How is a whale like a web-page?

   Students like linear texts.  Teachers like linear texts.  There is a reason why textbooks have nice bold vocabulary words, questions for comprehension, headings, and all that jazz.  It's possible to open a textbook, gather information, but not actually READ anything.  The kids are comfortable with this; these texts allow them to get through lots of reading, do well on their AP Bio exam, etc.

    But there's something to a text that is creative, non-linear, and different.  When students read Moby-Dick for the first time, it's incredibly disorienting.  Chapters spring from everywhere.  They have to work to understand the connections between chapters, that, on the surface, appear so different.  There is a lot of work, but the ultimate effect is masterpiece.

    Such is the case with hypertext.  Those that say that hypertext is a liability compared to linear text, that it puts increased cognitive demands on the learner, totally miss the point.