Comments on: Required Comment 1: What about the wiki?

By: Kristin K

Kristin K — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:50:11 +0000

I think Wiki would be helpful for uploading additional recordings. It is extremely organized and easy to use. It had all of the same options as this website, but it was more advanced.

By: eskayve

eskayve — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:40:16 +0000

I thought that the wiki was a very creative idea to give students an idea of the project they are going to be working on. The video showed the process of it, played the music, and interviewed ppl (good job justin!). I think more links could be provided with information about the song and with actual recordings of it, since people only can hear clips of the piece on the video. But having a video is very beneficial to a class because it gives the students a visual..something other than a teacher’s instructions.

By: Adam S

Adam S — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:43:38 +0000

I think you all bring up some very valid points about the use of wikis and their place in the music classroom. I would like to briefly comment on something that Emily brought up, which is the funding for technology in schools – which is always a challenge, and an issue that you should all consider. Most of the schools that I am familiar with in this state have funds set aside for acquiring technology. It is important to not view your budget concerns as a battle with a perceived value in another discipline (ie, the new football uniforms). Even though this perception may, in fact, be a reality, a good team of administrators will never put anything ahead of an academic need. And therein lies the challenge for music teachers when it comes to technology. In my opinion, we as a profession have not been doing a good job of demonstrating an academic need for technology – much like we have not been doing a good job of advocating for music in the schools, but that is a topic for another day and another class. The types of projects that you all have been doing this semester are great and powerful examples of the importance of student creativity in music. If you can construct a solid argument for using technology to benefit a wide population of students in a creative environment, your administration will have to consider your claims. Every teacher that I know who has been able to do this has been successful in acquiring what they needed. Be prepared to fight, be prepared to lose, and be prepared to keep trying because it is important, and a vital part of what we do.

By: radford2

radford2 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:18:33 +0000

I thought the wiki site was really interesting and potentially very useful in a technology class like ours. The site is kind of bland and colorless right now, so maybe some pictures and less words? The video was very informative and of good quality. If only we could incorporate the wiki with the existing website so there aren’t two? It seems a bit overload.

By: Lauren S

Lauren S — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:00:32 +0000

I don’t really know how to use wikis at all or anything. I myself probably would not take the time to use it unless I got really bored. Its cool that the info is shared and is online for everyone to view though. I don’t think very many people are aware of this site or sites like this and it should be advertised a little better. I think it would be cool for a teacher to have a wiki though. It is easy to find and get onto since most everyone has internet at home.

By: sherylm

sherylm — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:05:19 +0000

I think that this is very exciting! It is extremely organized and and easy to use. I also agree that a comment space would be great opportunity as it gives people the opportunity to reflect and communicate with others on the new information they are digesting.

By: Eric Swanson

Eric Swanson — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:59:41 +0000

I think the wiki is a very nice concept for sharing info about the event. One concern that at least I would have is how people outside the project would find the site or even know about it; perhaps an advertised link from the U of I music website could be a good recruiting tool for those interested in joining the orchestra or the music education program at U of I. The remixing opportunity is a very cool touch . . . if you have time or the software to use it. Orchestra member bios would be nice too.

By: Erin Kimberlee

Erin Kimberlee — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:11:02 +0000

I think that the concept of this project is very exciting and interesting! The wiki is a very effective way to follow progress. I really enjoyed the video that was posted on the wiki! It was very informative. This was my first time visiting a sight like this, and I sense that it can be very effective in the classroom! I think that it gives students and teachers a sense of accomplishment to see their work put together in one place.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:39:45 +0000

In this day and age, there is a wiki for everything. The wiki contains a lot of useful information about the project and what was done. The program notes provide a wonderful reference to students doing any research on the piece. What I would like to see is more on the front page to allow for easier navigation. If more projects were done, I would rather see a wiki that combines all of them as opposed to a wiki for each piece. This would give more depth and more information to put into the wiki. Overall, I would say this is a great source for information and a great way to document the work that is being done.

By: lpence2

lpence2 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:32:58 +0000

I liked the wiki. It seemed well organized and easy to navigate. And it also seemed to have all of the same options as this website, plus more! The video was very good and gave a lot of information.