Utiliser le Web

Using the World Wide Web in the French Classroom:

Everything for the Beginner and Even Something for the Experienced User

Dr. Jayne Abrate, Executive Director, AATF

French Version Mailcode 4510
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-4510
Télécopieur: 618-453-3253
E-mail: abrate@siu.edu

This Web page will familiarize you with the Web in French, how it operates, available resources, and pedagogical applications.

If you consult this page on line, you can download the entire introductory program by saving the files in the directory SELF. (http://www.siu.edu/~aatf/self/).

Finding documents

Introduction

The World Wide Web represents one part of the Internet just like discussion groups, gophers, or e-mail. Files, created using the HTML (hypertext mark-up language) language, are posted on the Web. The user can access these files by means of a browser; Netscape is one of the most popular (see also Internet Explorer). The HTML language permits the creation of hypertext documents, that is, documents which contain links which facilitate access to other texts as well as to digitized images, sound files, and, more recently, video files. A user can navigate the Web thanks to these links which are pieces of active text or image on which you can click to immediately access another document or site. The extreme ease with which documents can be created and disseminated on the Web calls for several cautionary notes:

Files appear and disappear rapidly. If the page does not belong to an official organization, there is no guarantee of finding a site that you like when you return to it;
Files can also change place. Often URLs, the addresses of Web sites, change, even only slightly, but enough so that you cannot find the site again;
The quality of information contained on a given page is quite variable. The teacher must verify the content as well as the quality of the French, if the site is in French, before presenting it to students;
The teacher must also be aware that there are a great number of questionable sites that contain texts and images that are inappropriate for students et which sometimes hide behind innocent names. Often there is a clue, usually quite subtle, on the welcome page, but, especially when the site is in French, this message can go unnoticed by a student. If you teach in a high school, it is important to have in place an Internet Use Policy, including rules about free exploration as well as penalties to be applied if the rules are broken, signed by each student and a parent. Furthermore, student access to the Web should be limited by using established sites and well-defined activities to complete in a set time frame. To accomplish this, the teacher can have the student work directly from a Web page he or she has created;
Since anyone can surf the Web, students should be warned repeatedly not to give out personal information beyond an e-mail address. Warn students never to give out their full name, address, or telephone number to anyone met via the Web.

It is also useful to be familiar with certain technical terms (the English equivalent is given in parentheses):

