Traditional Text and Hypertext

I love to read good old-fashioned books. Libraries are some of my favorite places.

When I started to think of how I would like to cross traditional text with hypertext, my first thought was that it would be wonderful if while I was reading a book, if I came across a word I was unsure of I could simple click on it and get the definition rather than stopping to find a dictionary. Or if a character appears and I can’t remember exactly who they were earlier on, I could click on the name for a quick bio summary. I think someone might have told me it was possible to do something like that, at least as far as the dictionary part, on a Kindle. I’m not sure how I feel about eRaders yet. There is just something special about holding a book, measuring the remaining portion with your thumb.

As for what to take from traditional text and implement in hypertext. I like to take notes while I read, even just making little marks next to a passage I enjoyed. Maybe if the passage could become a hyperlink to the notes I made about it, so that the part of the text as well as my notes could be easily accessed together later.

Good & Bad Examples of Hypermedia

At first I had a hard time thinking of examples, but after re-visiting some of the web pages I use often I came up with a lot of good and bad examples. Here are my top choices:

Good: www.BrainPOP.com

I have used this site numerous times in my classes. BrainPOP is a site of educational animated videos and games broken up by subject and subcategories. I feel that it is both kid and adult friendly. It is visually appealing to kids with its bright graphic and animations but it is not so overwhelming that it would be difficult to navigate. Everything is organized well and clearly labeled so that things are easy to find. And once you have gone to another page you can find your way back or to a new section quickly.

Good: www.thisamericanlife.org

This American Life is my favorite podcast. Their website is simple and sleek. The site it colorful in a uniform, pleasing way and the menu bar across the top is easy to navigate with everything at your fingertips. I also like that when you do click on one of the menu choices the central information changes but the shows emblem on the left and the menu across the top stay the same, consistent and again, simple.

Bad: www.yahoo.com

I’m sure there are worse examples out there (in fact I found a whole website dedicated to it! http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com) but I wanted to list a website that I actually use on a regular basis. The only reason I do use Yahoo is because this is where I made my first email address about 14 years ago, and I continue to use this address in addition to more recent ones like my Gmail account.

I don’t like anything about the Yahoo homepage. It is too cluttered and I find it distracting. The page is broken up into sections across the top, the middle, the left and the right, all filled with links and images, some scrolling and flashing. I go to check my mail but instead I end up spending 15 minuets reading the headlines for the day, or clicking on some silly link. Once I have done that, I have a hard time getting back to my mail and have to start from square one.

Bad: Yale School of Art      http://art.yale.edu/ 

Now I know that this site is a Wiki and that anyone with a school ID can add to, or alter it, but why would you allow your department to have a site so horrific to look at? I don’t think its necessary to explain what makes this page so bad. My main complaint is the colors that make it almost impossible to read let alone look at.

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

I found the article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky really interesting and very amusing. As I read I tried to think about where I fit in. Was I a native or an immigrant? I am both. To those younger than myself I am an Immigrant, to those older, a native. When I think of my parents who both recently got iPhones, I laugh at some of the ways they show their immigrant accent. My mom was lost the other day and rather than looking up her destination on her phone, she pulled over and asked for directions. My Stepdad upon getting the iPhone printed the entire owners manual, using two reams of paper!

Yet when I am around my students I become the immigrant. They would be shocked if I told them that when I was in school I didn’t have the Internet to use for my research papers, I used the card catalog in the library to look things up. They probably don’t even know what a card catalog is. That I haven’t always had caller Id let alone a cell phone, and those cell phones only made phone calls.

I feel like people my age are trapped in this funny space between the natives and the immigrants, not fully belonging in either category.  But I believe that being in this position will be beneficial, that I will be able to serve as a translator, understanding each group and helping to close the divide.

 

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

The Internet? Bah!

I stumbled upon this article from Newsweek published in 1995. It seemed appropriate  to go along with this weeks reading, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky. In this article titles The Internet? Bah! (by the way, I love the title!) the author explains why the internet will fail. I found this very amusing and I hope you do to.

 

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2010/02/27/newsweek-1995-buy-books-newspapers-straight-intenet-uh/ 

My Name is Sara Marchese-Walton and I will be keeping this Blog during my time in the Hypermedia & Education course this fall.