The Information Age

Streaming media, digital downloads, 24/7 communications, virtual worlds, and data galore: welcome to the Information Age! In this program, technology experts and everyday Internet consumers talk about the high-tech world we live in. Using clear and simple terms, they comment on available types of online services, their benefits and drawbacks, the widening impact of the Web on pretty much everything, and the digital divide—and ways to bridge it so that no one has to be left behind.

1. Internet Services: World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW) provides opportunities for entertainment, business, education, social networking, and communication in an online environment.

2. Internet Services: Business Sector For the business sector, the online environment provides many benefits. For example, the Internet has changed the way music is distributed and the way people access information such as through Wikimedia--though it may be inaccurate.

3. Global Connection Technology The Internet provides a global community in which time and distance are irrelevant. Communities with common interests can connect online. Internet users must critically analyze Internet content.

4. Local Connection Technology On a local level, the development of information communications technology affects people's personal and professional lives. Boundaries between work and home are blurred by electronic devices that keep people "plugged in" 24/7.

5. Internet Security and Digital Divide Developments Internet technology gives rise to new kinds of security issues as more people live their lives online. Online issues include identity and credit card theft. "Digital divide" is a term given to the digital haves and have-nots of the world.

Grade: 9-12

The Information Age (DVD)
© 2007
Time: 30 Minutes