a commercial (m.): le symbole @ (at-sign)
activer, agrandir: rendre active une fenêtre contenant un logiciel en cliquant deux fois sur son icône (to maximize)
adresse électronique (f.): l'adresse où l'on reçoit son courrier électronique avec le format NOM@SITE (e-mail address)
affichage (m.): le fait d'apparaître à l'écran (display)
agrandir, activer: rendre active une fenêtre contenant un logiciel en cliquant deux fois sur son icône (to maximize)
ancre (f.): code HTML qui indique un lien (anchor)
annuler: arrêter une action (to cancel)
arrobas (m.): le symbole @ (at-sign)
bande de défilement horizontale ou verticale (f.): bandes à droite ou en bas d'une fenêtre avec des flèches qui vous permettent d'avancer ou de reculer pour voir le reste du document qui n'est pas visible dans la fenêtre (scroll bar)
barre oblique (f.): le symbole / (slash)
barre oblique inverse (f.): le symbole \ (backslash)
boîte de dialogue (f.): fenêtre où l'utilisateur peut choisir des options ou "dialoguer" avec l'ordinateur (dialogue box)
brancher, connecter (se): établir une connexion (to connect)
cadre (m.): division encadrée d'une fenêtre, ils fonctionnent indépendamment (frame)
cédérom (m.): disque optique numérique (CD-ROM)
clavier (m.): l'ensemble des touches alphabétiques et numérotées plus les touches fléchées et de fonction (keyboard)
coller, couper, copier: série de commandes permettant de transférer une partie d'un fichier à un autre ou de changer sa place à l'intérieur d'un même fichier (paste, cut, copy)
courrier électronique, courriel (m.): système de messagerie sur l'Internet (e-mail, electronic mail)
didacticiel (m.): logiciel destiné à l'enseignement (educational software)
dossier (m.), fichier (m.): document stocké dans la mémoire d'un ordinateur ou sur diskette (file)
écran (m.): partie de l'ordinateur où le contenu des fichiers apparaît (screen)
faire glisser: cliquer sur un objet et le tirer vers un autre endroit (to drag)
FAQ, question fréquente (f.): liste de questions fréquentes avec réponses qu'on trouve souvent à l'entrée d'un site (Frequently Asked Questions)
fenêtre (f.): rectangle dans lequel un morceau de texte ou d'image apparaît (window)
fichier (m.), dossier (m.): document stocké dans la mémoire d'un ordinateur ou sur diskette (file)
fichier joint (m.): fichier qu'on attache à un message électronique (attached file)
fond (m.): couleur ou image(s) qui apparaissent derrière le texte à l'écran (background)
HTML: le langage utilisé pour créer des documents sur le Web (Hypertext Mark-up Language)
hypertexte (m.): texte contenant des liens (hypertext)
graticiel (m.): logiciel qu'on peut obtenir gratuitement (shareware)
icône (f.): petite image qui représente un logiciel ou une fonction et sur laquelle on clique pour le lancer ou l'activer (icon)
imprimante (f.): machine, reliée à un ordinateur, qui imprime un texte ou une image (printer)
lancement (m.): le fait de commencer un logiciel (start-up)
lancer: démarrer un logiciel (to start)
lecteur (m.): partie d'un ordinateur qui lit l'information ou sur une diskette ou sur le disque dur ou cédérom (drive)
lien (m.): un texte ou une image mis en relief (une autre couleur, souligné, caractères gras) sur lequel vous pouvez cliquer pour accéder à un autre site ou fichier (link)
lien suivi (m.): indication, en changeant la couleur et pendant une période déterminée, un lien que vous avez utilisé (followed link)
logiciel (m.): programme exécuté par un ordinateur, par exemple, traitement de texte, navigateur, banque de données (software, computer program)
matériel (m.): l'ordinateur et toutes les parties attachées, clavier, écran, modem, imprimante (hardware)
mél (m.): message électronique (e-mail message)
messagerie (f.): service de courrier électronique (electronic mail srevice)
modem (m.): boîte externe ou carte interne qui permier à un ordinateur de communiquer avec un autre ordinateur par moyen d'une ligne téléphonique (modem)
moteur de recherche (m.): logiciel qui permet de répertorier des sites Web (search engine)
navigateur (m.): logicle qui permet à l'utilisateur de consulter des sites Web (browser)
numériser: transformer un texte, une image, du son ou un extrait vidéo en code numérique (to digitize)
page Web/page d'accueil/page de garde (f.): souvent synonyme d'un site Web ou de la première page d'un site (homepage)
par défaut: choix fait par le logiciel si on ne le fait pas soi-même (default)
pointeur (m.): flèche ou barre à l'écran qui indique votre place (pointer/arrow/cursor)
police de caractères (f.): la forme des lettres imprimées (font)
pré-visualiser, pré-visionner: fonction d'un logiciel qui permet de voir le format d'un document avant l'impression (to preview)
puce (f.): petite bulle placée au début de chaque élément d'une liste (bullet)
réduire: transformer une fenêtre en une icône en cliquant sur la flèche ou sur la croix en haut dans le coin de la fenêtre (to minimize)
répertoire (m.): ensemble de fichiers groupés dans une même catégorie (directory, folder)
sauvegarder, stocker: mettre sur diskette ou sur le disque dur (to save)
sensible (ie., carte sensible, image sensible): image sur laquelle on peut cliquer pour accéder à un autre site ou fichier (interactive, ie., interactive map, clickable image)
serveur: ordinateur qui héberge un grand nombre de sites (server)
signet (m.): marque un URL qu'on veut retrouver (bookmark)
site (m.): fichier(s) qui représente(nt) une page Web (il y a d'autres sites sur l'Internet, des gophers ou des groupes de discussion, par exemple, qui ne sont pas des pages Web) (site)
souris (f.): partie d'un ordinateur qu'on manipule pour contrôler le pointeur (mouse, trackball, touchpad)
stocker, sauvegarder: mettre sur diskette ou sur le disque dur (to save)
supprimer: effacer quelque chose d'un fichier ou un fichier entier de la mémoire de l'ordinateur (to delete)
télécharger: envoyer ou recevoir un fichier sur le réseau de l'Internet (to upload/download)
toile (f.), Web (m.): réseau de documents écrits en HTML qu'on peut consulter à l'aide d'un logiciel de navigation (World Wide Web, W3, Web)
touche (f.): boutons individuels qui composent le clavier, ie., touches fléchées, touche d'entrée, touches alphabétiques, touches numériques, touches de fonction (key, arrow keys, enter key, alphabetic and numeric keys, function keys)
URL (m.): l'adresse d'un site Web (Uniform Resource Locator)
visionner: regarder un document (view)
vitesse de transmission (f.): la vitesse à laquelle l'ordinateur transmet des données (baud rate)
Web (m.), toile (f.): réseau de documents écrits en HTML qu'on peut consulter à l'aide d'un logiciel de navigation (World Wide Web, W3, Web)

