definition:
hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext in which graphics,
audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-
linear medium of information. this contrasts with the broader term multimedia,
which may be used to describe non-interactive linear presentations as well as
hypermedia. hypermedia should not be confused with hypergraphics or super-writing
which is not a related subject. it is also related to the field of electronic
literature. a term first used in a 1965 article by ted nelson.
the world wide web is a classic example of hypermedia, whereas a non-interactive
cinema presentation is an example of standard multimedia due to the absence of
hyperlinks.
the first hypermedia work was, arguably, the aspen movie map. atkinson's hypercard
popularized hypermedia writing, while a variety of literary hypertext and
hypertext works, fiction and nonfiction, demonstrated the promise of links. . most
modern hypermedia is delivered via electronic pages from a variety of systems
including media players, web browsers, and stand-alone applications. audio
hypermedia is emerging with voice command devices and voice browsing.
hepermedia development tools:
hypermedia may be developed a number of ways. any programming tool can be used to
write programs that link data from internal variables and nodes for external data
files. multimedia development software such as adobe flash, adobe director,
macromedia authorware, and matchware mediator may be used to create stand-alone
hypermedia applications, with emphasis on entertainment content. some database
software such as visual foxpro and filemaker developer may be used to develop
stand-alone hypermedia applications, with emphasis on educational and business
content management.
hypermedia applications may be developed on embedded devices for the mobile and
the digital signage industries using the scalable vector graphics (svg)
specification from w3c (world wide web consortium). software applications such as
ikivo animator and inkscape simplify the development of hypermedia content based
on svg. embedded devices such as iphone natively support svg specifications and
may be used to create mobile and distributed hypermedia applications.
hyperlinks may also be added to data files using most business software via the
limited scripting and hyperlinking features built in. documentation software such
as the microsoft office suite allows for hypertext links to other content within
the same file, other external files, and url links to files on external file
servers. for more emphasis on graphics and page layout, hyperlinks may be added
using most modern desktop publishing tools. this includes presentation programs,
such as microsoft powerpoint, add-ons to print layout programs such as quark
immedia, and tools to include hyperlinks in pdf documents such as adobe indesign
for creating and adobe acrobat for editing. hyper publish is a tool specifically
designed and optimized for hypermedia and hypertext management. any html editor
may be used to build html files, accessible by any web browser. cd/dvd authoring
tools such as dvd studio pro may be used to hyperlink the content of dvds for dvd
players or web links when the disc is played on a personal computer connected to
the internet.
adaptive hypermedia:
in contrast to traditional e-learning/electronic learning (and face-to-face
education) systems, whereby all learners are offered or even directed a standard
series of hyperlinks, adaptive educational hypermedia tailors what the learner
sees to that learner's goals, abilities, needs, interests, and knowledge of the
subject, by providing hyperlinks that are most relevant to the user. essentially,
the teaching tools "adapt" to the learner. of course, this requires the system to
be able to effectively infer the learner's needs and desires.
many fields of research including human-computer interaction, educational
technology, cognitive science, intelligent tutoring systems and computer
engineering are contributing to the development of adaptive hypermedia. unlike
intelligent tutoring systems, however, adaptive educational hypermedia doesn't
target stand-alone systems, but hypermedia systems. moreover, the use of adaptive
hypermedia is not limited to formal (or informal) education or training endeavors.
such systems can, e.g., increase profits by adapting to consumers' searches
(sometimes unconscious) for goods, services, and experiences. thus, systems like
amazon are also examples of adaptive hypermedia, recommending books based on user
preferences and prior history. other application fields of adaptive hypermedia,
beside of adaptive e-learning and adaptive e-commerce applications can be adaptive
e-government applications. generally speaking, adaptive hypermedia systems can be
useful anywhere where hypertext and hypermedia is used. the most popular adaptive
hypermedia systems are web-based systems.
an interesting aspect of adaptive hypermedia is that it makes distinction between
adaptation (system-driven [personalization] and modifications) and adaptability
(user-driven personalization and modifications). one way of looking at it is that
adaptation is automatic, whereas adaptability is not. from an [epistemologic]
point of view, adaptation can be described as analytic, a-priori, whereas
adaptability is synthetic, a-posteriori. in other words, any adaptable system, as
it 'contains' a human, is by default 'intelligent', whereas an adaptive system
that presents 'intelligence' is more surprising and thus more interesting. this
conforms with the general preference of the adaptive hypermedia research
community, which considers adaptation more interesting. however, the truth of
adaptive hypermedia systems is somewhere in the middle, combining and balancing
adaptation and adaptability.
