Text+vs.+Hypertext

Text is printed words on a page, like in a book or magazine. It’s designed to be read in a particular order and has a sort of what-you-see-is-what-you-get limitation. Hypertext is similar with the printed words, but is in a digital format. It is a bit more complex in that the user has the ability to jump around and leave behind what they were originally investing to explore a new topic. It is much more all-encompassing and, unlike text, can lead the user in many different directions rather than just cover to cover. In terms of the best method for K-12 education, I think that neither is particularly more important than the other – both are necessary for students (and teachers) to reach their maximum potential. However, I think there is a definite progression that takes place beginning with the introduction of text in the lower grades and gradually introducing hypertext as students’ skills progress. I don’t think you can put a student on the internet and expect him to be successful at navigation and comprehension of the material if he first hasn’t learned the fundamentals of text. For example, if elementary students were studying hippopotamuses, the following site might be quite helpful, but only if they have first become familiar with text. Otherwise, it would have the ability to be quite overwhelming. [] Or, if students were studying cowboys and did a simple Google search for “Cowboys”, they would have to know the fundamentals of text in order to determine which of the hits are sites relevant to the topic – otherwise they could easily end up on a site having nothing to do with the wild west. []