We have been learning about what a computer network is and how it works.
We looked at the different devices that make up our school network and what their roles are, then we started roleplaying the network.
One person was the server, another was a switch, and everyone else was a computer (PC), laptop, printer, wireless access point, iPad or data. We acted out how data is sent through the network when logging on, opening files, printing and accessing the internet. After, we made our own map of the network using picture cards.
Next, we learned how the internet connects into the home and how a web page is accessed across the Internet.
We looked at a presentation showing how a router brings the Internet into our homes.
When we access a website a packet of data is sent into the home router. The packet travels down the phone lines to the Internet Service Provider Router (BT, Virgin, Sky, Talk Talk).
Here the packet is routed out to other routers in the UK if the website is not hosted in the UK the packet is routed across the ocean through cables under the sea. When the packet finds the right server (large computer that is on all the time) it asks for the website home page. It is then routed back to your home.
After seeing the presentation we worked in pairs to map the internet.
In our next lesson we learned that webpages are too big to send all the data back to us in one packet so the page is broken into lots of packets all with their own unique number and order.
We watched the video below then modelled how packets of data move from the user to the recipient across the internet. In this model we are used an email as an example.
We each used packet cards to send messages by filling in the To and From section at the top of the packet. The message could have one letter in each box only. If the message was too long we had to continue on the next packet. Once the message was complete we filled in the order section. A one packet message will be 1/1, the first packet of a two packet message will be 1/2 and the second 2/2. Each pupil acted as a router by passing the packets to those within arms length. The packets might not travel using the same route but should all end up with the right person and put together in the correct order.