You find an amazing photo online that would be perfect for your project. Your cousin offers you a copy of a brand-new movie on a USB drive. A friend says she knows the teacher’s password. Which of these could get you into trouble, and why?

In this post:

• What copyright, plagiarism, piracy and hacking mean, and how they are different
• What can happen when people break copyright laws
• How to use other people’s work the right way
• A sorting activity, “Dear Amy” letters and a quiz

Four words you need to know

Word	What it means	Example
Copyright	The legal right that creators have over their own work: writing, music, photos, videos, drawings, games and software. Only they can decide who may copy, share, change or sell it. Copyright starts automatically as soon as the work is made.	A song you write and record belongs to you. Others need your permission to use it.
Plagiarism	Passing off someone else’s words, ideas or work as your own, without giving them credit. It is a kind of cheating, even if the work was free to use.	Copying a paragraph from a website into your homework without quotation marks or a source.
Piracy	Illegally copying, sharing, downloading or selling copyrighted software, movies, music or games.	Selling copied DVDs, or downloading a paid game from an illegal site.
Hacking	Getting into a computer, account or network without permission.	Logging into a classmate’s account with a password you guessed.

Image source: File:Copyright.svg (Wikimedia Commons)

How are they different? Copyright is the right. Breaking it (by copying or sharing without permission) is copyright infringement, and piracy is one kind of infringement. Plagiarism is about honesty: not giving credit. Hacking is about breaking into computers or accounts, not about copying creative work.

Using work the right way

• Give credit. Say where words, pictures and ideas came from: the author, the title and the website.
• Use your own words, and put exact quotes in “quotation marks”.
• Use free and open media, such as public-domain or Creative Commons images from Wikimedia Commons (like the pictures in our posts), and follow their licence.
• Ask permission when you are not sure.
• Buy, borrow or stream legally, for example from official app stores and streaming services.
• Small parts for school. The law allows some limited use of other people’s work for things like school projects, reviews and news reports (often called fair use). Use only what you need, and always give credit.

Watch: creativity, copyright and fair use

This video explains copyright and fair use with clear examples. As you watch, note one thing that is fair use and one thing that is not.

Video: Creativity, Copyright, and Fair Use – Common Sense Education – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZHNwBHirQ

What are the consequences?

If you…	What can happen
Plagiarise at school	A zero mark, having to redo the work, school discipline and losing your teacher’s trust. At college or university, students can be failed or expelled.
Break copyright or pirate software, music or movies	Your post or video may be removed and your account banned. The owner can take you to court for damages. In Trinidad and Tobago, the Copyright Act (1997) allows fines and even prison for serious cases, such as selling pirated copies.
Hack into a computer or account	In Trinidad and Tobago, the Computer Misuse Act (2000) makes it a crime to access a computer without permission, with fines and prison possible. Schools also treat it very seriously.

There are other costs too: creators lose money they earned, people stop trusting you, and pirated or hacked files often carry viruses.

Activity: which word fits?

Activity: Dear Amy

Amy writes an advice column about using other people’s work. Read each letter and choose the answer Amy should give. (The “Dear Amy” letters idea is adapted from a copyright class activity by Sharon Moonan-Seepaul. These letters and answers are new.)

Related posts on islandclass.org

• INFORMATION PROTECTION AND MISUSE – definitions of copyright, plagiarism, piracy and hacking

For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.

• Computer Misuse (Part 1): Cyberbullying, Copyright Infringement, Piracy, Privacy Violations and Propaganda

Next: Paragraph Formatting: Design an Invitation

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 6, Objectives 6.5 and 6.6 – discuss the consequences of violation of copyright laws; differentiate among plagiarism, copyright, piracy and hacking.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Copyright.svg – Unknown author – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: Creativity, Copyright, and Fair Use – Common Sense Education (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

Your friend has Microsoft Word on their laptop. Can you copy it onto yours for free? What about LibreOffice, or Scratch? The answers are different, and the reason is the software’s licence.

In this post:

• What a software licence is
• Seven kinds of licence, with real examples
• Common mix-ups (even some notes get these wrong!)
• Legal and ethical issues when using software
• Two activities and a quiz

What is a software licence?

When you install a program, you usually click “I agree”. You are agreeing to its licence: the rules that say what you may and may not do with it. For bought software this is often called an EULA (End User Licence Agreement). When you pay for software, you are usually buying the right to use it, not the program itself.

