The Gibson Takeover of Hypertext

Stephanie B Gibson takes the time in her chapter of Communication and Cyberspace to critically analyze the breakthroughs in the use of computers and a new form of print in the classroom. These observations are most closely applicable to our generation. This statement relates to the fact that we entered our respective classrooms as youngsters with little or no technology at our fingertips. We were basically going through grade school using the same amount of technology in the classroom our parents did, oblivious to the accelerating medium surrounding us. Eventually, however, the expansive world of hypertext surrounding us became overwhelming and the possible connections to the classroom became clear. it seems when we reached high school teachers and administrators began to feel the pressures of cyberspace and hypermedia;s necessity in the classroom as part of our changing world. It is difficult to incorporate the use of multimedia and the internet in the vintage classroom setting. This is because, just like Gibson stated, the classroom itself and the learning format in general had adopted many of the linear characteristics associated with the outdated form of writing and printed text being used to educate. At times, students like myself may have found themselves confused for seemingly no reason in a pioneer class that attempted to use hypertext and multimedia as educational instruments. the confusion is not rooted in the material however, but in the blending of today's technology with an antiquated form of pedagogy.

Today most of us find ourselves on the verge of ending our educations and college careers, and we all look forward to moving away from being students. Before we reach the point however, we all take at least one course that's main focus is multimedia pressent on the internet, and what resources are available to us on this medium. Besides these readings on the background of the technology that exists in today's cyberspace, every other action in this class is performed by looking at writing on a screen and using this text and media to interact with other students and technology itself. This class in particular overthrows the balance of electronic and printed text way over to the more interactive side. Professor Strate even jokes about if any of us still bring pens to class or even use them during the minimal occasions that we may need to jot something down. Usually, a password or pin number we still don't fully trust a machine to secure for us for some reason. We could be the beginning of the end for the linear classroom.