How to Be a
Good Online Learner

6. What are all the parts of a web browser?

Helpful Hint: This page is pretty technical. Don't get frustrated. Contact your mentor if you have any trouble.

Let's face it, online learning requires you to use the Internet.  And using the Internet means using a web browser, a program that allows you to access and see the Internet.  It's important that you know how to best use your web browser in order to be a successful online student. Most Internet users use Microsoft's Internet Explorer for their web browsing.  The descriptions in this tutorial will be for Microsoft Internet Explorer, however, other browsers have similar features.

Helpful Hint: If you see a word on this page that you don't quite know, remember to check the glossary.

Web Browsers

One of the key parts of a web browser is the address bar.  This is where the url, or website address, is listed.  This is where you will type the url of a webpage that you want to visit. 

Most web browsers these days do not need you to type in the http://, this is understood.  For instance, if you wanted to visit the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center's website, you could simply type in www.aelweb.vcu.edu.

Another useful feature of web browsers are the

• minimize,
• maximize,
• and close buttons. 

These are found at the upper right corner of the screen.  The minimize button, which looks like a dash, reduces the size of the webpage and allows you to see other programs that you have open.  The maximize button, which looks like two boxes on top of each other, brings the webpage back up to full screen size.  The close button, which looks like an x, closes down the browser.  You will often hear people tell you to "x out" of something.  This means that you should close the window by hitting the x.

Buttons

The buttons at the top of your web browser are useful tools in your navigation of the Internet.  Below is an explanation of some of the most commonly used buttons and what they can do for you.

	The back button is one of the most useful buttons in a web browser.  It allows you to return to the webpage you were just on.  By clicking the back button over and over you can go all the way back to the first page you opened in the web browser.  Clicking on the button takes you back one page at a time.  If you would like to go back more pages at a time, click on the little downward facing arrow that you see on the right side of the button.  This will give you a drop-down menu of all pages seen in that browser and you may select the page you would like to go back to.
	Just as the back button takes you back, the forward button takes you forward.  This will only become an active button after you have used the back button.  Let's say that you used the back button and went back one page too far.  You can then use the forward button to go forward to the page you want.  The forward button has a drop-down menu that allows you to select to the page you would like to go forward to.
	The stop button allows you to stop a webpage from continuing to load.  You may find this necessary to use if a page is taking a long time to load.
	The refresh button is one of the best buttons!!  If you find that a webpage is having trouble loading, it is useful to hit the refresh button.  This will reload the page and will often make it download when it wasn't doing it before.  Refresh will also make your browser load the most recent version of a webpage.
	The home button will take you back to your home page.
	The favorites button is a list of websites that you have saved as being your "favorites".  These are usually websites that you go to frequently.  Using the favorites button keeps you from having to remember website addresses and from having to type them out every time. Using the favorites button opens a sidebar with your favorites listed next to your webpage. You can also add new sites to your favorites with this button.  Just click on "Add to Favorites". You may want to add this tutorial to your list of favorites so that you can easily come back to it later.
	The history button is also a useful button.  Let's say that yesterday you were surfing the Internet and came upon a great site about gardening.  The very next day, a friend of yours asks you for some information on gardening.  You can use the history button to find the page from the previous day without having to search for it all over again.  Using the history button opens a sidebar with your history listed next to your webpage.
	The print button allows you to print the webpage that you are currently viewing.

 

Tool Bar

The tool bar located above the buttons is also useful for the Internet user.  Below is an explanation of the most useful tool bar selections.  Clicking on each part of the tool bar produces a drop-down menu.

Clicking on File allows you to open a new web browser window, save a website on to your hard drive, print the webpage, send the webpage as a link to someone else by email, and many other functions.

Clicking on Edit allows you to copy text from a webpage, paste it into another document, select everything on a page, or find something specific on the page.

One of the best uses of View is the ability to resize the text on a webpage.  If you have difficulty viewing the text on a webpage, you can increase it.  Also you may decrease text size if you would prefer to see it all on the screen at one time.

 

Clicking on Favorites is just another way to get to your saved favorite sites.  This opens a drop-down menu that will then disappear once you select a new site to view.  You may also organize your favorites into folders for better organization.