I.  Developer

 

a.    Bernie Dodge developed the WebQuest concept.

 

b.    San Diego State University in February of the 1990’s.

 

c.    He wanted to give his student teachers a format for online lessons that would make the best use of student time while fostering higher-level thinking skills.

 

d.    Soon after, Tom March, working at San Diego State as a fellow funded by Pacific Bell, developed the first fully developed WebQuest as part of PacBell's Knowledge Network ¹.

 

e.    Dr. Dodge wrote a paper on the topic, "Some Thoughts About WebQuests," which can be accessed via our Resources page. The paper was widely read, and many teachers started to adopt the technique. On our Resources page you will also find Dr. Dodge's WebQuest Page, which he created as a resource for other teachers to use.

 

f.    Soon, staff developers at schools and teacher educators at universities were using the WebQuest Page as a source of training materials and ideas for their own courses. As the WebQuest Page grew, it developed links to WebQuests created all over the English-speaking world.

 

 

 

II.           Definition

 

a.    A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.

 

b.    WebQuests provide an authentic, technology-rich environment for problem solving, information processing, and collaboration.

 

c.    This inquiry-based approach to learning involves students in a wide range of activities that make good use of Internet-based resources.

 

 

 

III.         Component Parts

 

There are six critical components in a WebQuest:

 

a.    Introduction:

 

 The introduction section provides background information and motivational scenarios like giving students roles to play. It also provides an overview of the learning goals to students.The goal of the introduction is to make the activity desirable and fun for students. When projects are related to students' interests, ideas, past experiences, or future goals, they are inherently more interesting.

 

 

 

b.    Task:

 

The task is a formal description of what students will have accomplished by the end of the WebQuest. Developing this task -- or the main research question -- is the most difficult and creative aspect of creating a WebQuest. Students can be asked to publish their findings on a Web site, collaborate in an online research initiative with another site or institution, or create a multimedia presentation on a particular aspect of their research.

 

c.    Process:

 

This is a description of the steps learners should go through in accomplishing the task, with links embedded in each step.

 

d.    Resources:

 

This section of the WebQuest consists of a list of the resources (bookmarked Web sites, print resources, etc.) that your students will need to complete the task. Variety is the spice of life, and WebQuests are enhanced by materials that supplement the online resources. These can include things like videos, audio cassettes, books, posters, maps, models, manipulatives, and sculptures. Visiting lecturers, team teaching, field trips, and other motivational techniques can also be used.

 

e.    Evaluation:

 

Each WebQuest needs a rubric ¹ for evaluating students' work. The standards should be fair, clear, consistent, and specific to the tasks set. Many of the theories of assessment, standards, and constructivism apply to WebQuests: clear goals, matching assessments to specific tasks, and involving the learners in the process of evaluation are all concepts from earlier workshops that apply here.

 

f.    Conclusion:

 

This step allows for reflection by the students and summation by the teacher. Setting aside time for discussion of possible extensions and applications of the lesson honors the constructivist principle: "We learn by doing -- but we learn even better by talking about what we did." During the concluding section of a WebQuest, you can encourage your students to suggest ways of doing things differently to improve the lesson.

 

 

 

 

 

IV.           Advantages and Disadvantages of Model

 

a.    Advantages

 

1.     can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;

 

2.    usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;

 

3.    are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it.

 

4.    The benefit, though, is that once you have made your WebQuest, most of your work is done.

 

5.    Once that occurs, you no longer have to worry about daily lesson plans or scintillating lectures.

 

6.    Relieved of the burden of being the main source of new information, you instead work with your students as a coach, thinking on your feet.

 

7.    Many teachers find that they like this role better than being the "sage on center stage."

 

b.  Disadvantages

 

1.     Finding the time is the biggest obstacle to designing your own WebQuests.

 

2.    Your first attempt requires that you learn to use some new tools, and some teachers simply can not find enough spare hours to pull it off.

 

3.    WebQuests also require that students have a certain level of reading ability, unless one is careful to find highly visual sites or has an adult available who is willing to read the screens to the students.

 

4.    This means it's harder to create a good WebQuest for children younger than the third grade or for those with language or reading difficulties.

 

5.    You should also be prepared for those who feel that classroom learning should be focused on facts and content -- and who oppose inquiry-based learning more generally.

 

 

 

V. Implications for the Library Media Center

 

1.  Technology is also listed as one of the three areas along with collaboration and leadership that should be integrated into all aspects of the school library program.

 

2.  The standards clearly state, “The library media specialist is a primary leader in the school’s use of all kinds of technologies - both instructional and informational - to enhance learning.”

 

3.  And strong ideas about using technology to help form links within the  “learning community” are advanced.

 

VI.           Five Websites

 

1.     FOCUS: Five Rules for Writing Great WebQuests

 

2.    www.Webquest.org

 

3.    http://classportals.org/myplace/2007/10/09/aisv-term-4-webquest/

 

4.    I created a webquest for EDT 575 and I would like to share it: http://www.geocities.com/yvettej2

 

5.    http://suzannepeters723.googlepages.com/curriculumconnections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The introduction section provides background information and motivational scenarios like giving students roles to play. It also provides an overview of the learning goals to students.The goal of the introduction is to make the activity desirable and fun for students. When projects are related to students' interests, ideas, past experiences, or future goals, they are inherently more interesting.