Worldwide Web Day observed in classes 6-10

“The Internet could be a very positive step towards education, organisation and participation in a meaningful society.” Noam Chomsky

Worldwide Web Day is celebrated annually on 1 August. The day is observed in recognition of peoples' freedom to access the internet for information. The instrument that billions of people use every second to communicate with the worldwide network of connected computers is the Internet or the Web.

Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in 1989 at the CERN facility in Geneva, Switzerland, as a means of linking and communicating with his co-workers. After twenty-five years, the WWW has supplanted other forms of human connection, commerce, and communication, providing individuals with opportunities that were unfathomable to earlier generations.

Looking back on the history of the World Wide Web is undoubtedly interesting because of how it has developed through time. The year 1993 was a turning point for this development. There were just 50 servers worldwide at the beginning of the year. By October of the same year, however, there were more than 500 active servers.

Compared to the number of websites that are live now, the number of active websites at that time was incredibly low. However, numerous well-known websites had also launched during this time. For instance, the search engine, 'Yahoo! Search', debuted in 1995 after the launch of 'Yahoo!Directory' in January 1994. Consequently, it was the first widely used search engine on the Internet. The establishment of Amazon and eBay in 1995 also marked the beginning of online shopping and ecommerce .

On this day, the students of classes VI to X were shown a video on the evolution of WWW followed by students speaking about the importance of the web and how life has drastically changed over time. They also had a discussion on the do’s and don’ts while accessing the web and the ethical use of the internet. Students also made posters emphasising on the vital role that the web plays in our life.

The students participated in all the activities with a lot of enthusiasm. They enjoyed being a part of such an enlightening session. It also encouraged them to become curious thinkers and innovative minds.