Seven kinds of licence

Licence type	What it means	Can you share copies?	Examples
Proprietary (closed source)	Owned by a company. You usually pay, you cannot see or change the code, and the licence limits how many computers you may install it on.	No	Microsoft Office, Windows, Adobe Photoshop
Freeware (“free” software)	Free of charge, but the code is still closed and the owner keeps control.	Only if the licence allows it	Google Chrome, Adobe Acrobat Reader
Open source	The source code is published. Anyone may use, study, change and share it, following the licence (for example GPL or MIT).	Yes	Linux, LibreOffice, GIMP, Firefox, Scratch
Freely redistributable	You may give copies to other people, usually free of charge, as long as you follow the licence’s conditions.	Yes	Most open-source programs, such as VLC media player; some freeware
Beerware	A joke licence: do what you like with the code, as long as you keep the author’s notice. If you ever meet the author and think it was worth it, you can buy them a drink.	Yes	Some code by Poul-Henning Kamp, used in FreeBSD
Floating licence	An organisation buys a set number of licences that are shared on a network. A licence server lets only that many people use the program at the same time.	Only within the organisation	A school buys 25 floating licences: the 26th student must wait until someone closes the program
Public domain	No copyright at all. Anyone may use, change, copy or sell it for any purpose.	Yes	SQLite (a database used in phones and browsers)

Image source: File:Tux.svg (Wikimedia Commons)

Watch out for these mix-ups

Open source: good points and drawbacks

Good points	Drawbacks
Usually free of charge	Help may come from online communities rather than a company helpline
Anyone can check the code for problems, and improve it	Some programs look or work differently from the ones people are used to
You can share it legally with classmates	Files may not always open perfectly in other programs

Legal and ethical issues

Using software the right way is both legal (following the law) and ethical (doing what is fair and honest). It is wrong to:

• Install paid software on more computers than the licence allows
• Share or post licence keys or product codes
• Download “cracked” versions of paid programs or games
• Use proprietary software at home that your school licensed only for school use

Breaking a licence can lead to fines or court action, and it takes money from the people who made the program. Cracked software also often hides viruses and other malware. If money is a problem, look for a free, legal alternative: LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office, GIMP or Paint instead of Photoshop.

Watch: open source vs closed source

This short video compares open-source and closed-source (proprietary) software. Note one advantage of each.

Video: Open Source vs. Closed Source Software – LearnFree – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q91vTvc7YE

Activity: name the licence

Activity: allowed or not?

Related posts on islandclass.org

There is no older Form 1 post on this topic yet, so this is the main lesson.

Next: Copyright, Plagiarism, Piracy and Hacking

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 6, Objective 6.4 – describe legal and ethical issues in relation to usage of software.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Tux.svg – Larry Ewing (lewing@isc.tamu.edu), Simon Budig and Garrett LeSage, created with The GIMP – Attribution (free to use if the creators are acknowledged) (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: Open Source vs. Closed Source Software – LearnFree (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

Someone makes a fake account with your photo and uses it to post mean “jokes” about your classmates. Everyone thinks it is you. Another person screenshots a silly photo of you and shares it in five group chats. Is that “just a joke”, or is it something more serious?

In this post:

• What cyberbullying is, and the forms it takes
• Why it can hurt so much
• What to do if it happens to you or someone you know
• Where to get help in Trinidad and Tobago
• Two activities and a quiz

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is using phones, computers, apps or games to hurt, threaten, embarrass or leave out another person on purpose. It usually happens again and again. It can take place in text messages, group chats, social media, emails, comments, video calls and online games.

Image source: File:Against Cyberbullying.png (Wikimedia Commons)

Forms of cyberbullying

Form	What it looks like
Harassment and threats	Sending nasty or scary messages again and again, by text, email or direct message.
Shaming and humiliating	Posting or sharing embarrassing photos, videos or screenshots to make someone look bad.
Impersonation	Making a fake account, or getting into someone’s account, and posting as them.
Spreading rumours	Posting lies or gossip about someone.
Abusive comments	Insulting someone because of their looks, weight, race, religion, family or how much money they have.
Leaving people out	Deliberately removing or blocking someone from a group chat or game to hurt them.

Why it hurts so much

• It can happen anytime. At home, at night and on weekends: there is no safe place to escape to.
• It can be anonymous. The person being bullied may not know who is doing it.
• Lots of people can see it, very quickly.
• It is hard to erase. Even deleted posts may have been screenshotted.

People who are cyberbullied may feel sad, scared, angry, ashamed or alone. They may lose confidence, have trouble sleeping, stop wanting to go to school, and find their schoolwork suffers. People who cyberbully can face serious consequences too: school discipline, losing their accounts and, in serious cases, trouble with the police.

