If this is your first time on this page, carry on reading the next paragraph. If you've just returned here having learnt about the forward and back toolbar buttons, click here to go to the final part of the tutorial...

Right for those of you still here, the good news is that you've already learned about all these things:-

• How the internet's constructed, and why it's useful;

• Internet addresses and how they work;

• What links are, and how to use them;

• The different types of links, and;

• How to use the scroll bars;

Well done! You've already learnt nearly all the basics you need to go "surfing the net". There's just one other small part to learn before you can be on your way.

When you are on the internet, the information that comes down the wire into the back of the computer is very disorganised, and wouldn't be understandable by you in it's raw state. To make it readable and presentable a computer program called a browser organises all the information in the way that the author of the page wanted it to be. Simple, right? Right. So when you loaded up the machine, what you were actually doing was running the browser (called "Internet Explorer" on the Family Centre computer) so that it could interpret the internet information.

So what?, I hear you ask. Well a browser has a few useful controls, many of which are outlined in the on-line manual. However, there's one set of controls that are worth a demonstration here.

At the top of the screen are two buttons in the toolbar, marked with the words "Forward" and "Back" (the "Forward" one will be sort of greyed out at the moment). Clicking the "Back" one will return you to the previous page with the red writing at the top - READ THAT WHEN YOU GET THERE! Have a go now...

Click the "Back" button now!

Back already? Well done. The forward and back buttons are particularly useful for browsing pages you've already previously seen. You'll use them a lot, so have another practice now if you like. If you press them multiple times, you'll go back multiple links - e.g. three clicks will take you backwards along your path three links. Just press the forward button three times to return here again. Try it and see.

Practice some multiple presses of the "Back" button now!

Right then, all done? Lets finish off...

Final page