DGB 2: Internet and Data Transmission

← Digital Literacy – Year 2

The internet is a global network made up of many interconnected networks. Services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, messaging and streaming use this infrastructure. When a web page is requested, addresses are resolved, data is transferred between client and server, and the browser displays the result.

Curriculum reference

Area	Classification
Competence area	Information
Perspectives	Technical perspective (T)
Focus	Internet and data transmission
Competence	Explain basic principles of the internet, the web, client-server communication, addressing and data transmission using simple models and relate them to everyday internet use.

Learning objectives

Students can:

distinguish the internet from the World Wide Web;
use the terms browser, search engine, website, web page and URL correctly;
explain client and server using simple examples;
understand IP addresses and domain names as different forms of addressing;
explain DNS in simple terms as the mapping of domain names to technical addresses;
distinguish upload from download;
explain that data can be divided into packets during transmission;
describe routers as devices that forward data between networks;
distinguish bandwidth, latency and disruption in simple terms;
recognise HTTPS as a protected connection to the addressed web server without treating it as proof that the content is trustworthy;
describe the steps of a web-page request from browser to server and back.

Learning content

Internet, web and services

The internet is the technical interconnection of computers and networks. The World Wide Web is one service that uses this infrastructure; browsers request web pages using web protocols. E-mail, messaging, video calls and online games are other internet services. A browser is therefore not the internet, and a search engine is not the same as the web.

Client and server

A client requests a service and a server provides it. When a browser requests a page, the browser acts as a client and the web server sends the requested data. Smartphones, tablets and other devices can be clients too. A computer can provide more than one service depending on the software it runs.

IP address, domain and DNS

Networks use technical addresses such as IP addresses to reach systems. Domain names are easier for people to remember. DNS helps find the technical address associated with a domain name. In a simplified model: name → DNS lookup → address → connection.

URL and browser

A URL identifies a resource and can contain protocol, host name and path. The browser interprets the URL, establishes a connection and requests the resource. Search engines help find pages, while the browser displays them.

Upload, download and data packets

A download transfers data from a remote system to the user's device; an upload sends data in the other direction. Network data may be divided into packets so it can be forwarded through networks and processed at the destination.

Bandwidth and latency

Bandwidth describes how much data can be transferred in a given time; latency describes delay. A connection can have high bandwidth and still react slowly if latency is high. Interference or congestion can also reduce perceived quality.

HTTPS and a protected connection

HTTPS protects the connection between the browser and the addressed web server against simple reading or alteration in transit. It does not prove that every statement on the website is correct or that the operator is trustworthy. Technical connection security and content evaluation are different questions.

A web-page request step by step

A simplified sequence is: enter a URL → resolve the domain via DNS → connect to the server → send a request → receive data → interpret HTML and other resources → display the page. Real systems are more complex, but this model explains the main roles.

Classroom activities

Act out an internet request

Take the roles of browser/client, DNS, router and web server and pass a request through the class.

Expected outcome: A correct basic sequence.

Distinguish internet services

Classify web, e-mail, messaging, streaming, video calls and online games as services that use internet infrastructure.

Expected outcome: A clear distinction between infrastructure and service.

Investigate upload and download

Identify upload and download in examples such as cloud storage, sending attachments and opening media.

Expected outcome: Correct direction of transfer.

Model packets and routes

Split a short message into numbered pieces and send them through different classroom routes before reassembling it.

Expected outcome: An understanding of packetised transfer.

Explain a web-page request

Draw and label the path from browser through DNS and network to the web server and back.

Expected outcome: A labelled process diagram.

Discuss speed and delays

Compare scenarios with different bandwidth and latency and predict which activities are affected.

Expected outcome: Correct use of the two terms.

Recognise secure transport

Inspect browser examples with HTTP/HTTPS and explain what HTTPS does and does not guarantee.

Expected outcome: A precise security statement.

Distinguish the internet from a search engine

Correct statements such as ‘Google is the internet’ or ‘the browser is the search engine’.

Expected outcome: Correct terminology.

Analyse an everyday example

Choose streaming, online gaming, cloud storage or messaging and identify client, server and data transfer.

Expected outcome: A short technical explanation.

Build a vocabulary map

Connect URL, domain, DNS, IP address, client, server, router, upload and download.

Expected outcome: A coherent concept map.

Self-check

I can distinguish the internet from the World Wide Web.
I can explain client and server.
I can explain the basic purpose of DNS.
I can distinguish upload and download.
I can describe data transmission using packets and routers.
I can distinguish bandwidth from latency.
I can explain what HTTPS protects and what it does not prove.