Print Literacy/Hypertext

Hypertext Definition

A software system allowing extensive cross-referencing related sections of text and associated graphic material.

When I was younger I just used to write my stories in a book starting from the first page and ending on the last, I would keep my books in one place and use them in another, everything was planned. Growing up though have things changed, computers were always around during my schooling but the dependence on them has grown creating a whole new world known as “HYPERTEXT”. I look back to even my time at high school. I was writing all my work in books, we had one computer that the family shared which I would use for assignments. Now three years out of school, students have to have there own laptop or tablet that they take to each class, close to all work is typed. It makes me think about my three-hour English exam where I walked out stretching and rubbing my hand as I had written constantly for so long. Will students of today be able to type their three-hour exam? Will they never feel the pain of a hand that has written for three hours?

All this makes me question what is Hypertext?

Nelson states hypertext is unrestricted by sequence can create new forms of writing about; readers, choosing a pathway may follow their interests or current line of thought in a way heretofore considered impossible.

Nelson describes how there is no beginning middle or ending anymore. You control the actions you want to take as an example you don’t have to read the about on a blog you can go straight to watching videos, there are no limits.

Print Literacy will always be apart of society but the importance and soon necessity of hypertext will be the controlling form of ‘print’ we will use in the future.

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