Abstract
Although hypermedia applications have been developed in the United States and Japan, there has been no study up to date to review the educational use of hypermedia. This paper offered an overview of the popular educational application of hypermedia in terms of media usage typology in Education. Characteristics of hypermedia are widely held to be key points in reviewing hypermedia application. They were defined in this paper from a historical perspective. Among those defining characteristics are flexibility, interactivity, editability, communication, hypertext, multimedia, simulation, etc.. Several trends can be identified from the review. Firstly, hypertext and multimedia are not much used in teaching through hypermedia. Secondly, hypertext finds little use in hypermedia teaching (literacy). Thirdly, in teaching by hypermedia, e.g. via OHP, multimedia and hypertext are not as much used as expected. Finally, in learning with hypermedia (like Palenque), editability is not used. In all cases, little use is made of simulation. Another educational use of hypermedia can be called 'integrated use of hypermedia'. For example, at Brown University, intermedia system is used in both teaching and learning process, which incorporates all the above-mentioned characteristics of hypermedia.
