Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

access controls: Ways for you to limit who has access to your Web page. Your site can be open to anyone, or you can limit access to a select group of people (the students in your class, for example) by requiring a password.

Adobe Acrobat: Acrobat Reader is a free software product from Adobe, designed to view .pdf (portable document format) documents downloaded from the World Wide Web.

Adobe Photoshop: High-end software from Adobe which is used to edit digital images. After using a scanner to digitize a picture, you can use Photoshop to edit and save pictures in a form that can be used in Web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and word processing documents.

Anchor: An anchor (also referred to as a bookmark by Microsoft applications) is the destination of a hyperlink within a Web page. Anchors are common on single Web pages containing lots of text where the text section titles appear at the top of the page and clicking the link causes the browser to jump down the page and display the selected portion of text.

asynchronous: If events are asynchronous, they do not have to happen in any particular order, and one event's occurrence does not depend on the occurance of another event. For example, with the Catalyst Peer Review tool, students can submit their comments at any time; comments can be received in any order, and other students do not have to be online at the same time.

bookmark: 1) When you "bookmark" a page, you tell your Web browser to remember that page's address (URL), so that you can go back to it easily, without having to type in the URL again. Bookmarks are called "favorites" in Microsoft Internet Explorer. It keeps your place, much like a bookmark in a book does. Most browsers have an easy method of saving the URL to create a bookmark. 2) Microsoft Web editors use the term bookmark to refer to a location within a hyperlink destination within a Web page, referred to elsewhere as an anchor.

broken link: A hyperlink connection to another Web page which no longer works. Web pages are often moved or erased and links to these pages sometimes do not reflect this change. A broken link is a dead end which no longer opens the page to which it refers.

browser: Software which lets you view material designed for the World Wide Web. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the most commonly used Web browsers. A browser usually displays documents created in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language used for creating Web pages.

Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology: The Center works with faculty, departments, and colleges to help them plan their use of educational technology and provide training to faculty, instructors, teaching assistants, librarians, and instructional staff.

Collaboratories: Two networked classrooms in Odegaard Undergraduate Library which are set up for teaching with or about technology and for bibliographic instruction. Collaboratories I and II have many student computers, an instructor station, and a projection unit and can be reserved for use by instructors.

Composer: A program from Netscape which can be used to create and edit HTML documents. Composer is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, meaning that you can create the Web page as you want it to look on the screen, and the program adds the HTML source code necessary to make sure that the page looks right in a Web browser. Composer can be downloaded free from Netscape.

course templates: Generic class Web pages created by the CTLT for use by instructors. Instructors can download course templates and customize them by inserting information about their classes. The completed documents can be posted on the World Wide Web, where they can be accessed by students.

CTLT: see "Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology"

data projector: A device for taking the information that you would normally see on a computer monitor and projecting it onto to a larger movie screen. By projecting your work instead of displaying it on a monitor, you can show a PowerPoint slide show, a Web page, or other projects you've developed on the computer to a larger group of people.

DeskScan II : Software from Hewlett-Packard used in conjunction with a scanner. Using DeskScan II, pictures or documents can be "scanned in" to the computer (turned into digital files), edited, and placed in one of the right formats to be posted on a Web page or inserted into PowerPoint presentations.

dialing in: Using a phone line and modem to establish a connection to a computer. Generally, people who use this type of connection do not stay connected all the time; they only dial in when they need to access the Internet. These types of connections are slower than on-campus Ethernet connections.

dialog box: A small window which appears on the computer screen that either requires that you perform an action, select an option, or provides you with information. For example, dialog boxes ask you questions like, "Do you want to save this document?" or "Are you sure that you want to exit this program?"

directories: Just as a drawer is a space where one keeps folders in a file cabinet, a directory is a place to store folders on a computer. For instance, you could have a directory called "teaching" that contains individual file folders filled with information about each class that you teach. Directories contain folders (or subdirectories), and folders contain files.

