In this thread I will collect my thoughts and the ideas of others that are related to the observation that "there is huge potential to invent more effective explanatory media."

What are the odds that a century-old medium is the best we can come up with? https://twitter.com/JakobSchwich/status/1232731244078735361

I'm not aware of any *proper* hypertext textbook. Most digital books try to imitate paper and waste a lot of potential this way. https://twitter.com/JakobSchwich/status/1262769223341936640

"By ‘hypertext’ I mean nonsequential writing - text that branches and allows choice to the reader, best read at an interactive screen." - Ted Nelson, Literary Machines

But does it make sense to create hypertext textbooks? I would say yes because a non-linear structure encourages metacognitive reflection and makes it impossible that readers remain passive. It also leads to interleaving which is known to be more effective than blocking.

But it's not just about non-linear structure. A proper hypertext book could include:

- multi-level content with an option to zoom in or out on request. ( https://www.francismiller.com/organising_knowledge_paper.pdf)
- multi-perspective content ( https://physicstravelguide.com/ )

And there are dozens of additional features that can be tested. (E.g. interactive spaced repetition prompts, an authored time dimension, desirable difficulties that can be activated on request, Stretchtext, ...)

A key challenge is to give learners all the freedom they need while simultaneously providing sufficient scaffolding. Multi-level content that is available at all times on request and curated paths seem like good options. https://twitter.com/RobertHaisfield/status/1263471159808581636

In contrast, a proper hypertext textbook provides an enacted environment (with consistent notation, and predictable structures) that allows learners to carve out an independent path.

To quote Ted Nelson once more: "Motivate the user and let him loose in a wonderful place."

An interesting directly related discussion can be found in this thread https://twitter.com/andy_matuschak/status/1081382568446947328

What got me thinking seriously about this topic were Ted Nelson's book "Dream Machines" and @andy_matuschak's essays "Why books don't work" https://andymatuschak.org/books/