I asked some of my kiddos and my music teacher colleague, Monica Femovich, to help me explain our very new efforts in teaching curation. Usually game for anything Glee-ish, our singer/actors brilliantly and generously created an introduction I can use for instruction and in upcoming workshops.
This may be the first song about digital curation.
Lyrics:
Curation, Curation Curation!
Curation, Curation. Curation!
Who day and night must aggregate the content, pull together knowledge, harness all the feeds
And who must make sense of media, tags, and text, keeping learners up to date, at school
Librarian, Librarian
Curation!
Librarian, Librarian,
Curation!
Who do we rely on for creative stuff
What’s best so we avoid the fluff?
Who must point the way to stuff that’s good enough
So we don’t miss the stuff that’s really buff!
The Network, the Network. Curation!
The Network, the Network, Curation!
At ten my three-ring notebook really held all my school stuff.
I know by now that binder can’t contain my research
The student, the student. Curation!
The student, the student. Curation!
And who does TL teach to curate with new tools,
So we can gather knowledge both in and out of school?
The learner, the learner! Curation!
The learner, the learner! Curation!
(Shift)
Curator, curator, build me a mash
Gather the feeds, so I can cache
Media, blog posts, and tweets that make sense
And mix me a perfect mash
Curator, curator, so much to read
Google exhausts me with more than I need
I’m seeking relevance, so I must plead
Let human touch intercede
For teacher let it be scholarly
Me, well, I want the feeds
To keep me current with fashion
Or causes for which I can take the lead
Curator, curator, give me new tools
So I can learn, curating rules
Livebinders, storify, scoop.it and sqworl
So many new research jewels
Please, please make it dynamic,
I don’t need the same old rehash
I rely on your knowledge and passion
To open the newsfeed sash!
Curator, curator, demonstrate mash
Use networking skills, to help us in school,
Through you we discover the big picture view
To manage new info search tools.
Starring:
Emma C.
Ben V.
Jordan S.
Dan M.
Jelli V.
Thanks to Monica Femovich
Song parody by Joyce Kasman Valenza. Based on “Tradition” and “Matchmaker” from Fiddler on the Roof.
Music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
BRAVO! Encore!
Brilliant! Thanks for the entertainment AND the relevant content
Thanks, Ladies! I’ll share your kind words with the students.
I’m just glad no one felt it was necessary to stand on the roof! Brilliant!!
I just heard your talk & loved the Curation songs by students. Would you believe that yesterday this Dilbert cartoon appeared? Amazing!
http://dilbert.com/2011-10-30/
Hello Joyce,
I just discovered this old jewel of yours. It’s fantastic. I’m in love with it.
I can’t compliment you and all the others involved in doing this joyful musical ode to curation.
I would like to ask your permission to republish this masterpiece with integrated subtitles, so that everyone can learn it and sing it. I’ll take care of what’s needed.