Distiller: A software program from Adobe which converts postscript files to portable document format (.pdf) files. Postscript files have special coding which instruct the printer how to print the document.

dots per inch (dpi): Computers can only fit a certain amount of information on to a monitor screen (or other display device). This is measured in how many dots can be shown in one inch of screen space. PC monitors range from 60-120 dots per inch, but usually cannot display more than 72 dpi. Because of this limitation, you should not post very high-resolution (over 72 dpi) images to a Web page. Viewers will not be able see any difference, and the larger file size will slow the download time.

download: Transferring files or information from a remote computer to your computer.

drop down menu: A menu showing a list of choices on a Web page. When you click on the down arrow next to the first choice, the other choices on the list appear below (they "drop down"). You can then select the choice that you want. A drop down menu will usually give you a choice of links to follow (as on the first page of the Catalyst site), or allow you to post information on a form (as in the Catalyst WebQ tool).

edit the HTML source code: HTML (hypertext markup language) source code is the hidden information (not shown on a Web page) that tells your browser how to display World Wide Web documents on your computer screen. Many programs, such as Microsoft FrontPage, Claris Homepage, and Netscape Composer, allow you to edit HTML documents without ever seeing this "hidden" source code, but they also allow you to edit the code directly. When you edit the source code, you can change how things are displayed and edit the HTML programming tags. Editing the source code requires a basic knowledge of HTML programming.

electronic discussion: Electronic discussion provides a way for topical discussions to continue outside of the classroom. Students can post messages to one another and to the instructor electronically. A number of tools can make this easier, including newsgroups and listservs.

electronic reserves: University of Washington Libraries has a service which allows instructors to place reserve readings online. Not all materials can be placed online, but this method provides convenient remote access to some readings that you would normally put at the reserve desk in the library.

email attachments: Programs and documents can be sent "attached" to email messages. These attachments are not part of the message, and must be read or viewed separately. Attachments do not have to be text documents; any computer file (images, programs, spreadsheets, etc.) can be attached to email. Most email programs allow you to attach information in this way.

email newsgroups: One method to facilitate discussion outside of class. Students subscribe to a group and send messages to all other students in the group. The list is like an electronic bulletin board, so students need to check it periodically to read the new messages.

Excel: A program in the Microsoft Office Suite that creates spreadsheets. Initially developed for accounting, spreadsheets like Excel are now used for a variety of other projects which require that data be organized in a table or grid.

favorites: In Microsoft Internet Explorer you can tell the program to remember a list of your "favorite" Web pages, so that you can go back to them easily, without having to type in the address (URL) again. When you add a page to your favorites, you can jump to it again by clicking "favorites" on the tool bar and selecting from the list. "Favorites" are similar to the "bookmarks" used by Netscape Navigator and other browsers.

Fetch: This is Macintosh's method of moving files from one computer to another, simlar to file transfer protocol (ftp). Usually, it is used to copy files from a personal computer to a server, so that they can be accessed by others.

file extension: These are the three letters which come after the dot in the name of a file, and tell your computer what kind of file it is. Examples are .jpg (an image file), .doc (a Microsoft Word document), .txt (a text file).

file size: The size of the file is the amount of disk storage space taken up taken up by a file (measured in bytes). Generally, smaller files will load (appear on the screen) faster on the World Wide Web, and it is to your advantage to make files as small as possible.

FrontPage: A Microsoft program used to create and edit HTML documents. It can be used to create large complex Web sites. FrontPage is a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor, meaning that you can create the Web page exactly as you want it to look on the screen, and the program adds the HTML source code necessary to make sure that the page looks right in a Web browser.