Watch: what is cyberbullying?

This short video explains what cyberbullying is and how to stand up to it. Listen for one thing you can do if you see it happening to someone else.

Video: What Is Cyberbullying? – Common Sense Education – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFcVyNz60a8

What to do if it happens to you

These tips are summarised in our own words from the article “Cyberbullying: Dealing with Online Bullies” on HelpGuide.org, which has more advice for young people and parents.

• Don’t reply and don’t hit back. Bullies want a reaction. Replying angrily can make things worse, and could get you into trouble too.
• Save the evidence. Take screenshots that show the messages, the names and the dates before anything is deleted.
• Block and report. Block the person, and use the app’s report button. Most apps remove bullying content.
• Tell a trusted adult: a parent, teacher, guidance counsellor or relative. You do not have to deal with it alone.
• Take a break. Log off, mute the chat or spend time on things you enjoy, with people who treat you well.
• Remember: it is not your fault. Nobody deserves to be bullied.

If you see it happening to someone else

• Don’t like, share or laugh at the post: that spreads it further.
• Send the person a kind private message: “That wasn’t OK. Are you alright?”
• Report the post, and tell an adult.

Helping to stop it

• Treat others online the way you want to be treated (remember netiquette!).
• Think before you post or forward anything about someone else.
• Keep your passwords private so nobody can pretend to be you.
• Use privacy settings so only people you know can contact you.

Where to get help in Trinidad and Tobago

Who	Number	When
ChildLine	131 or 800-4321 (free, any time)	To talk to someone about anything that is worrying you
Children’s Authority	996 or 800-2014 (free, 24/7)	If a child is being harmed or is in danger
Police	999	If someone threatens to hurt you, or you are in danger right now

Activity: is it cyberbullying?

Activity: what should they do?

Related posts on islandclass.org

There is no older Form 1 post on this topic yet, so this is the main lesson.

For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.

• Computer Misuse (Part 1): Cyberbullying, Copyright Infringement, Piracy, Privacy Violations and Propaganda

Next: Software Licences Explained

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 6, Objective 6.3 – discuss cyberbullying, its impact on students and ways of preventing its occurrence.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Against Cyberbullying.png – .i.s.b.e.i.g.e. – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: What Is Cyberbullying? – Common Sense Education (YouTube)
• Tips summarised from: Cyberbullying: Dealing with Online Bullies – Lawrence Robinson – HelpGuide.org

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

Image source: File:Footprints in sand at grassy head beach.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)

Every time you post, like, comment, share or search online, you leave a footprint. Who might follow your trail?

In this post:

• Your digital footprint
• The main security risks on social media and the Internet
• How to protect yourself: privacy settings, strong passwords and smart posting
• A password tester, a sorting activity, a scam spotter and a quiz

Your digital footprint

Your digital footprint is the trail of information you leave online. It includes the photos and videos you post, your comments and likes, the things you search for and the websites you visit. It also includes what other people post about you.

Why does it matter? Posts can be copied and screenshotted, so they can last for years, even after you delete them. In the future, schools, scholarship committees and employers may look you up online. A kind, sensible footprint helps you; a careless one can hurt you.

Watch: what is a digital footprint?

This short video explains what a digital footprint is and how to keep yours positive. What are two things you could do this week to protect yours?

Video: What Is a Digital Footprint? – Common Sense Education – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixxb4BWCBwY

What are the risks?

Risk	What it means	Example
Unauthorised access (hacking)	Someone gets into your account without permission.	A classmate guesses your password and posts embarrassing messages as you.
Phishing and email scams	Fake messages that trick you into giving away passwords, personal details or money.	“You won a new phone! Click here and enter your password to claim it.”
Identity theft and impersonation	Someone uses your personal details or photos to pretend to be you.	A fake account with your name and profile picture asks your friends for money.
Oversharing your location	Posting where you are, or where you will be, tells strangers too.	“Whole family off to the party tonight! 🎉” tells a burglar that your house will be empty.
Unsafe contacts	People online are not always who they say they are.	A “13-year-old” who wants to chat in private and keep it a secret may really be an adult.

