Parents As Internet Partners - Saving Files, etc.

Parents As Internet Partners
Saving Files, Photos, etc.

Internet Logo

When you find useful information on the Internet, you can print out the web page if your computer is connected to a printer. Just click on the Print Button on the toolbar. You can also click on the File Button on the toolbar, select "Print Preview" to see how many pages the web page will take to print, and then select whether you want to print all the pages or just some of them.

Picture of Hand Using Mouse You can also save the contents of a web page on your computer by saving the web page file on your hard drive or a floppy disk. Click on the File Button on the toolbar, and then select "Save As" to save the file for future use. You will get a dialog box to "Save Web Page" with a suggested title of the file and it will ask you where you want to save it.

Depending on the file size and the speed of your Internet connection, some files may take a long time to download. The bigger the file, the longer it will take. Sound files and video files can also take a long time to download. There is a detailed tutorial on downloading files at Learn2.com (http://www.learn2.com/08/0804/0804.asp).

Picture of Hand Using Mouse If you wish to save an image on the Internet, you can right click your mouse over the image, and select "Save Picture As" to save it on your hard drive or a floppy disk. HINT: Be prepared to name or rename the image so you can identify it at a later time. Internet image names are often very obscure -- "lined08" or "jdg54" aren't very meaningful image names.

If you wish to save just a portion of text on a web page, you can copy the text you wish to copy by highlighting it, clicking on Edit Button on the tool bar and then selecting "Copy." Then you need to paste the text onto the notepad, Microsoft Word, etc. Then you can save the text document as if you had typed it.

Picture of Hand Using Mouse E-MAIL (Electronic Mail)

When you are in certain databases, you may be able to send information, full-text articles, images, etc. to an e-mail address to be retrieved at a later time. If you don't have an e-mail account through your Internet provider, you can set up free web-based e-mail accounts through MSN Hotmail, Netscape, Yahoo, etc.

Picture of Hand Using Mouse REMINDER TO STUDENTS: If you copy or save something from the Internet, it is important that you keep track of where the information came from. You should keep track of the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the information. You should not be using or quoting the information in a research paper or report without giving credit to the source. Otherwise, you are guilty of plagiarism or stealing from someone else's work.

To cite information you find on the Internet, you can refer to "Style Sheets for Citing Internet & Electronic Sources" (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html#3), published by the University of California at Berkeley Library. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) includes a section on "Research and Documenting Sources" (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html#research) which covers APA and MLA style formats. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions also has a Citation Guide for Electronic Documents (http://www.ifla.org/I/training/citation/citing.htm).