedia. The original goal of Nupedia was to publish free articles by expert volunteers. However, Nupedia’s volunteers wrote new articles very slowly, and the site did not gain many users. The site’s editor, Larry Sanger, suggested adding a wiki page to encourage community participation. As Wikipedia’s popularity grew, people became concerned about the concept of an information source that anyone could edit. However, some researchers have found that Wikipedia contains about the same amount of mistakes as other online sources. Wikipedia’s community also documents misinformation on the site. People now use Wikipedia to learn new things every day.
The ancient Egyptians wrote on a. paper b. papyrus c. parchment
Ts’ai Lun’s paper was made of rags, bark, and a. animal skin b. papyrus stems c. old fishing nets
In the 11th century, paper came to Morocco and Spain with a. the Roman Empire b. the Islamic Caliphate c. the Mongol Empire
Discussion/essay questions
Some historians believe that the most powerful society during each period in history was often the one with the most access to paper. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
Over the last few decades, information has been moving online. Do you think paper will continue to be important in the future? Why or why not?
Transcript
In ancient times, people carved words on stone. The earliest paper-like material was papyrus, which ancient Egyptians made from the stems of the papyrus plant. However, the basic paper-making process began in China around 100 CE. A courtier named Ts’ai Lun mashed rags, bark, and old fishing nets into a pulp. He used water to hold the pulp together and let it dry into a sheet. Before, Chinese scribes had written on woven fabric. Ts’ai Lun’s process made it easier to copy books and spread information. Paper spread first to Korea and Japan, and then to the Middle East through the Silk Road. The Islamic Caliphate brought paper to Morocco and Spain in the 11th century. Europe took a while to start using paper. Roman officials thought parchment was more refined. However, the invention of the Gutenberg press changed this. Paper was cheaper to make than parchment, which made it better for mass printing. As production of paper increased around the world, so did literacy.
The internet began as a military tool. During the Cold War, the United States government wanted to protect important from potential attacks. They decided to create a system that could information around instead of storing it in one place. Government-funded engineers built this network, called the ARPANET, in 1969. The ARPANET used telephone lines to connect computers at across the country. Despite the original goal, the ARPANET was mostly used for communication between researchers, and universities from other countries began to join the network in the mid-1970s. In 1991, an English programmer named Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web, which information into “webpages” that were easy to find and read. This invention made the internet much more accessible to the .
Comprehension questions
See answers below
The internet began as a tool for a. university researchers b. the US military c. media outlets
The original goal of the ARPANET was to a. protect information by storing it across multiple places b. connect universities around the world c. allow the public to find information for free
In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee invented a. Wi-Fi networks b. the World Wide Web c. email
Discussion/essay questions
How has the world changed since the invention of the internet? Do you think the internet has had a generally positive or negative effect on the world? Why?
Transcript
The internet began as a military tool. During the Cold War, the United States government wanted to protect important information from potential attacks. They decided to create a system that could move information around instead of storing it in one place. Government-funded engineers built this network, called the ARPANET, in 1969. The ARPANET used telephone lines to connect computers at universities across the country. Despite the original goal, the ARPANET was mostly used for communication between researchers, and universities from other countries began to join the network in the mid-1970s. In 1991, an English programmer named Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web, which organized information into “webpages” that were easy to find and read. This invention made the internet much more accessible to the public.
The person who discovered radio waves was a. Heinrich Hertz b. Guglielmo Marconi c. Thomas Edison
Marconi’s radio device was a. a wireless telegraph b. a music player c. an early television
Radios were originally used for a. news broadcasts b. entertainment c. military communication
Discussion/essay questions
Today, it is easier than ever to receive instant information due to the Internet and social media. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of this?
Transcript
In the 1880s, a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves, a type of invisible electromagnetic radiation. Hertz proved that the waves could travel through the air, just like light, and transmit information. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi created the first device that used radio transmissions in the 1890s. It was a telegraph that could transmit Morse code without wires. In the years before World War I, inventors developed radio devices that could communicate more complex messages, including spoken words and music. Radios were originally used for military communication. However, many people began to buy radios for personal use during the 1920s, when radio companies built stations for news and entertainment broadcasts. This allowed people to receive information about politics, the world, and important events almost instantly.