FrontPage Express: A Microsoft program used to create and edit HTML documents. It is included on the University of Washington Internet Connectivity Kit (UWICK), which can be purchased at the bookstore. The program has fewer capabilites than the full version, Microsoft FrontPage, but it allows for the basic editing and posting of Web pages. FrontPage Express is a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor, meaning that you can create the Web page as you want it to look on the screen, and the program adds the HTML source code necessary to make sure that the page looks right in a Web browser.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A method of transfering files from one computer to another. Usually, it is used to copy files from a personal computer to a server, so that they can be accessed by others. There are several common software programs that are used to transfer files (depending on which operating system your computer is running): WS_FTP, Internet Neighborhood, or Fetch. FTP is often used to download files from Internet sites, many of which allow users to log in anonymously and download public repositories of material (programs, images, text, etc.). These sites are called "anonymous ftp sites."

.gif (Graphic Interchange Format): One of the most common file formats for images on the World Wide Web. Images saved as .gif files tend to take up more space than other image formats, but reproduce images more faithfully.

helper applications: A program launched by your browser which allows you use special kinds of files. These applications commonly let you see and hear video and audio files, as well as view specialized text files or virtual reality models. Shockwave, CosmoPlayer, and RealAudio are examples of helper applications. Another common term for these programs is "plug ins," because they supplement the capabilities of your browser, and only run when they are needed to display files.

home page: The first page that your browser will open when you access a Web address (URL). The home page generally serves as a gateway to the rest of the Web site by providing links to the other pages. The file that generates the page is usually called "index.html"

HomePage (Claris): A program released by Claris that is used to create and edit HTML (World Wide Web) documents. It can be used to create large complex Web sites. HomePage is a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor, meaning that you can create the Web page as you want it to look on the screen, and the program adds the HTML source code necessary to make sure that the page looks right in a Web browser.

.htaccess: A file that allows you to protect your Web page, site or a directory from unwanted users. This file will not allow access to anyone who does not have permission to view your site.

.htpasswd files: A file required to protect your Web page, site or a directory from unwanted users. This file sets and remembers passwords for the users you have authorized to view your site.

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language is the code used to write most documents on the World Wide Web. HTML codes (called "tags") tell your browser how to arrange text and images on the computer screen You can write the code yourself using any text editor, or can use any one of several commercially available HTML editors to create a document.

HTML document: A document or Web page that is written in Hypertext Markup Language.

HTML editor: A program used to edit documents which are written in Hypertext Markup Language. Common programs are Microsoft FrontPage, FrontPage Express, Claris Home Page, and Netscape Composer.

http: hypertext transfer protocol (http) is the standard method used to transfer data in HTML format from server to a remote computer. Web addresses often begin with http://, indicating that the documents you will access are written in HTML.

Hyper Text Markup Language: The code used to write most documents on the World Wide Web. HTML codes tell your browser how to arrange text and images on the computer screen You can write the code yourself using any text editor, or can use any one of several commercially available HTML editors to create a document.

hyperlinks: Text or images on a Web page that, when clicked with a mouse, cause your browser to load another page of HTML. Because a simple mouse click allows the user to easily go from one page of hypertext to another, these pages are said to be "hyperlinked." Text links are usually (but not always) underlined in blue, while hyperlinks that are images often take the form of "buttons."

icon: A small graphic symbol that represents a program, file, or folder on a computer. Clicking on an icon with a mouse generally causes the program to run, the folder to open, or the file to be displayed (if possible).

imagemap: An invisible (on a Web browser) grid that is overlayed on top of an existing image on a Web page (usually a .gif file or a .jpg file), which allows the image to serve as a hyperlink to another Web page. Several different hyperlinks can be mapped onto different parts of a single image.

Internet Explorer: A popular Web browser, created by Microsoft, used to view pages on the World Wide Web.

Internet Neighborhood: A Microsoft program that is used to move files from one computer to another. It follows the WS_FTP protocol, and is most commonly used for moving files from a personal computer to a server, where others can view them.

Java: A programming language created by Sun Microsystems which allows the user to create programs which run well in a netwroked environment (such as the World Wide Web). Java programs are commonly called "applets" and can be used to add anything from calculators to animated images to Web sites.

Javascript: A type of programming code written in Sun Microsystems' Java programming language. Javascript can make your Web pages interactive in a variety of ways. For example: telling users whether they've filled out a form correctly, displaying animated images, or allowing images to change when users touch them with the mouse pointer.

