The objective of LyricWiki.org is to provide users with lyrics to their favorite songs. The website also provides readers with a song of the day and album of the week, as well as the reason for these selections. The website is part of "Wikia" so there are links at the top of the screen that go to wikis about television shows, movies, games, books, and food. If there is a mistake, users can log on and fix the errors. It is fair to say that this website is a good wiki because it has all the features that Chapter 4 of Richardson's books details such as a page history, edit page, and a discussion area. The page is update and added to everyday. I enjoy reading the song of the day section because most of them have been songs I know and enjoy.
According to Richardson (2010), even younger elementary school students can operate wikis. Wikis such as LyricWiki can be used as a research report. Students can look up the history of their favorite song lyrics, as well as how and why they were written. Groups of students can collaborate on this wiki or any other wiki for that matter and "monitor the content that is added and make the necessary edits and revisions" (Richardson, 2010, p. 61). Using the wikis can also show students how to publish content because "technologies such as wikis and blogs are increasing the opportunities that students have to publish in meaningful ways for real and varied audiences" (Hunt & Hunt, 2006, p. 91). Teachers and students can use wikis to share either personal interests or to teach new concepts/ideas. They "afford students unprecedented opportunities to share their ideas, celebrate their creativity and receive immediate feedback from fellow networkers" (Wheerler, Yeomans, & Wheeler, 2008, p. 988). Wikis can be used for reflections. LyricWiki can be used as a motivation for encouraging wikis in the classroom. Students can look up their favorite song lyrics and analyze the meaning of the song in an essay. Younger students can write a journal entry as to what the song lyrics mean to them and why they like the song. Another motivational use of wikis is that it allows teachers "to chronicle and archive all of the good work those students are doing" (Richardson, 2010, p. 65), which allows students to take pride in their work.
Several literacies are involved when it comes to using wikis. First of all, one needs knowledge of how to use a wiki. There are many buttons, the most important one being the edit button. One must know when and how to use the edit button and for this to happen, a user must know how to determine when it is appropriate to do so. Users must be able to read, determine if the information is accurate and be able type to make the necessary corrections. While editing, it would also be helpful if the user is a good spell or knows how to use spell check. Literacy fits into Wikis because they allow users to evaluate and synthesize the information that is found on these pages. To navigate through LyricWiki, a user has to know which song they want to search for. They then must determine if the lyrics are correct. If something is wrong, they can open the page and make the necessary corrections.
This technology has transformed both teaching and learning in the sense that students can now teach one another and sometimes even their teachers too. Wikis can be used to share content with other classes as well as to allow students to help design curriculum content with their teachers. Graphics and links can be shared with teachers and students to provide more resources to each other. Wikis also allow students to share notes and ideas with each other. LyricWiki can transform teaching and learning because it allows students to practice their analyzing and evaluation skills in a fun manner. This activity provides students with more choice as they can decide which lyrics they want to search for.
Okay, I’m not old but the background did play tricks on my eyes today! I like your note about how these 2.0 tools, social networks in this instance, can promote “fundamental life skills.” I think if all teachers viewed technology in that way, they may be more apt to using it—even if they lack the expertise. Agree?
ReplyDeleteOpps, I meant to post the last post under your social networking post. I am thrilled to see you are taking advantage of the references made in the textbook. There is so much to learn in there and it seems best to do by actually doing, following. This is a great example of the point you made in this post: teachers become “the guide on the side not the sage on the stage.” This is still a transformative idea, though constructivism has been thought about for a while now. I also appreciate your thinking about the literacies involved in wiki-ing. Always keep going back to the literacies.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of using the LyricWiki to teach students how to evaluate information on the internet. I think that is one of the most important critical literacy to teach when using so much technology. How would you teach that skill with this wiki? I also see some potential for a poetry unit. Songs have many shared characteristics with poems.
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