How to protect yourself

• Use privacy settings. Make your profile private so only friends can see your posts, and turn off location tagging.
• Use strong passwords. Make them long (12 or more characters), for example three or four random words with numbers and symbols, like Mango-Tree-Bus-42! (but don’t use that one!). Use a different password for each account, never share them with friends, and change a password straight away if you think someone knows it or if a site says it has been hacked. Turn on two-step verification if the app offers it.
• Never post your home address, school, phone number or where you are going. Share holiday photos after you get home.
• Ignore messages offering prizes, money or free stuff, and never click links or open attachments from people you do not know.
• Only accept friend requests from people you know in real life.
• Think before you post: would you be happy for your teacher, your grandmother or a future employer to see it?
• Check the age rules. Most social media apps say users must be at least 13.
• Tell a trusted adult if anything online makes you feel uncomfortable, scared or pressured.

Activity: password tester

Activity: share it or keep it private?

Activity: spot the scam

Read this pretend message. How many warning signs can you find? Then open the answers.

Show the warning signs

• A prize you never entered for.
• A strange sender address that is not a real company.
• “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
• Pressure to hurry (“within 1 hour”).
• It asks for your password and a bank card number. Real companies never ask for your password.
• ALL CAPS and lots of !!!.

Related posts on islandclass.org

• Creating and managing Passwords online. – more on strong passwords

For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.

• Computer Security, Cybersecurity and Computer Misuse: Vulnerability, Threat, Attack and Countermeasure
• Protecting Computers and Data: Physical, Software and Personal Security Countermeasures

Next: Cyberbullying: What It Is and What To Do

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 6, Objective 6.2 – explain security issues related to social media and internet usage.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Footprints in sand at grassy head beach.jpg – Jonathon Coombes – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: What Is a Digital Footprint? – Common Sense Education (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

- Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

Imagine two messages pop up in your class group chat. Which one would you rather get?

Both messages want the same thing. So why does one feel so much nicer? The answer is netiquette.

In this post:

• What netiquette means
• Five golden rules for good manners online
• Netiquette for emails and group chats
• A message makeover, a sorting activity and a quiz

What is netiquette?

Netiquette is a mix of two words: net (the Internet) and etiquette (good manners). It means the rules of good behaviour when we communicate online: in emails, texts, group chats, comments, forums and online games.

Online, people cannot see your face or hear your voice. A joke that sounds friendly when you say it out loud can look rude or hurtful when it is typed. That is why online manners matter so much.

Image source: File:CAPS LOCK.JPG (Wikimedia Commons)

Five golden rules

Rule	What it means	Instead of…	Try…
1. Be respectful	There is a real person reading your message. Only type what you would say to their face.	“Your idea is dumb.”	“I see it a different way. What if we…?”
2. Mind your tone	Your reader cannot hear your voice. Choose friendly words, and use an emoji if it helps show you are joking or being kind.	“Whatever.”	“OK, no problem 🙂”
3. Don’t shout	ALL CAPITAL LETTERS look like shouting. Lots of !!! and ??? feel angry too.	“ANSWER ME!!!”	“Could you let me know when you get a chance?”
4. Be clear and short	Get to the point, check your spelling and avoid text-speak when writing to teachers or adults.	“wen r we 2 hand in d ting”	“When is the project due?”
5. Listen to others	People will have different opinions. Read carefully, and disagree politely.	“You’re wrong, stop talking.”	“Good point. I still think… because…”

A few more good habits

• Think before you post. Once something is online, it can be copied, shared and screenshotted, even if you delete it.
• Don’t spam. Avoid flooding a chat with stickers or forwarding chain messages (“Share this to 10 people or…”).
• Respect privacy. Ask before you post a photo of someone else or add them to a group.
• Stay on topic in class or project groups, and do not message people late at night unless it is urgent.

Writing a good email

Emails to teachers are more formal than chats with friends. A good email has:

• A clear subject line, for example “Question about the ICT project”
• A greeting: “Good morning, Ms Ali,”
• A short, polite message with correct spelling
• A sign-off with your name and class: “Thank you, Jordan (Form 1B)”

Watch: what is netiquette?

This short video explains netiquette with everyday examples. As you watch, count how many of our five golden rules it mentions.

Video: What is Netiquette? | All About Computers – Tynker – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L3wN3U1Q_4

Activity: message makeover

Activity: good netiquette or not?

Related posts on islandclass.org

There is no older Form 1 post on this topic yet, so this is the main lesson.

Next: Staying Safe on Social Media

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 6, Objective 6.1 – demonstrate proper netiquette when using the Internet.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• CAPS LOCK.JPG – Tom Harpel – CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: What is Netiquette? | All About Computers – Tynker (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

What if you could make a cartoon cat draw a square, a star or even your initials, just by snapping blocks together like LEGO? That is exactly what you are about to do. Welcome to Scratch!