.jpg: (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A commonly used file format for images on the World Wide Web. .jpg (also called .jpeg) files use compressed data, so they take up less disk space, but often sacrifice some image quality to do this.

.jpeg: (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A very commonly used file format for images on the World Wide Web. .jpeg (also called .jpg) files used compressed data, so they take up less space, but often sacrifice some image quality to do this.

LISTPROC: The server that administers a LISTSERV. It distributes email messages to everyone on the list, and accepts commands from the list administrator.

LISTSERV/listservs: Electronic mail-based discussion groups. Users submit their names to the LISTPROC server via email and are added to the list, Users then receive all email messages that are sent to the list. LISTSERVs are a convenient way for people to electronically discuss a common interest.

Lynx: A Web browser that only displays text and is accessed by using a keyboard instead of a mouse. Lynx users will not be able to see images or hear sounds, and may not see a Web page in its intended format. It is commonly used by those who are visually impaired, have slower connections to the Internet, or do not want all the graphics displayed (graphics take a lot of time to download on slower connections). Lynx is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compatible.

mailto: A function that allows users to send email to the authors or sponsors of a Web site just by clicking on a hyperlink. This function will not work if the browser does not support the ability to send mail.

moderated list: An electronic discussion list where the list moderator (usually the person who founded the list) checks the relevance or appropriateness of each message before sending it on to the rest of the list members.

Navigator: A popular Web browser, created by Netscape, used to view pages on the World Wide Web

newsgroups: One method to facilitate discussion outside of class. Students subscribe to a group and send messages to all other students in the group. The list is like a bulletin board in electronic form, so students need to check it periodically to read the new messages.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition): The method used by a computer to convert scanned in pages of text into electronic text documents. With OCR, a user can scan in a page from a book; the computer will recognize the characters on the page as letters and punctuation marks, and create a file contains the same text as the scanned page. The finished file can then be opened in any word processor. By "recognizing" whole pages of text, OCR saves you from having to type text information into the computer by hand.

OmniPage Professional: Software from ? used in conjunction with a scanner. Using OmniPage, pictures or documents can be "scanned in" to the computer (turned into digital files), edited, and placed in one of the right formats to be posted on a Web page.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR): The method used by a computer to convert scanned in pages of text into electronic text documents. With OCR, a user can scan in a page from a book; the computer will recognize the characters on the page as letters and punctuation marks, and create a file contains the same text as the scanned page. The finished file can then be opened in any word processor. By "recognizing" whole pages of text, OCR saves you from having to type text information into the computer by hand.

PageMill: A program released by Adobe that is used to create and edit HTML (World Wide Web) documents. It can be used to create large complex Web sites. PageMill is a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor, meaning that you can create the Web page as you want it to look on the screen, and the program adds the HTML source code necessary to make sure that the page looks right in a Web browser.

.pdf (portable document format): A file format created by Adobe, initially to provide a standard form for storing and editing printed publishable documents. Because documents in .pdf format can easily be seen and printed by users on a variety of computer and platform types, they are very common on the World Wide Web. To view files of this type, download the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free from Adobe's Web site.

Perl: A programming language used on the World Wide Web. It is designed to be used for functions which are too complicated for a browser to run, but not worth the effort of programming into a more complicated language (like C).

PhotoShop: An expensive and powerful software program from Adobe which is used to manipulate images. Pictures can be dramatically changed using PhotoShop: colors changed, images sharpened, parts of the picture removed or moved.

pico: A Unix text editor that can be used to make changes in HTML documents. Pico does not have many features that standard word processors have, but can be used to easily edit HTML source code.