Using Netscape

Netscape allows you to search, consult, save, and print resources you find on the Web. To start Netscape, click on its icon. There is a French version of Netscape, but the terminology used in these directions refers to the English version of Netscape Communicator 4.5. For information on using Netscape Communicator click here. Furthermore, these comments refer to the PC version of Netscape. There are a few very minor differences with the Mac version; generally, the directions are identical.

To access a URL

There are several ways to access a URL, that is, the address of a Web site.

Click on FILE OPEN PAGE (or CTRL + O), type the URL, click on OPEN.
Type the URL in the LOCATION window, press ENTER.
Click on a link on the screen.

To save a file on diskette

If you find a document or image you want to save on diskette, you can do so. Images or icons found in documents represent links. These are graphics files linked to the text file by HTML codes, and you only save on diskette the text file itself that you are consulting. If you want to save the images, you can do so, but it is necessary to save each one individually unless you use a program like Web Whacker. In certain circumstances, you can save file and images by clicking on FILE + EDIT PAGE. Once the page appears in the editor, click on FILE, SAVE AS, verify that the dialogue box shows the correct drive and the name of the file (which you can change if you wish), click on OK and you will save the file as well as images, icons, and background. If you click on VIEW, PAGE INFO, you will find a list of the images which appear on any given page.

To save a file, click on FILE and then on SAVE AS (or CTRL + S), verify that the dialogue box shows the correct drive (for example, a:\ or b:\ for a diskette, c:\ for the hard drive) and the filename (which you can change if you wish), click on OK.

You can save a link or image directly to diskette. Put the cursor directly on a link or image, click on the right mouse button, click on SAVE LINK/IMAGE/BACKGROUND AS, enter the filename and verify the folder/directory, click on OK.

To print a Web page

You can print a document you find on the Web while on line or after saving it on diskette. Once again, if you print from a file saved on diskette, you will not have the images or icons unless you have saved them, too. If you print while on line, you will print the page exactly as it appears on your screen, even in color if you have a color printer. To print a Web page, click on FILE and then on PRINT or use the PRINT icon. The dialogue box allows you to verify the printer (if you have more than one), to select the print quality, the number of copies, and to indicate the pages that you want to print if the document is long (Note: page length is not what you see on the screen, but rather pages are formatted by Netscape). The option FILE, PRINT lets you change printers, select text orientation, and alter the paper size. If you click on OPTIONS, you can give more detailed instructions relative to the printer which you are using. The option FILE, PAGE SETUP lets you control certain elements of the layout.

If you click on PRINT and then on PRINT PREVIEW, you can view the exact layout that your printed document will have (number of pages, format, etc.).

To find the URL of a link

Netscape indicates URLs in several ways. If you consult a document with a link that interests you, you can easily find the URL. If one of the elements described does not appear on your screen, click on VIEW, SHOW and choose the bars that you want shown. (Later you will learn how to find sites using a search engine.)