In this post:

• What Scratch is and where to get it
• The main parts of the Scratch screen
• The Pen extension and the Motion blocks
• Drawing a square, and why 90° works
• A real Scratch project to try, a shape maker and a quiz

What is Scratch?

Scratch is a free programming language made by the MIT Media Lab. Instead of typing code, you drag colourful blocks that click together. Use it online at scratch.mit.edu (make an account to save your projects online), or download the free Scratch app to use it offline. Either way, File → Save to your computer keeps a copy of your project.

The Scratch screen

Image source: File:Scratch 3.0 editor.png (Wikimedia Commons)

Part	What it is for
Stage	Where your sprites move, draw and perform. The green flag above it starts your program; the red octagon stops it.
Sprite	A character or object that follows your code, like the cat or the dinosaur.
Sprite pane	Lists your sprites, with boxes showing each sprite’s x, y, size and direction.
Block palette	All the blocks, sorted into coloured categories: Motion (blue), Looks (purple), Events (yellow), Control (orange) and more.
Code (script) area	The big space where you drag blocks and snap them together into scripts.
Costumes and Sounds tabs	Draw or change how a sprite looks, and add or record sounds.

The blocks you need

• Pen extension: click the blue Add Extension button at the bottom left, then choose Pen. You get erase all, pen down (start drawing), pen up (stop drawing), set pen colour to and set pen size to.
• Motion: move (10) steps, turn ↻ (15) degrees, go to x: () y: () and point in direction (90). Direction 90 points right; 0 is up, 180 is down.
• Events: when green flag clicked starts a script.
• Control: repeat (10) runs the blocks inside it again and again, so you do not have to drag the same blocks many times.

Drawing a square

A square has 4 equal sides and 4 corners. So: move, turn, and do it 4 times.

when green flag clicked
erase all
pen up
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (90)
pen down
repeat (4)
    move (100) steps
    turn ↻ (90) degrees
end
pen up

Why 90°? To get back to where it started, the sprite has to turn all the way round: 360°. A square has 4 corners, so each turn is 360 ÷ 4 = 90°. For a triangle it is 360 ÷ 3 = 120°, and for a hexagon 360 ÷ 6 = 60°.

Try a real Scratch project

This is the Draw a Square demo I made for our class. Click the green flag ⚑. The sprite jumps to the top left of the stage, sets a thick pen, then draws a square one side at a time, changing colour for each side (it waits a second between moves so you can watch).

Scratch project: Draw a Square (2022 Demo) by kunge on scratch.mit.edu. Click See inside on the project page to look at the code, then Remix to make your own copy.

Remix challenges: make the square bigger by changing the move from 50 to 100. Then change repeat 4 and turn 90 to make a triangle. Can you make a hexagon?

Format and edit your shape

• Change the line thickness with set pen size to ().
• Pick a colour with set pen colour to (), or put change pen colour by (10) inside the repeat for a rainbow.
• Change the size of the shape by changing the number of steps.
• Use go to x: () y: () with the pen up to start the next shape somewhere else.

Watch: using pen blocks

In this official tutorial from the Scratch Team, you will see how to add the Pen extension and draw shapes. Pause and try each step yourself.

Video: Turtle Graphics: Using Pen Blocks in Scratch | Tutorial – Scratch Team – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTVJ7H38BQ

Activity: parts of Scratch

Activity: shape maker

Class activity: your initials

Plan on squared paper first, then use pen and motion blocks to write a three-letter word or your initials on the stage. Here is a script for a letter L to get you started:

when green flag clicked
erase all
pen up
go to x: (-150) y: (50)
point in direction (180)    ← facing down
pen down
move (100) steps
turn ↺ (90) degrees        ← now facing right
move (60) steps
pen up

Share your project with the class when you are done (ask your teacher how).

Related posts on islandclass.org

• Scratch: Drawing a Square, Square Variable exercise – the square demo and a follow-up task
• Introduction to Scratch Programming – video lesson
• How to share a Scratch Project – video
• Form 1 N – Revision and Drawing Letters using the Broadcast System – drawing letters
• Installing Scratch 2 for a Better Help and Tutorial Experience – older version of Scratch

Next: Netiquette: Good Manners Online

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 5, Objective 5.2 – create shapes using a simple programming tool.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Scratch 3.0 editor.png – Screenshot: Obscure2020; Scratch is by MIT and other contributors – CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Scratch project: Draw a Square (2022 Demo) – kunge (Scratch)
• Video: Turtle Graphics: Using Pen Blocks in Scratch | Tutorial – Scratch Team (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

- Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

Image source: File:Peanut-Butter-Jelly-Sandwich.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)

Could you write instructions for making this sandwich that are so clear a robot could follow them? “Put peanut butter on the bread” sounds fine, until the robot puts the whole jar on top of the loaf! Computers are like that robot: they do exactly what they are told, nothing more.