Pine: A Unix based program for managing electronic mail developed by the University of Washington.

pixels: A measurement of the smallest "dot" that can be displayed a computer screen.

pkzip: A program that compresses files so that they will take up less storge space in a disk. Many files are stored "zipped" or "compressed" on servers, to decrease the time you spend downloading them. After they are on your computer, you need to "unzip" them to be able to run them (using pkunzip, WinZip, or other programs) . Some compressed files will uncompress automatically after you download them.

plug-in: A program launched by your browser which allows you use special kinds of files. These applications commonly let you see and hear video and audio files, as well as view specialized text files or virtual reality models. These programs are called plug-ins because they supplement the capabilities of your browser, and only run when they are needed to display files. Shockwave, CosmoPlayer, and RealAudio are examples of plug-ins.

portable document format (.pdf): A file format created by Adobe, initially to provide a standard form for storing and editing printed publishable documents. Because documents in .pdf format can easily be seen and printed by users on a variety of computer and platform types, they are very common on the World Wide Web. To view files of this type, download the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for free from Adobe's Web site.

PowerPoint: A program in the Microsoft Office suite which allows users to create presentations, and handouts. By creating PowerPoint "slides," users can add color, images, sounds, and movies to their text presentations.

public_html directory: A University of Washington account (such as dante, homer) can contain a directory called public_html which holds all of the files that users make publicly available via the World Wide Web. These are mainly HTML files, but they can include other types of files, especially images. The documents that make up your personal Web page are stored here.

QuickTime movies: A software format, developed by Apple Computer, that allows you to show "movies" or other moving pictures (TV, animations, etc.) on your computer. Quicktime Movies are commonly available on the Web, and can be viewed using Apple's MoviePlayer plug-in.

RealPlayer: A plug-in application developed by Real Networks, that allows a user to hear audio and video saved in various file formats. Realplayer also plays streaming media, that is, audio or video that is being broadcast live over the internet. Clicking on some hyperlinks will cause your browser to activate RealPlayer.

RealPresenter: A plug-in application from Real Networks that allows users to record audio files and present them on the World Wide Web.

scan: The process of turning pages from notebooks, typed documents, and photographs into digital images. After images have been digitized, they can be placed on World Wide Web pages. A scanner (machine) and scanning software software are required.

server: A computer which is designed to be accessed by many other computers. Servers can be attached to local area networks (in an office setting, for instance) and/or be hooked up to the internet. With the proper software and connections, servers can control the distribution of email, store World Wide Web documents, and provide access to files that are shared by many users.

smart quotes: Many word processors will automatically indent block quotes ten spaces, and will provide a different character for a open quotation mark, and a close quotation mark.

streaming media: Any type of media (radio, television, virtual reality presentation, etc.) which can be view using a plug-in (RealNetworks's RealPlayer, or Microsoft's NetCast for example). The streaming media is usually broadcast live, and can be from anywhere in the world. By using this feature, you will be able to enable view foreign broadcasts or listen to a radio station from across the United States.

StuffIt Expander: A program for the Macintosh used to decompress files after downloading. Many files are stored on servers in a compressed format, making them take up less disk space, and reducing the time it takes for you to download them. StuffIt Expander (published by Aladdin Systems), decompresses these files, and makes them usable by your computer. On a PC, this process is called "unzipping" files.

subdirectory: A division in the way that a computer organizes information. The drawer of a file cabinet is analogous to a directory; it is a space where one keeps folders. In this analogy, each of these folders would be a subdirectory. Subdirectories contain many different files (and sometimes other subdirectories); for instance, if you had a directory on you computer called "teaching documents," it might contain subdirectories like "lecture notes," "class lists," or "handouts." Within the subdirectory, "lecture notes," you might have files for each day of class that contain your detailed notes. Directories contain subdirectories, and subdirectories contain files.

synchronous: When two events are synchronous, one event must be completed for another event to occur.

