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Running head: SHANGRI-LA POETRY WEBQUEST

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Shangri-La Poetry WebQuest Project Report

Whitney L. Prather

Kennesaw State University

SHANGRI-LA POETRY WEBQUEST 2

Abstract

The explosion of Internet use in education has happily opened many doors for diversification of

student learning, but unfortunately, unearthed many obstacles relating primarily to protecting

children from the negative influences or misinformation provided by harmful or unreliable

websites. The WebQuest has emerged as a functional teaching compromise which allows

students to use Internet resources, but in a structured environment that is often supplemented

with teacher-created resources. Students are still using the Internet for learning, but they are not

pursuing their goals blindly. Instead, they work to learn about a given topic and create a product

or solve a problem that demonstrates mastery of academic standards with technology as the

centerpiece throughout the learning process.


Shangri-La Poetry WebQuest Project Report

WebQuests are becoming increasingly common in classrooms across the world as the use of

various technology devices increases in all areas of education. Dr. Bernie Dodge from the

Department of Educational Technology at San Diego State University defines a WebQuest as

“an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with

comes from the World Wide Web (Dodge, 2008). Dr. Dodge and Tom March, from the San

Diego Unified School District were the first WebQuest authors in 1995. As WebQuests have

been implemented into classrooms over the past seventeen years, educators have discovered

innovative methods for using the guiding steps, which serve as page links in WebQuests,

proposed by Dodge: introduction, task, process, evaluation, conclusion, and credits. WebQuests

serve two vital areas in the 21st Century classroom. The first is teaching students how to

effectively harness the vast resources available on a variety of topics along the Internet

information superhighway beginning with teacher-screened resources and building to student

selection of resources. With appropriate vertical planning and scaffolding at all grade levels in a

school district or cluster, WebQuests can support students learning how to become effective

information searchers and evaluators with consistent teacher support that decreases as students

grow older and gain the critical thinking, reading, and judgment skills required to draw

conclusions and use information from appropriate web resources. As student interest in

traditional school teaching and learning practices continues to wane with the advent of accessible

technology, WebQuests are a key in addressing a second immediate classroom need-

differentiation. The WebQuest learning format provides automatic differentiation for students by

taking a large-scale topic and narrowing the focus for automatic differentiation in product,

process, and content. As students grow and develop personal interests and talents, the WebQuest


can become even more differentiated as students make their own learning decisions with teacher

guidance and support via the structure of a WebQuest to center their goals and learning

experiences on academic and technology standards. This report details the process of the creation

and implementation of a WebQuest in a classroom using the Analysis, Design, Development,

Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model.

Analysis

Learners

This poetry WebQuest is designed for learners aged eleven to thirteen, but the majority of the

participants will be twelve year old, age-appropriate sixth grade students. My sixth grade

Language Arts classes consist of all general education students; however, I do teach one student

who receives special education services, fourteen recently exited English Language Learning

(ELL) students, and twelve students who receive gifted services and are enrolled in advanced

classes in other subject areas. Reading levels in my Language Arts classes range from fourth

grade (approximate Lexile 550) to twelfth grade (approximate Lexile 1150) (“Lexile-to-grade

correspondence”). All students in the classroom are capable of understanding what they read on

their own, although ELL student comprehension improves when audio reading options are

available to them as a support for further English language development, particularly with

understanding the context of similarly spelled and sounding words or unfamiliar cultural

concepts. Audio recordings also support the comprehension and further language development of

marginal learners, who tend to read at lower levels. During the 2011-2012 school year, all

students in my classroom have been consistently exposed to digital learning environments, both

on the Internet and using tools within the school network. All students are capable of critically

exploring a website at individual readiness levels, and their effectiveness in this practice


increases when they have step-by-step directions and a structured online environment as are

provided in this WebQuest. Students have varying levels of familiarity with Microsoft Word,

Windows Movie Maker, VoiceThread, TimeLiner, Photo Story, Microsoft Power Point,

Kidspiration/Inspiration, and Edmodo as we have used all of these tools to complete individual,

paired, and team learning tasks and projects in the classroom. During this WebQuest, students

will learn how to use Wordle, a class wiki, Flickr, and Creative Commons while following

directions within a website to link to other areas of the Internet for critical reading and

evaluation. The greatest challenge my students will face in this WebQuest is applying their

reading skills to understanding poetry in context and interpreting its figurative language, sound

devices, sensory details, and imagery to which they have little exposure beyond general CRCT

preparation at the basic level of Boom’s Taxonomy.