In this post:

• What makes a good set of instructions (an algorithm)
• Solving a problem step by step
• A robot programming game
• A partner game, two more activities and a quiz

Algorithms: instructions for computers (and people)

An algorithm is a set of step-by-step instructions for doing a task. Recipes, directions to a friend’s house and the rules of a game are all algorithms. Good instructions are:

• Clear: each step means one thing only. “Spread some peanut butter” is vague; “use the knife to spread one spoonful of peanut butter on one slice” is clear.
• In the right order: you cannot spread before you open the jar!
• Complete: no steps missing.
• Finished: there is a clear end.

Watch: the exact instructions challenge

Two children write instructions for making a sandwich, and their dad follows them exactly. Watch what goes wrong, and think about how you would fix each step.

Video: Exact Instructions Challenge PB&J Classroom Friendly – Josh Darnit – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN2RM-CHkuI

Solving a problem, step by step

Bigger problems need some thinking before you write the steps. Here is how a Form 1 class might plan how to raise $1,500 for a class trip:

Step	What it means	Example
1. Gather information	Find out the facts	We need $1,500 in six weeks. There are 30 of us.
2. Brainstorm	List lots of ideas, even silly ones	Bake sale, car wash, movie afternoon, raffle, sponsored walk
3. Identify resources	What do we need for each idea?	People, money to start, equipment, space, permission from the principal
4. Weigh the pros and cons	Compare the ideas	Car wash: cheap to run, but needs water and a dry day. Bake sale: easy, but parents need to bake.
5. Choose the most feasible	Pick the idea that will work best	A bake sale at lunchtime on two Fridays
6. Outline the main steps	Write the plan in order	Get permission → sign-up sheet for bakers → make posters → set up table → sell → count money → hand to the form teacher

Activity: put the steps in order

Activity: program the robot

Activity: spot the problem

Partner game: draw what I say

Sit back to back. Partner A gets a simple drawing made of shapes (your teacher has some) and gives instructions; Partner B draws without seeing it and without asking questions. Compare the drawings, then swap. Use this feedback form for your partner’s instructions:

My partner’s instructions…	Yes	Sometimes	No
were clear (one meaning each)
were in a sensible order
gave sizes and positions (big, small, top left…)
had no missing steps

Self-check quiz

Related posts on islandclass.org

• Computational Thinking – A simple task! (Optional Class Activity) – partner activity
• Problem Solving Discussion – the egg-drop problem

For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.

• Steps in Problem-Solving and the Divide-and-Conquer Approach

Next: Getting Started with Scratch: Drawing Shapes

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 5, Objective 5.1 – outline the main steps to execute a simple activity.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Peanut-Butter-Jelly-Sandwich.jpg – Evan-Amos – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: Exact Instructions Challenge PB&J Classroom Friendly – Josh Darnit (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

- Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

A message pops up in your class group chat: “SCIENTISTS SAY EATING TWO MANGOES A DAY MAKES YOU GROW 5 CM TALLER!!! SHARE NOW!!!” Do you share it? How could you find out if it is true?

In this post:

• Why you cannot believe everything online
• Five questions to test a website: credibility, relevance, timeliness, reliability and accuracy
• Tricks for checking facts
• Two activities, a webquest and a quiz

Anyone can publish online

Books and newspapers usually go through editors who check facts. On the Internet, anyone can make a website, post a video or write a blog, including people who are mistaken, joking, trying to sell you something or trying to fool you. So before you use or share information, you need to test it.

Five questions to ask

Test	Ask yourself…	Warning signs
Credibility (who?)	Who wrote it? Are they an expert or a trusted organisation? Is there an About page or contact details?	No author or organisation named; you cannot find out who runs the site
Relevance (does it fit?)	Does it actually answer my question? Is it at the right level for me?	It is about something else, or it is far too simple or too hard
Timeliness (when?)	When was it written or last updated? Is that recent enough for my topic?	No date, very old information, broken links
Reliability (can I trust it?)	Does it show where its facts came from? Is it trying to sell something or push one opinion?	No sources; lots of adverts; one-sided; “miracle” claims
Accuracy (is it correct?)	Do other good sources say the same thing? Are the facts checkable?	Facts that other sites disagree with; many spelling mistakes; ALL CAPS and lots of !!!

