Computer Skills

Beginner

60 mins

Teacher/Student led

+80 XP

What you need:
Chromebook/Laptop/PC or iPad/Tablet

How the Internet Works: Browsers, Urls, Basics

Learn how the internet and web browsers work, read URLs safely, and set up bookmarks to research faster for your projects.

Warning: Your screen size is quite small for viewing this. Rotate your device into landscape mode if you can.

1 Introduction
2 Key Concepts
3 Step-by-step Task
4 Common Issues
5 Independent Practice
6 Reflection
7 Lesson Summary
Quiz

1 - Introduction

Welcome

You use the internet every day, but most people cannot actually explain how it works or what a browser really is. Today you'll learn enough to sound like you know what you're doing, and you'll set up a bookmark bar that makes research for your Something Real project much faster.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Explain what the internet is and what a web browser is, in your own words
Read a URL and recognise HTTPS and the padlock icon as signs of a secure connection
Use tabs, bookmarks, history, and basic browser settings to work more efficiently

Warm-up

Think of the last three websites you visited. What did you type (or tap) to get there? That text has a name and a structure. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to read it like an address on an envelope, and you'll know which parts matter for your safety.

Teacher Notes

If the school has locked down browser choice, adapt the step-by-step to use two available browsers (e.g., Chrome and Edge), or Chrome normal and Chrome Incognito as a fallback for Chromebook-only setups.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Key Concepts

Before you open anything, get these five ideas straight. They'll make every other step faster.

Concept	Why it matters	Example
The internet — a global network of computers that can send data to each other	The internet is the network, not the browser	When you load {{code:citizensinformation.ie}}, your laptop sends a request across cables and wireless links to a server in Ireland and gets the page back
Web browser — an app on your device that fetches web pages and shows them to you	The browser is only a viewer; swapping browsers doesn't change the website	Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox are all browsers — the same Revenue page works in all of them
URL — the address of a specific page, made of a protocol, a domain, and sometimes a path	Reading a URL lets you spot a fake site before you click it	In {{code:https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/}}, the protocol is https, the domain is citizensinformation.ie, and the path is /en/employment/
HTTPS and the padlock — the "s" and the padlock icon mean the connection between you and the site is encrypted (scrambled so others can't read it)	A missing padlock on a login page means your password could be read in transit	The padlock on a bank site means your password can't be read by someone on the same Wi-Fi; no padlock on a login page is a hard stop
Browser tools — tabs (separate pages in one window), bookmarks (saved shortcuts to trusted pages), and history (an automatic list of pages you visited)	These three tools are how you research fast without losing your place or typing a URL wrong	One tab on a jobs site, one on Citizens Information, plus a bookmark to {{code:revenue.ie}} so you never accidentally type a fake look-alike

A good URL, up close

Take this real URL and read it left to right:

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment-rights-and-conditions/

https:// — secure protocol (the padlock will be present)
www.citizensinformation.ie — the domain; the last part (.ie) tells you it's an Irish site
/en/employment/employment-rights-and-conditions/ — the path to a specific page within the site

Quick check: Point at the domain in the URL above. Now point at the path. If you can do that, you're ready for the hands-on part.

Teacher Notes

Students often think "the internet" and "the browser" are the same thing. Linger on the first two rows — the rest of the lesson depends on that distinction being clear. For weaker readers, translate 'encrypted' as 'scrambled so no one else can read it' on the fly. Use the Quick Check as a quick call-and-response before moving on.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+10 XP

3 - Step-by-step Task

Open the same website in two different browsers, and notice how the browser (the viewer) is separate from the website (what the internet delivers). You'll also practise reading a URL and using tabs and bookmarks.

Teacher Notes

If only one browser is installed on Chromebooks, the Chromebook branch uses a Chrome window and a Chrome Incognito window — the UI differences are smaller but real.

+15 XP

4 - Common Issues

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
The site looks broken — text is plain, images are missing	This usually means one tab lost its connection, not that "the internet is down". Try reloading with {{kbd:Ctrl+R}} (Windows/Chromebook) or {{kbd:Cmd+R}} (Mac); if other tabs still work, the site itself is having trouble.
I don't see a padlock in the address bar	Check the URL starts with {{code:https://}} not {{code:http://}}. If it's http and the page is asking for any personal information, close the tab — the connection is not encrypted.
My bookmarks bar is missing	Press {{kbd:Ctrl+Shift+B}} (Windows/Chromebook) or {{kbd:Cmd+Shift+B}} (Mac) to toggle the bookmarks bar back on.
I typed a URL and got a scary warning page	The browser blocked the site because it looks like phishing or has an invalid security certificate. Do not click through. Close the tab and type the URL again — you may have hit a typo-squatter like {{code:revenu.ie}} instead of {{code:revenue.ie}}.

Teacher Notes

Point out the typo-squatting row — this is the most common trap learners fall into.

+10 XP

5 - Independent Practice

Independent Practice

Your goal: Build a bookmarks bar of three trusted websites that will speed up every piece of research you do for your Something Real project from now on.

Time: ~20 minutes

Task: In your preferred browser, visit three websites that will genuinely help with your Something Real project. Good candidates include Citizens Information for employment or welfare questions, Revenue for tax queries, a local council site, a sector body, or a trusted news source like RTÉ. Check the padlock and {{code:https://}} on each one before you trust it, then bookmark each page to the bookmarks bar. Take a screenshot of your bookmarks bar (shortcut: {{kbd:Windows+Shift+S}} on Windows, {{kbd:Cmd+Shift+4}} on Mac, or {{kbd:Ctrl+Shift+Show windows}} on Chromebook) and save it into your {{code:Digital_Portfolio}} folder as {{code:24_project_bookmarks}} along with one sentence per bookmark explaining why that site is trustworthy for your project.

Success criteria:

Three bookmarks to real websites visible in your bookmarks bar screenshot
Every site you bookmarked shows {{code:https://}} and a padlock in the address bar
Each bookmark has a one-line note explaining why the site is trustworthy for your project (who runs it, what they're an authority on)

Teacher Notes

Circulate and sanity-check bookmark choices. A bookmark to a random blog is fine only if the student can explain why they trust it. Steer students away from social media as a "source". For the screenshot step, remind students that the screenshot shortcuts given in the task drop an image either on the clipboard (Windows) or in Downloads/Desktop (Mac, Chromebook) — they then upload the image into their Digital_Portfolio folder via the browser.

+15 XP

Unlock the Full Learning Experience

Get ready to embark on an incredible learning journey! Get access to this lesson and hundreds more on our learning platform.

Get started

Copyright Notice
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

How the Internet Works: Browsers, Urls, Basics

Teacher Class Feed

1 - Introduction

Welcome

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Warm-up

2 - Key Concepts

A good URL, up close

3 - Step-by-step Task

4 - Common Issues

Common Issues

5 - Independent Practice

Independent Practice

Unlock the Full Learning Experience

XP