The Internet is an electronic highway connecting millions of computers all over the world and millions of individual subscribers. Some of the major information sharing tools available via the Internet include:

• electronic mail or e-mail which allows communications with people all over the world;
• the World Wide Web, which utilizes hyperlinks to "point" to resources and incorporates sound, video, and graphics;
• file transfer or FTP sites which have educational value for K-12 education;
• USENET discussion groups which have been developed based upon the group members main interests (only usenet groups set up and authorized by teachers as part of the curriculum are to be used -- "chat rooms" are specifically NOT TO BE ACCESSED over the school's internet connection;
• telnet or remote login which allows access to university library catalogs, local area library catalogs, and even the Library of Congress online catalog.

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