Image source: File:How to spot fake news.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)

Tricks for checking facts

• Leave the page and look it up. Open a new tab and search for the website or the author. What do other sources say about them?
• Check two or three other good sources. If only one site says it, be suspicious.
• Domain clues: .gov and .edu sites are usually reliable, but .com sites can be good too. The ending is only a clue.
• Wikipedia is a good place to start, but check the references at the bottom and follow them.
• AI chatbots can sound very confident and still be wrong. Check their facts with good sources too.
• If a headline makes you feel very angry, scared or excited, slow down before you share. That feeling is often what the writer wanted.

Watch: is this source reliable?

This video gives a simple checklist for deciding if a source is reliable. Compare it with our five questions: which ones does it mention?

Video: How to Evaluate Sources for Reliability – Writing for Kids – Teaching Without Frills – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1k8rcYUmbQ

Activity: which test?

Activity: trust it or check it?

Group webquest

Your teacher will give your group links to three websites on the same topic. Fill in a colour-coded table like this in your journal: green = good, yellow = not sure, red = poor. Then decide which site you would use for your project and explain why.

Website	Credibility	Relevance	Timeliness	Reliability	Accuracy	Use it?
1
2
3

Related posts on islandclass.org

• Reliability of information sources – notes with a video

For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.

• Can You Trust It? Evaluating Information You Find Online
• Video:Evaluating Sources of Information

Next: Step-by-Step: Giving Clear Instructions

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 4, Objective 4.3 – evaluate information obtained from the Internet.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• How to spot fake news.jpg – IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) – CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: How to Evaluate Sources for Reliability – Writing for Kids – Teaching Without Frills (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

There are billions of web pages. Your homework is to find out how hurricanes form. How do you find the right page out of billions, in less than a second? With a search engine, and a few clever tricks that most people never learn.

In this post:

• What a search engine is, and some popular ones
• How a search engine works
• Tips for smarter searching: keywords, “quotes”, minus and site:
• A pretend search engine to practise on, and a quiz

What is a search engine?

A search engine is a website that finds web pages to match the words you type (your keywords). Popular search engines include Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo! and Brave Search. Most have a SafeSearch setting that filters out unsuitable results.

How does it work?

1. Crawling: programs called crawlers (or spiders) visit web pages all day and night, following link after link.
2. Indexing: the words on each page are stored in a gigantic index, like the index at the back of a textbook.
3. Ranking: when you search, the engine looks up your keywords in the index and decides which pages are most useful, putting the best first.
4. Results: you see a results page with a title, web address and short snippet for each match.

Image source: File:Brave search engine results page (SERP).png (Wikimedia Commons)

Search smarter

Tip	Example	Why it helps
Use keywords, not a whole sentence	hurricanes form warm ocean	The important words are what the engine matches
Be specific	leatherback turtle nesting Trinidad instead of turtles	Fewer, better results
Use “quotation marks” for an exact phrase	"steel pan"	Only pages with those words together, in that order
Use a minus sign to leave a word out	jaguar -car	Removes pages about the thing you do not mean
Use site: to search one website or kind of site	leatherback site:gov.tt	Only results from that site or ending (here, Trinidad and Tobago government sites)
Use the tabs	Images, News, Videos	Finds the kind of result you need

Also: check your spelling, try other words that mean the same thing, look further than the first result, and watch out for results marked Sponsored or Ad. Companies pay to put those at the top.

Watch: how search works

In this video, engineers from Google and Bing explain crawling, indexing and ranking. Listen for how a search engine decides which page comes first.

Video: The Internet: How Search Works – Code.org (channel now named CodeAI) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVV_93mBfSU

Activity: the pretend search engine

Activity: which trick?

Class search race

In pairs, race to find the answers using a real search engine. You score a point for the correct answer and a point for writing down the search you used and the website you found it on.

1. In what year did Trinidad and Tobago become independent?
2. What is the national bird of Trinidad? (Careful: Tobago’s is different!)
3. How tall is Mount Everest in metres?
4. Who wrote the novel Miguel Street?

Related posts on islandclass.org

• Search engines – short notes

Next: Can You Trust This Website?

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 4, Objective 4.2 – use search engines to find required information.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• Brave search engine results page (SERP).png – Fabriemo – CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: The Internet: How Search Works – Code.org (channel now named CodeAI) (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

You type islandclass.org, press Enter, and a page appears in a second or two. But where did that page actually come from? And how did your computer know where to find it? Let’s follow the trail.