Context

The Poetry WebQuest will be presented four times daily to class sizes of fourteen, eighteen,

and two classes of twenty-four students. There are seventy minutes in one class period with a ten

minute warm-up, fifty minute work session, and ten minute closing. These times are approximate

and can be changed as dictated by student learning during the WebQuest and the process

necessary to complete the WebQuest itself. While students are working on the WebQuest, I plan

to combine the warm-up and class opening after the first day to provide a longer work session

that will keep students more engaged with the technology tools and moving along through the

tasks. Formative assessment of student results will take place daily using a student-produced

product, and I can work with small groups of students to target specific standards as needed

based on this data. It should be noted that third period is interrupted for lunch and a scheduled

restroom break, and fourth period has a scheduled five minute locker break. Ultimately, the


seventy minutes of class time belongs to me and my students, and we are allowed to use it as we

see fit. All classes have access to a computer lab that is fully equipped with headphones and

microphones upon check-out request, and although students are seated according to assigned

pairs, they will use their own computer during this WebQuest. We have printers available, but I

plan for no printing during this WebQuest. Only Cobb County district-approved websites for

education that I have personally vetted will be used, so no special accommodations are needed.

Any multimedia components, particularly those pre-screened from outside sources, will be

embedded directly into my WebQuest except for those resources available on Teacher Tube,

which may be accessed by students and is an approved district resource. None of my special

needs students require any adaptive computer assistance, although I am going to use some self-

created mp3 files to make poetry audio adaptations available to all students with ELLs and lower

level readers being the most likely users. Once the WebQuest is actually built and tested several

times using differing computers in various lab locations, I foresee no technical difficulties as I do

not plan to use any technology that I am unfamiliar with. All of the pre-planning and rehearsal

makes me feel more at ease with the technology when the students begin the project; however, in

order to promote student comfort and confidence, step-by-step directions will be provided for

each phase of the WebQuest.

Standards

The following sixth grade Language Arts Georgia Performance Standards will be addressed in

some form during the poetry WebQuest:

ELA6R1 Comprehension/Literary text The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts. For literary texts, the student identifies the characteristics of various genres and produces evidence of reading that: ELA6R1.a Identifies and analyzes sensory details and figurative language.


ELA6R1.b Identifies and analyzes the author's use of dialogue and description. ELA6R1.d Applies knowledge of the concept that theme refers to the message about life and the world that the author wants us to understand whether it is implied or stated, and analyzes theme as it relates to the selection. ELA6R1.g Defines and explains how tone is conveyed in literature through word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. ELA6R1.h Responds to and explains the effects of sound, figurative language, and graphics in order to uncover meaning in literature: i. sound (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme). ii. figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification). iii. graphics (e.g., capital letters, line length, bold fact print, italics). ELA6RC3 Vocabulary The student acquires new vocabulary in each content area and uses it correctly; the student: ELA6RC3.b Uses content vocabulary in writing and speaking. ELA6RC4 Context The student establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas; the student: ELA6RC4.a Explores life experiences related to subject area content. ELA6W1 Writing Organization The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and provides a satisfying closure; the student: ELA6W1.a a focus, organizational structure, and a point of view based on purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements. ELA6W1b Writes texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story. ELA6W3 Research/Technology The student uses research and technology to support writing; the student: T.ELA6W3.31 The student selects and uses a variety of technology tools to locate, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and/or apply information to accomplish a content specific task.


