Domain Names - Teaching student the components of a domain name is easy, but teaching them what makes one good, and what businesses go through to get a good one becomes a little bit more difficult.  The notes discussing domain names can be found at domain names.  Here you will find the components of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), the most commonly used top level domains, such as ".com", and rules businesses should follow when creating an effective domain name.  Once you've gone through the basics, bring your students to the list of fictitious companies at the bottom of the page.  Then have them open a second browser at Network Solutions, a company that registers domain names.  Once there, your students (or student pairs) should imagine that they are starting each of these companies from scratch, and must find an effective domain name for that company.  Network Solutions will tell them if it is already taken.  One caveat?  They must come up with two effective names for each company, but at least one of them must be a ".com" URL.  Finding a ".net" or a ".cc" is easy, but we still think in a ".com" world.  Coming up with a good one is not quite as easy as it sounds!

Mickey Kosloski
Virginia DECA