In this post:

• The Internet and the World Wide Web: not the same thing!
• Web pages, websites, web servers and browsers
• The parts of a URL (web address)
• Hyperlinks
• Three activities and a quiz

The Internet vs the World Wide Web

People mix these up all the time, but they are different:

• The Internet is the giant network of computers connected all around the world by cables, Wi-Fi, mobile signals and satellites. Think of it as the roads.
• The World Wide Web (the Web, or WWW) is a huge collection of linked web pages that travel over the Internet. Think of it as the shops and buildings along the roads.

Email, WhatsApp messages and online games also use the Internet, but they are not part of the Web.

Who invented the Web?

The Web was invented by the British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, while he was working at CERN, a science laboratory in Switzerland. He wanted scientists to share documents easily by linking them together. The first website went online in 1991, and he gave the idea to the world for free.

Image source: File:First Web Server.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)

The main features of the Web

Feature	What it is
Web page	A single document on the Web. It can have text, pictures, sound, video and links.
Website	A group of related web pages under one name, such as islandclass.org. The first page is the home page.
Web server	A computer that stores websites and sends the pages to anyone who asks for them.
Web browser	The program you use to visit web pages: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Safari.
URL (web address)	The unique address of a web page, so the browser can find it.
Hyperlink	Text or a picture you click to jump to another page, file or place.

Parts of a browser

Image source: File:Firefox web browser on wikipedia page.png (Wikimedia Commons)

• Address bar: type a URL here and press Enter.
• Back and Forward: move between pages you have visited.
• Reload (Refresh), F5: loads the page again.
• Tabs: keep several pages open at once (Ctrl + T opens a new tab).
• Bookmarks / Favourites (Ctrl + D): save a page so you can find it again.
• History (Ctrl + H): a list of pages you visited.

Reading a URL

Let’s take apart this real web address: https://islandclass.org/2018/05/17/ergonomics/

Part	Example	What it means
Protocol	https://	The rules the browser and server use to send the page. The s means secure: the information is scrambled on its way. (It does not prove the site tells the truth!)
Domain name	islandclass.org	The name of the website. Many sites start with www.
Top-level domain	.org	The ending, which gives a clue about the site: .com (business), .org (organisation), .edu (education), .gov (government), .tt (Trinidad and Tobago)
Path	/2018/05/17/ergonomics/	Which page on the website you want, a bit like folders on a computer

Hyperlinks

A hyperlink (link) is usually blue, underlined text, but pictures and buttons can be links too. When you point at one, the mouse pointer turns into a little hand 👆, and the link’s address appears at the bottom of the window. Click to jump to another page, a different part of the same page, a file to download, or even a new email. Hold Ctrl while clicking to open the link in a new tab. Links are what make it a web: millions of pages joined together.

Watch: what is the World Wide Web?

This animated TED-Ed lesson explains where the Web came from and how links connect pages. What problem was Tim Berners-Lee trying to solve?

Video: What is the world wide web? – Twila Camp – TED-Ed – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8hzJxb0rpc

Activity: web words and URL parts

Activity: the Web, or just the Internet?

Hyperlink treasure hunt

Open a browser and go to https://islandclass.org. Use the site’s links and search box (no typing other addresses!) to answer these. Write your answers in your book.

1. Find the post called Ergonomics. Look at its URL: on what date was it published?
2. Find the post called Computer Hazards. Name one hazard it describes.
3. Point at any link on the page without clicking. What address appears at the bottom of the window?
4. Use the Back button to return to the home page. How many clicks did it take?
5. Bookmark the home page (Ctrl + D).

Related posts on islandclass.org

• Introduction to the Internet, WWW and Hyperlinks – notes and a video
• Hyperlinks
• Instructions – The internet,WWW, Information Sources (Wed 27th Jan2021) – class instructions

For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.

• How the Web Works: WWW, HTML, HTTP, URLs, Browsers, Servers and FTP
• Hyperlinks in Documents and Web Pages, and How to Evaluate a Website

Next: Searching Smart with Search Engines

Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 4, Objective 4.1 – describe features of the World Wide Web.

Attributions to media used in this post:

• First Web Server.jpg – Coolcaesar (English Wikipedia) – CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Firefox web browser on wikipedia page.png – Mozilla Corporation – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
• Video: What is the world wide web? – Twila Camp – TED-Ed (YouTube)

Updates

2026/10/21

– Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.