Delivery/Response to Presentations The student listens to and views various forms of text and media in order to gather and share information, persuade others, and express and understand ideas. The student will select and critically analyze messages using rubrics as assessment tools. When delivering or responding to presentations, the student: T.ELA6LSV2.18 The student plans, creates, and analyzes simple multimedia products collaboratively combining visual elements, sounds, and words to communicate concepts.

The following National Education Technology Standards will be addressed in some form

during the poetry WebQuest:

NETS-S 1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues 2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning, and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems 3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project or complete a project d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions


5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity 6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. a. Understand and use technology systems b. Select and use applications effectively and productively d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies Task

This poetry WebQuest is designed to further develop and support student understanding and

interpretation of descriptive literary devices in poetry. Students recently completed an entire unit

on poetry that included several lessons on the types of figurative language, sound devices,

sensory words, and imagery, and many of them enjoyed creating original poetry and examples of

poetic devices with illustrations about various topics from their lives in a Beginner Poet Booklet.

During the unit, a large number of students showed interest in writing their own poetry to

improve their self-expression, and they had little difficulty identifying the forms of descriptive

language in poetry. However, a vast majority of students experienced some amount of frustration

when attempting to make interpretations of descriptive writing or create their own poetry using

complete, thoughtful, reflective, and effective explanations. The poetry WebQuest is designed to

review students on descriptive poetic devices and promote collaborative discussion about their

use in teacher-selected target poems and through a survey of online poetry links. Students will

also work in teams to support one another through the creation and illustration of an original

poem.


Students will meet the following objectives during this WebQuest:

WebQuest Objectives: Students will be able to identify the descriptive characteristics of poetry. Students will be able to identify and interpret the forms of figurative language. Students will be able to identify and interpret purpose for sound device usage. Students will be able to identify and explain a poem’s sensory details and imagery. Students will be able to find and explain poetry descriptions in context of the author’s world or their world. Students will be able to create their own descriptive poetry. Dispositional Objectives: Students will practice cooperative decision-making skills and share creative thinking in pairs. Students will answer the following Essential Questions during this WebQuest: WebQuest Essential Question: How does a “word artist” create their craft? “Link” Essential Questions: What are the characteristics of descriptive poetry?; How does a simile loudly compare?; How does a metaphor softly compare?; What’s the point of making something human?; Why do we exaggerate?; How do sound devices extend description?; How do the five senses make me “feel” as I read?; How does a poet convey their thoughts to readers?; Where do I see poetry in my world?; How do I share my poetic perspective with others?

Design

Premise

All WebQuests should create a simulation for students where they have a goal of applying

their learning to create a product or solve a problem versus just simply reflecting via discussion

or completing a worksheet summarizing their findings. The simulation I have selected uses

current student interests in mythology and fantasy as the basis for my WebQuest environment.

The mythical village of Shangri-La in Tibet, home of all poetry on Earth, has been attacked by

vicious “Word Snatchers,” who have stolen and destroyed all of the world’s poetry, and students

must work in teams to replace the world’s poetry. However, the mythical villagers of Shangri-La

just mange to save enough poetry for students to explore and use as examples for composing

their own poems.


Product

The end product will be an interactive computer-based and student-created poetry anthology

using applications such as Power Point, Windows Movie Maker, Wordle, Flickr, and Audacity.

Student writing and multimedia creations that use at least two poetic descriptive devices will be

submitted for the approval of the Shangri-La emperor and his high court (instructor and

classmates) and housed on a class wiki page. Teacher and student evaluation rubrics are

embedded into the WebQuest. In addition, students will have the option of sharing and

discussing their work with peers via Edmodo throughout the entire WebQuest and even after its

conclusion.

A hyperlink to the class wiki page is HERE.

A hyperlink to the Edmodo sign in page is HERE.

