I enjoyed reading the hypertext version of Sloan's text so much! It held my attention with a death-grip. I definitely found the hypertext version more effective than the book version. I really liked the presence of pictures. With the context of the text, I believe that no matter what the quality of description of the buildings, nothing can compare to actually seeing examples. The pictures themselves were so interesting. They set a certain 'feel' that I didn't experience when reading the text in the W.R. I think it had to do with the fact that they depicted not only the architecture, but the L.A. city life at the time as well. Also, with the pictures in black and white, I feel that they symbolized the content of the text as well as presented a dramatic element to the entire text.
The links were incredibly helpful- not only in keeping my interest , but also furthering my understanding of the topic of the text. I did not find them distracting in the least. The way that I read the hypertext version, I didn't open every link. I only opened ones I wanted to know more about or ones about topics I wasn't familiar with (for example: "myth of Sisyphus"). Another thing I like about the links was that some had audio which kept me even more attentive-- for example the "Charlton Heston" link which had an audio clip of his 'Winning the Cultural War' speech. My favorite link was the "Rodney King Riots" link. This was a topic I knew little about but was very interested in. I also liked the fact that wherever the text mentioned an article or interview, there was a link directly to the actual text.
I honestly feel that the links, pictures, and audio were far more effective than the kind of side-story in the W.R. version with the father's friend. The inserts with her dialogue confused me more than anything while the extras in the hypertext version did nothing but contribute to my understanding.
I appreciate books and all... but sometimes I wish all texts were like the hypertext version of Sloan's 'How to Draw a Glass Mountain'/'You Know What They Say About Glass Houses'.
Great blog, Julie - I really enjoyed reading your reaction to Sloan's hypertext. I liked that you pulled out specific links, etc., that were of interest to you.
ReplyDeleteI had the same feeling when reading the hypertext. The pictures really helped put Sloan's descritptions in context, and the links helped further understand a certain topic.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you said that the black and white pictures not only portrayed the architecture, but also depicted the L.A. life style.
I agree that the hypertext was much more effective in capturing my attention, compared to W.R. with which I really had trouble keeping up!
You might want to be careful, though, when saying that her conversations with her father's friend was a "side-story", because I felt like it actually was the most meaningful part of her story: her father's friend was a symbol for being caught between cultures (which is basically what the whole text is about).
Other than that, great job! :)