Nothing in computers ever seems to be as easy or final as the ardent supporters suggest. Over the last two years I have had to consider and reconsider whether to use the small amount of computer time my students have to work on HyperStudio projects or web pages. Which would be the best match for my elementary students skills and needs?
Initially the decision was simple. HyperStudio's ease of use and the powerful projects my students created easily beat coding html with a word processor. However, programs like Claris HomePage and Adobe PageMill reduce the laborious process of making web pages and put the web's potential within the students' grasp.
So, if I were to pick today, would I pick HyperStudio or web pages? The answer is no longer simple, let me lay out what I see as the potential benefits and drawbacks of each.
First, HyperStudio
I've been teaching with HyperStudio since it came out for the Apple IIgs. Never have I seen a program that immediately fascinated students, made real the awesome power of hypermedia for elementary students, and interested my students enough to continually beg for more time to work on their projects.
What is it about HyperStudio that made it such a hit?
Built into HyperStudio since the beginning is the ability to easily create projects that combine text, graphics, audio, video and animation. In addition to allowing students multiple media to express their ideas, HyperStudio gives authors the choice between using linear or non-linear structures.
Combining those two powerful features provides students the opportunity to communicate (and represent their understanding) in an amazingly rich manner designed to fit their interests and abilities.
This is not to say that HyperStudio does not have its share of drawbacks. One major drawback is the difficulty of publishing projects in a manner that accurately represents the students' work and makes it available to a wide audience. Publishing on a disk provides the full experience but requires the "reader" to have a computer, the student's stack (possibly on multiple disks), a copy of HyperStudio player, and the correct fonts.
Publishing on paper provides only a portion of the experience. Sound and motion are absent, not to mention scrolling text. Publishing on a VCR provides more of the multimedia experience, though the non-linear projects lose their interactivity. Between the three methods of publishing, students can reach a fairly wide audience, though with considerable effort and time.
Two other smaller problems also are inherent with HyperStudio.
One is that projects on one computer platform (Windows or Macintosh) are not completely compatible with the other. When moving between platforms students must be wary of possible incompatibilities with fonts, colors, sizes, new button actions, etc.. A second potential problem with HyperStudio is that although HyperStudio does come with a number of sample projects on its CD-ROM, it is difficult to find a variety of real world examples for students to evaluate and learn from.
So, how do web pages compare to HyperStudio?
Even with the amazing advances in programs, creating web pages is nowhere near the level of ease and completeness of HyperStudio. Instead of built-in graphic, audio, animation, and video capabilities, web page creators must create each element with a separate program and bring them together with the page creation software.
A second drawback of web page design programs is their still somewhat primitive page layout capabilities which can leave students frustrated with their limited options. Another potential frustration is the space constraints put on web page designers.
Due to most schools' lack of server space and the time it takes "readers" to download pages, students are not as likely to be able to include animation, sound, or video as they would with HyperStudio.
A final consideration the teacher must take into account is the somewhat considerable amount of time and thought they must take for setting up and maintaining their students pages on a web server.
Despite these drawbacks, web page design offers some very powerful incentives for its use. First off, students who use the WWW for their research are publishing in the same medium as the resources they read. This makes it easy for students to find real world examples to evaluate and learn from.
A second, incredibly powerful benefit is that publishing on the WWW provides a very real audience. Once a student's page is uploaded, anyone with Internet access (like at the public library) can "read" it. That means, parents, relatives, classmates, e-mail pen pals, or other students throughout the world can all read and enjoy the page with no further work necessary by the student authors.
Now, getting back to the original question, should I use my limited class time to teach students to create HyperStudio projects or WWW pages? For me there is no easy answer, because I really want to do both.
But, forced to choose, I would definitely pick HyperStudio over WWW pages for students up through fourth grade due to HyperStudio's ability to easily combine multiple media and choose between linear and non-linear structures.
For fifth grade and up, the decision becomes harder. I still would probably choose HyperStudio, just to avoid the hassles of maintaining a web site (mostly uploading). However, as our school district moves towards getting its own web server and as the WWW programs improve, once again the merits of these two wonderful technologies will have to be reconsidered.
With emerging technologies, the decision is never easy or final!
Did I miss a key argument in this article? Is there a new program I should have considered? Please, join the SIGEE listserv (details available on page two of this MACUL Newsletter or at the MACUL web site) and share your thoughts with us.
© 1998, Jordy Whitmer