Process

During the WebQuest, each half of a student pair follows their own personal guide that

remains on the left or right side of the webpage. The Tibetan Sherpa guide helps them link to

teacher-selected poetry examples, audio components, multimedia, and webpages outside the

WebQuest for exploration of poetry. Students will use a guide map to answer essential questions

on descriptive poetry topics as they take their tour of Shangri-La to learn about the following

descriptive poetry components: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia,

alliteration, rhyme, and rhyme scheme, sensory details, and imagery. The guide map is submitted

for a daily classwork grade when the each part of the student pair has completed it. Students will

also complete Magic Cloud Exit Tickets for each poetic element where they must discuss and

reflect on what they have learned with their partner. These are collected by the instructor for

formative assessment to determine which students may receive an invitation to participate in a


supply stop small group where learners will receive extra support and additional explanation on

individual poetic elements. On the task page, students will have the opportunity to explore areas

of interest that might inspire their creativity further such as a music poetry page on the class wiki

and a link to Wordle for creation of descriptive word collages. Throughout the entire WebQuest,

a link to our class Edmodo discussion board will be available, so students may earn extra credit

by posting and responding to peers on Edmodo about the poetry being read during the

WebQuest, the poetry writing process, or poetry topic ideas.

Differentiation

Differentiation will be addressed in several ways during this WebQuest. Individual students

are strategically placed by the instructor in pairs, and will be guided to different poetry samples

according to readiness level for the content being presented to address content differentiation.

The sample model poems in each lesson will also be differentiated according to reading level,

but every model poem will contain an audio component to support student understanding at their

reading level, whether it is higher or lower. Student teams will continue using the leveled poetry

selections to address the same poetry element essential questions on their guide maps while the

results of Magic Cloud collaborative discussions will also vary according to the leveled poetry

examples and student poetry element individual explorations. Student teams will work together

to compose a poem that uses two or more descriptive elements of poetry, and they may choose

their topic, which allows for student choice and differentiates the product. In addition, students

will create a multimedia product with their poem using the software combination of their choice

from the following list: Power Point, Audacity, Windows Movie Maker, Photo Story, or Pod-o-

Matic. Much of the differentiation in this WebQuest is designed to begin scaffolding middle


grades students to make their own learning choices and pursue personal interests when choosing

writing topics and creating products.

Universal Design

This WebQuest is assembled using several basic principles of Universal Design, but it is

adapted to the page limitations of my free web-hosting service, Wix. There are two sets of pages

in my WebQuest-one for students and one for teachers. A link button supports movement

between the two areas of the website. All of my page links within the WebQuest are located on

the left side of every page in their section, and there are no forward or backward buttons as

students may move about the WebQuest as they deem necessary to immediately look at the

product rubric or review directions. When students are on any page of the WebQuest, its link in

the master list is bright green. There is even a direct student link to Edmodo on the links menu.

Any further links within pages are located using graphic hyperlinks that feature the faces of the

Sherpa Guides, are clearly defined with a specified link button, or are underlined within the text

for immediate access after students complete their reading of the guiding directions. All videos,

audio, and graphics will be directly embedded into the WebQuest in order to prevent students

from running into inappropriate information elsewhere except for one direct Video Link to

Teacher Tube. Chalky pastel backgrounds and with textured parchment overlay containing dark,

blue-violet printing has been used consistently on every page of the WebQuest. Furthermore, all

“headlining” text uses Sans Serif font, and all “reading” text uses Serif Arial font that is left-

justified. Most of the graphics and video links are in the center top or bottom or each page;

however, I did keep the Sherpa Guide links to the left and right so that students could clearly see

and separate their individual routes using the poetic element list links in the center of the page.

When students are doing the same activities, these, like the poetic element list links are placed in


the center of the page. To further help students navigate the WebQuest, I named the guides Loki

for the left side of the screen and Riyan for the right side of the screen.

Adaptive Technology

While I do not presently have to make technological adaptations for students with disabilities,

our computer labs are wheelchair accessible, and we have adaptive computer equipment in our

building. Headphones could be provided to those hard of hearing, while those who are

completely deaf could have additional graphics and close captioned videos added. Our vision

impairment lab is adapted to provide computer access and assistance to blind students with a

screen magnifier or a screen reader.

