WebQuests: a
Workshop for the Engaged Learning
By Betty Carle
Computer Teacher
Dows Lane School
Irvington, New York 10533
School Districts |
WebQuest
Database |
Templates
& Editor Guides | Graphics/Banners
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Sounds|
Rubrics
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Publishing
WebQuests | Web
Page Help|
Introduction: Webquests
are a lot of fun to do! In addition they allow for a positive, educationally
sound use of the Internet. Teachers and administrators who are interested
in using the Internet in a safe and productive way with students probably
have heard at least a little about WebQuests. Why have your students do
a webquest? Why should busy teachers take the time to create one? Teachers
use them because they are directly relevant to the curriculum and interesting
and motivating to both teachers and students, they add spice to a lesson
and direct a more responsible use of the Internet
Developed by Prof.
Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University, webquests are way to focus
the internet-based activities of learners so that they get both structure
and direction, but still have varying degrees of freedom to explore web
resources. In the article WebQuest
,
Prof. Dodge distinguishes between short term and long term webquests. He
then provides critical attributes for webquests, which he says should contain:
an introduction that sets the stage, a task that is doable and interesting,
a set of information sources needed to complete the task, a description
of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task,
some guidance on how to organize the information acquired, and a conclusion.
He also developed a new set of building
blocks for developing a webquest. It describes, in detail, the different
components of creating one.
The Task:
One way for you to get to creating a really good webquest is to critically
analyze a number of webquest examples. Once you understand this model,
you may decide to develop a webquest for your own use or to work as a team
to consolidate web resources for use in a thematic unit. To develop great
WebQuests, you need to develop a thorough understanding of the different
possibilities open to you as you create web based lessons. One way
for you to get there is to
critically analyze a number of webquest examples and discuss them from
multiple perspectives.
That's your task in this exercise.
The Process:
1. By the end of this lesson, you and your group will answer these
questions:
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Find two WebQuests from the database below
that are good examples of a WebQuest. What are the strengths? Why?
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Find two that are a poor example of a WebQuest. What are the weaknesses/
Why? Use this worksheet
as a guide to write up your evaluations.
2. After discussing your findings you can begin by also going into
these other webquests for further evaluation or skip to step #3.
3. You can also find other "Teacher
Created" webquest to get some further ideas on a subject.The
number of WebQuests posted on the Web continues to grow. You can find many
of them simply by entering the keywords WebQuest or Web quest in a search
engine. If you use another teacher's webquest an author's e-mail address
usually is included; be sure to ask permission to include his or her WebQuest
in your own.
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School
Districts:
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WebQuests Databases:
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4. How to Begin. Generally, when teachers put together
a lesson, they think about what they want students to learn, how they will
motivate and support their students, what materials they will use, and
how they will assess the studentsí learning. As with any lesson,
teachers also must consider their studentsí interests, prior experiences,
and reading and writing skill levels. A well-designed WebQuest has considered
all of these elements and added relevant resources from the Internet. Print
out a template(Bernie
Dodge, Template Page) to use as a guide for your creation on your own
webquest.
Templates
and Editor Guides
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Some thoughts on the different parts to a webquest:
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The Introduction and the Task: Writing Compelling Scenarios.
Teachers imaginations can produce limitless ideas and topics for WebQuests.
Their scenarios, however, tend to fall into categories, including: bringing
contemporary world problems into the classroom, evaluating history, creating
products, dealing with lifeís realities, and sparking studentsí
imaginations.
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The Process. In the process section, the teacher guides
the students through their task, often using a numbered, step-by-step guide.
The teacher also may suggest ways to manage time, assign roles, or collect
data more effectively. Some teachers lay out a time line with deadlines,
strategies for working together in a group, or directions for writing a
storyboard.
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Resources: Gathering Relevant Materials and Links. After
you decide on your topic and have written the introduction and the task,
you must identify the resources your students will use.
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Evaluation: Many WebQuests result in products of paper
or oral reports, multimedia presentations, dramatic performances, artwork,
or musical compositions. The most appropriate evaluation tool for all of
these forms often is a rubric.
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The Conclusion. The conclusion brings closure to the WebQuest,
summing up the project and reviewing what the students
have learned.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, this exercise will provide you with a large
pool of ideas to work with for your final
project. The best WebQuest is yet to be written. Why
not give it a shot!
Resources and Image Galleries
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Graphics
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Banners/Fonts
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Rubrics/Specialized
Search Engines
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Sounds
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Publishing
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Web Page Help
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Credits:
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Many of the materials from this page were written by Bernie
Dodge &
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Dr. Maureen Brown
Yoder is an associate professor in Lesley Collegeís Technology
in Education Masterís program.
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LHRIC
