Data Flow on the Internet

This brief interactive activity, by Electromechanical Digital Library and Wisconsin Technical College System faculty members Mark Puig and Amy Bodoh, illustrates how information travels from one computer to another via the World Wide Web. The illustrations and animations are a big help as are their easy to understand explanations. They explain the complex interactions of Internet data flow by comparing each element to a familiar aspect of our daily commute - traffic. For example, the information data packets are “cars” traveling on the “highway”, or the Internet. They finish with a helpful summary that “drives” home the lesson. This is a great resource for students learning about data flow for the first time!