The site you are currently at is always shown in the LOCATION window.
The navigation bar at the bottom of the screen indicates the different functions that the program is executing. If you put the cursor on a link, the arrow changes, and the link's URL is shown here.
If an image is also an active link you can find the URL by putting the cursor on it, and the URL will appear in the bar at the bottom of the screen.
If an image is not an active link, you can still find its URL by putting the cursor on it, then clicking on the right mouse button. Choose COPY LINK, then go to another document in the Netscape editor, click on EDIT, then PASTE to see the link. From the dialogue box, you can also create a bookmark (ADD BOOKMARK).
If an image is not an active link, you can find its URL by clicking on VIEW and then on SOURCE. This will give you access to the HTML file containing all the code and links which constitute the page's format.
Finally, you can click on a link, directly access the document which interests you and create a bookmark (explained below). Note: On certain sites where the page is composed of multiple frames, the bookmark will indicate only the welcome page and not the other files on the site which appear in the individual frames. In this case, it is necessary to choose N^os. 2-4.

To go back

When you consult the Web for a while, you leave a trail which is sometimes difficult to remember and retrace. If you want to go back, there are several ways of doing so according to the circumstances:

If you want to go back to see sites that you visited only 2 or 3 screens previously, click on the BACK button the number of times necessary.
Click on the right mouse button, select BACK.
If you click on the arrow to the right of the LOCATION window, you will see a list of the 10 last links consulted from which you can choose the one you wish to revisit.
If you want to go far back, it is easier to click on GO. At the bottom of the dialogue box, you will find a list of URLs that you have visited. You can click on the link of your choice. Of course, if you have visited a lot of sites, you will not find them all, but the list often allows you to find your way back.

To make a bookmark

A bookmark lets you find a site you liked again easily. To create a bookmark, click on BOOKMARKS and then ADD BOOKMARK.

To create a bookmark without going to a site, put the cursor on the link or the image, click the right mouse button, then ADD BOOKMARK.

To save or edit the bookmark file

The bookmark file becomes more and more useful as you explore the Web. If you do not always use the same computer, you can save your list of bookmarks on diskette to take with you and use on whatever computer is available. Click on BOOKMARKS, EDIT BOOKMARKS, FILE, SAVE AS, enter the filename and verify the folder/directory, click on OK.

To edit your bookmark file, click on BOOKMARKS and then on EDIT BOOKMARKS. There, you can organize the bookmarks by clicking on them and dragging them or inserting categories, deleting some, or saving them on diskette. If you use your own list on a computer that is not yours, just click on FILE and then OPEN FILE selecting your bookmark file. The bookmark file is always called bookmark.htm in the Netscape folder/directory, but you can call it anything you wish as long as you keep the .htm or .html file extension. You can also edit this file using a word processing software like Word or WordPerfect or with a Web editing program like Hot Dog or Front Page.

Options for personalizing Netscape

Netscape offers several possibilities for personalizing your copy. For example, you can choose the colors for links, background, or put any page you wish as HOME, that is, the page that appears when you start Netscape. Click on EDIT, then PREFERENCES, where you can designate the name of the file you want to display when Netscape starts in the window HOMEPAGE. You can also access the page that you want displayed and lick on USE CURRENT PAGE. Verify that the selection HOMEPAGE is checked.

To explore other options, follow the indications which appear when you click on EDIT and then PREFERENCES:

to change the background color, the color or links or followed links: Click on APPEARANCE, COLORS and then select the changes you wish.
to change the font or its size (enlarge it, for example, to make the page more readable when you project it): Click on APPEARANCE, FONTS and then make your selection.
to set the number of days for a followed link: Click on EDIT, PREFERENCES, then enter the number of day in the box PAGES IN HISTORY EXPIRE AFTER.
eliminate the toolbox (which is found at the top of the screen) to have more room: Click on VIEW, then on SHOW. When the chocies are no longer marked, the will no longer appear on the screen. Turn them back on by reversing the process.
to stop AUTOLOAD IMAGES if you have a slow connection: Click on EDIT, PREFERENCES, ADVANCED. When AUTOMATICALLY LOAD IMAGES is no longer marked, small icons will appear in place ot the images which you can then download individually.

Created: January 2, 1997

Last update: May 25, 2000