Development

Timeline

The following Poetry WebQuest timeline documents the development of the entire WebQuest

from beginning to end.

Analysis

1) 1/27/12-1/28/12-Reviewed upcoming unit topics on Cobb County’s Picasso website and selected mythology as WebQuest topic. Selected the learning standards for the WebQuest

using the sixth grade Georgia Performance Standards and National Education Technology Standards for Students. Reviewed previous lesson plans from current school year to determine what types of technology could be incorporated into the WebQuest and its product. Selected student use of Inspiration/Kidspiration for brainstorming, Word for word processing, and a choice of Power Point, Windows Movie Maker, or Photo Story for multimedia component of product.

2) 1/29/12-1/31/12-Created the big brown grid sheet with moveable post-it notes listing topics and ideas as suggested in our course text, The Non-Designer’s Web Book (Williams & Tollett, 2006). Continued to view this one to two times weekly to make changes, consider ideas, or add new information until WebQuest moved into the development

stage with pages actually being created.


Design

3) 2/1/12-2/28/12-Began selecting information on the Greek myths, gods, goddess, and other mythical beings that I planned to cover in my WebQuest. Reviewed multimedia resources available in You Tube, Teacher Tube, and United Streaming. All items were placed onto my computer into a WebQuest Grab Bag Folder. Began to get bored and discouraged with mythology topic as all found items were directed toward high school students.

4) 2/10/12-2/11/12-Created class wiki for 7430 with additions for resources and product submissions for the WebQuest in mind. Used Wikispaces to build the class wiki, and this proved to be beneficial practice for creating my own webpage. 5) 2/28/12-Officially decided to change my WebQuest to descriptive poetry devices instead of

mythology. Deleted all mythology information from my grab bag folder, but maintained large-scale diagram with new post-it notes for the updated WebQuest ideas.

Searched for any other supplemental print resources for students. Investigated web host pros and cons.

6) 2/29/12-Selected the learning standards for the poetry WebQuest using the sixth grade Georgia Performance Standards, but maintained the previously selected National

Education Technology Standards for Students. Chose to maintain the previous selected final multimedia project that would apply learning poetry standards in student writing. Drafted the entire Shangri-La simulation concept for the WebQuest in Microsoft Word. The draft covered the introduction, task, and conclusion for students.

7) 3/1/12/-3/5/12-Reviewed materials that I have already created for class and those that are available via our text, and moved those that are necessary into the WebQuest folder. Investigated Museum Box and determined that it was not going to be the most effective hosting site for student poetry multimedia products, so I made the decision to use the class wiki created in Wikispaces. Drafted the WebQuest information for teachers in Word. It includes the Introduction, Learner Analysis, Standards and Process. Reviewed poetry WebQuests on WebQuest.org to gain further ideas for my own work.

8) 3/6/12-3/11/12-Reviewed many online poetry writing resources and selected the following links for my WebQuest: Sturgeon County, Missouri School District figurative language resource page, Story Institute and Poem Hunter for poetry topic bucket lists, Public Broadcasting poem examples and explanation pages, Karla Kuskin’s Scholastic poetry writing website, Word Wizard, Amazing Middle School Poetry Quest, Giggle Poetry, and Poems4Kids for poem examples, Read Write Think and Poetry Splatter for differentiated interactive writing support, and Rhyming Dictionary for rhyme support. During the review of online sites, I narrowed my focus to nine descriptive poetic devices as all the information I was finding was overwhelming and would be difficult for students to navigate in any form.


9) 3/12/12-3/18-12-Investigated several free web-hosting sites for my WebQuest. The two finalists were Wix and Google pages. After creating dummy practice pages in each product, I had some concerns with open advertising in the free version of Wix, so I decided that I would use Google Pages to create my WebQuest. Created a teacher and student multimedia rubric for the WebQuest product using my personal template. 10) 3/19/12-3/25/12-Began searching the Creative Commons section of Flickr for WebQuest graphics and found a user who had posted photos from a trip to Tibet that included an

expedition through the Himalayas where I photos of my two Sherpa Guides. Contacted a fellow Jem and the Holograms fan to request permission to use screen cap graphics from the Journey to Shangri-La episode, and permission was granted along with improved versions of the screen caps via e-mail. Found other graphic from a Tibet exhibit online where photos could be used as long as credit was given to the website.

