5.3 Hypertext

When and Where I Found It: While reading chapter 20 in the Handbook of Reading Research Volume 3 (2008) for session 5 I came across this term. In an increasingly digital era, most people have probably used hypertexts several times throughout their life. It seems as though more recently, we assume that the skills and knowledge used when utilizing links is innate because they're so common while this is not the case.

Full Citation: Goldman, S. R., Rakestraw, J. A., (2008). Structural aspects of constructing meaning from text. In M. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P. Pearson & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading reasearch (vol. 3, pp.311-335). New York, NY: Routledge

What It Means: According to dictionary.com, hypertext is " a method of storing data through a computer program that allows a user to create and link fields of information at will and to retrieve the data nonsequentially." To further explain what a hypersext is, Goldman and Rakestraw (2008) discuss their difference from traditional texts in that that "hypertexts have embedded in them explicitconnections to other texts. These embedded links allow readers to take jump easily to other texts." (p.325).

Level of Familiarity: In an era in which the internet and online texts thrive, I have completed most of my high school and college education. I am very familiar with this term as well as how to use hypertexts. In other classes I have had to create my own hypertexts while posting on a blog or creating a blog. It seems as though you cannot navigate the internet without using at least one hypertext! It's pretty crazy when you think about it!!

Do I Want to Know This Word and Why? I think that it's definately important to know what a hypertext is as well as how to use them. As stated above, the internet is a part of our everyday lives and I think that I need to stay on top of the ever-changing technology.

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word...Who and Why? I think this term is becoming crucial for just about everyone to know and understand in order to be a successful digital user. I think that educators and literacy specialists need to understand the skills and knowledge needed to use these hypertexts so that they can help students to successfully manipulate these links.