telnet: The standard protocol for connecting one computer to another (usually, one of these computers will be a server running Unix). Telnet allows you to connect to another computer, input commands, and run programs. When you connect to your campus email from a public terminal at the University of Washington, you are usually "telnetting" to dante or homer. From the "shell" of dante or homer you can telnet to any computer in the world, provided that you know the address, and can log on with a username and password

threaded email discussions: Commonly used on newsgroups or listservs, these are indexes which allow a user to follow one particular subject in a series of email messages. Because email lists often receive a large number of messages on diverse topics, it can often be difficult to follow a single discussion. When messages are threaded, all messages are grouped together by topic making it easier to follow a single line of argument.

thumbnail: A tiny copy (about the size of a thumbnail) of a larger image. Generally, thumbnails appear on Web pages to give users a general idea of what the image looks like before they choose to spend time waiting for the larger version to download. Clicking on a thumbnail image generally causes the larger image to load automatically.

UMail: A Catalyst Tool which allows students to send feedback to an instructor. The feedback can be anonymous, and the tool can be used as a course evaluation method.

Unix: A very popular operating system on the Internet. Unix is a system favored by computer programmers, and is characterized by arcane, unintuitive commands. Mastering Unix requires some study.

unmoderated list: A listserv where messages are not censored in any way. Anyone can post any message to the list, and it will be received by all of the list members. Although there is no moderator, most unmoderated lists have a very complicated system of etiquette (called Netiquitte) which determines which responses are appropriate. It helps to read the frequently asked questions file (FAQ) of a newsgroup before posting a message to make sure that you are conforming to the appropriate decorum.

unzip: A method for uncompressing files on a PC after downloading them from the Internet. Many files are stored on servers in a compressed format, making them take up less disk space, and reducing the time it takes for you to download them. You must decompresses these files to make them usable by your computer. WinZip and pkunzip are popular free software programs that will uncompress files.

upload: The process of transferring a file from a personal computer to a server. It makes the file available to others.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The "address" for documents on the World Wide Web. Addresses that begin with "http://" or "ftp://" usually indicate that they are URLs.

usenet: A format for a internet newsgroups. Usenet groups can be accessed by anyone, and contain informal messages on a variety of topics, as well as news and information from wire services such as the Associated Press and Reuter's News Agency.

Web-based peer review: A tool created by the CTLT which allows students to make their papers or other material available online, allowing other students to make comments and suggestions.

Web-based software: Software that is intended to be used on the World Wide Web.

Web-based survey or quiz: Interactive forms that allow students and others to post information on line in response to instructor's questions. Using WebQ, a tool developed by the CTLT, you can create quizzes and survey's quickly and easily, and WebQ will automatically post the questions on the Web in the format that you choose. When your survey or quiz is complete, WebQ will automatically tabulate the results for you as well.

WebQ: A tool created by the CTLT to create and post questionnaires and quizzes on the World Wide Web. The program automatically posts the instructor's questions, automatically tabulates and records the results, and saves questions for future use.

WinZip: A program, published by WinZip, used to uncompress files after downloading them on a PC running Microsoft Windows. Many files are stored on servers in a compressed format, making them take up less disk space, and reducing the time it takes for you to download them. WinZip decompresses these files, and makes them usable by your computer.

Word: A program in the Microsoft in the Office Suite. Although Word is a word processing program, more recent versions (Word 97 and higher) can also publish word files as HTML documents, so that they can be used on the World Wide Web.

WS_FTP: A process used to move files from one place to another. Most commonly, files are moved from a disk or a computer's hard drive to a server., which make files available to others to see on the World Wide Web.

WYSIWG ("What You See is What You Get"): A type of text editor that allows you to edit a document and see it as it will appear in its final version. Most word processors are WYSIWIG, because they show you on the screen what a document will look like when you print it. Most HTML editors also fall into this category, because they allow you to edit a World Wide Web document and see it as it would look on a Web browser.

XML: A language still under development for use on the World Wide Web. XML promises more versatility and power than HTML, but not many applications support the use of XML yet. Instead of using tags to describe how a document should look, it uses tags to describe the content of the document.

Zip disks: These are disks to use in "Zip drives" which hold more data than standard 3 1/2 inch floppy disks. Zip drives are commonly used to back up hard drives and large documents.