11) 3/26/12/-3/29/12-Reviewed multimedia possibilities for WebQuest using You Tube, Teacher Tube, and United Streaming. Found one example of a similar student-created product on Teacher Tube and two poetry videos that run for a total of fifteen minutes on You Tube. The first video is on figurative language, and it was created by a graduate student at Kent State University, who I contacted through her webpage for permission to use her work. The second video came from a private school in Liverpool, Great Britian. I found the author’s name on the school website, and again obtained permission to use the video via e-mail. Development 12) 3/31/12-Began designing the WebQuest student home page in Google Pages with one additional page link for practice. 13) 4/1/12-Finalized WebQuest design with a peachy-pink background and a parchment page overlay with blue-violet Arial font as originally conceived. Completed Student Introduction Page using revised information created in Word with Teacher Tube student example video link. A list that contains title links to other pages is placed in the upper left corner of every page. 14) 4/2/12-Created Teacher Introduction, Learner Analysis, Standards, and Process pages by revising and pasting in my drafts from Word. 15) 4/3/12-Created Student Task page with Shangri-La graphics using my revised information in Word. 16) 4/4/12-Created Student Evaluation page with more Tibet museum graphics using my previously drafted information in Word, and used them to create hyperlink to the teacher and student rubrics in Word for easy access and printing.


17) 4/5/12-Created the Student Conclusion page with the link to the wiki page where students will submit their multimedia products using the Jem Shangri-La gatekeeper graphic and previous written information in Word. 18) 4/6/12-Began creating a Student Process page, but it was getting too full with just the Process directions, so I added a Student directions page to the WebQuest where the entire Shangri-La journey is explained to users and they meet their guides. 19) 4/7/12-4/8/12-Selected and created the eighteen differentiated student poetry reading examples as Word documents that will be saved and linked into the WebQuest. Called legal departments of textbook companies to confirm validity of classroom use. Used many graphics from the Creative Commons section of Flickr and Google images noted as public domain or permission for use from their websites. I was successfully able to make adjustments to most graphics in Word or in Paint and save my results. 20) 4/9/12-Embedded figurative language YouTube video into Student Process Page. Created simile section and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. 21) 4/10/12-Created metaphor section and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. 22) 4/11/12-Created personification section and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. 23) 4/12/12-Created hyperbole section and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. 24) 4/13/12-Created onomatopoeia section and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. 25) 4/14/12-Created alliteration and rhyme sections and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. Also embedded rhyme YouTube video into Student Process Page. 26) 4/15/12-Created sensory and imagery sections and added all links to examples and webpages. Recorded poetry audio using Audacity. 27) 4/16/12-4/18/12-Added directions for the WebQuest product to the process page in steps, created hyperlinks to each area, including those in the class wiki. Added Edmodo link button to the Master List 28) 4/19/12-4/21/12-Created the Shangri-La graphic tour maps and magic cloud reflective pages in Word. 29) 4/22/12-4/23/12-Linked all credits and Teacher Resources page links to WebQuest.


