Observe
This group adapted a turn-taking style that mimicked the form of the Bolter chapter, providing an effective representation of the writing. The approach was effective because it was straightforward, but suffered from a lack of connections between presenters. Even still, the chapter was effectively communicated and each presenter’s topics were excellently described.
Infer
The group took a distinct position on the new methods of communication and discourse in contemporary society. Using the Internet and new media as a frame, they compared old styles of “dialogues” from Plato and Socrates to scholars such as Wittgenstein. Their main points included: 1. Alternative forms of dialogue exist in Western musical notation, where tonal information is presented alternatively and effectively; 2. Writing and reading do not have to be sequential; 3. Oral storytellers have more control over their content as they tell the story, leading to unique performances and varying content subject to various factors; 4. The “anti-book” is a genre of writing in which traditional themes of narrative and typography are ignored; 5. The inclusion of images and illustrations in essays, although new, presents a transformation of the writing form.
Question
Why did Bolter choose to bring up oral philosophers in this chapter, and what do they have to do with digital media? How is oral storytelling related to hypertext? How can such things as the “exchange of ideas” be refashioned? While the Internet can facilitate the exchange of ideas, how will it transform that exchange? What does textual direction and sequence have to do with dialogue? What does it have to do with anti-books or new practices in essay-writing?
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