Implementation 1 30) 4/26/12-Piloted WebQuest with twelve students who all filled out brief questionnaires and provided verbal feedback during the process. Students did not fully complete product, but did go through all steps of the WebQuest. Evaluation 1 31) 4/27/12-Reviewed student feedback from WebQuest pilot and planned their suggested changes. 32) 4/28/12-Unable to access WebQuest in Google Pages all day, and finally see that it is no longer showing there. I resort to recreating the entire WebQuest in Wix based upon ease of for me and from student feedback. 33) 4/29/12-Redesigned entire WebQuest in Wix and got all pages set up. There is a menu link bar on the left of every page that corresponds to the student or teacher areas. 34) 4/30/12-Recreated all pages in the Teacher section of the WebQuest in Wix. 35) 5/1/12-5/2/12-Recreated all pages in the Student section of the WebQuest in Wix. During this process, it was easier to use Wix by breaking down the Process into three separate numbered section pages. I also created a Product page for the multimedia instructions to to make them and their resources more prominent as encouraged by student feedback. I used Windows Movie Maker and Audacity to create a sensory and imagery video that I uploaded through YouTube to give that area a multimedia component. Implementation 2 36) 5/3/12-Repiloted WebQuest with same twelve students who gave much more positive feedback regarding ease of use. Evaluation 2 37) 5/4/12-5/5/12-Re-checked all page links and made some movement of objects on pages to finalize project. Tools

There were a variety of print and web tools in the development of my poetry WebQuest as

well resources that I had on hand or developed myself during the process. The print tools used

include: The Non-Designer’s Web Book, Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Reader’s Journey, Grades


6-8 from Pearson/Prentice Hall, Literature, Grades 4-8 from Prentice Hall, and Literature,

Grades 6-8 from McDougal-Littell. Computer software tools that support my WebQuest are:

Microsoft Word, Audacity, Inspiration, Timeliner, Paint, and Windows Movie Maker. Web-

based tools that were part of the process include: Google (search, pages, and images), Flickr,

Creative Commons, Wix, Teacher Tube, YouTube, Zamzar, United Streaming, Wordle, and

Wikispaces. Website links are: the Sturgeon Missouri School District, Story Institute, Poem

Hunter, National Public Broadcasting, Karla Kuskin and Scholastic poetry, Word Wizard,

Amazing Middle School Poetry Quest, Giggle Poetry, Poems4Kids, Read Write Think, Poetry

Splatter, Rhyming Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster online. Personal resources are: Dr. Bryan

Gillis, Ryn Lewis, Cathy Halpern, and Ron Milton. All resources, including those not listed here

under the auspices of Creative Commons, are recognized on the Credits pages of the WebQuest.

Implementation

The poetry WebQuest was implemented with a pilot group of twelve present students. This

group was specially selected to include a true sampling of my students. Students completed a

brief usability discussion survey upon finishing the WebQuest to provide me with feedback for

changes. I used the same resources for the pilot group as I would with a regular class. Those

resources are pre-booked consecutive days in the computer lab, and any adaptations for disabled

students that might arise. Each student pair needs access to two computers that are next to one

another. A class set of headphones must be checked out from the Media Center and placed in the

computer lab at each work station ahead of time. Classroom procedures are already in place for

working in the computer lab, and we will follow those; however the WebQuest pilot

environment will be more relaxed since it takes place after school hours. My classroom routines

also include group work practices that we will follow using less stringent expectations for the


pilot group. Classroom management should not be an issue as this WebQuest will provide plenty

of work to keep students busy, engaged, and on task. Typically, in the computer lab, I walk the

lab and have discussion conferences with students to check and assess progress and

understanding. Usually, I carry a clipboard to take notes. Since I am so active with the students

in the role of facilitator, they are also actively working. During student work time, small groups

of students will be invited to participate in focus groups that will review certain poetic elements

where formative assessment and daily observation dictate various individual students need

additional explanation and examples to promote true understanding of the concept. After

reviewing feedback and discussion from the pilot students, this WebQuest is now designed to

take place in a ten day period. Most of the learning time will be in the computer lab, but students

can access the WebQuest and work its resources at home, if they choose. USB drives and student

e-mail can transport items as needed, and students can use print resources for example poems if

they are uncomfortable reading them from the computer screen. Equitable internet access will be

provided upon request with lab study hours before and after school during the WebQuest. A list

of local library hours will also be posted for students and sent to parents. This WebQuest will not

involve collaboration with another colleague from my school outside of making small changes to

suit classroom needs if this is used as a learning activity for an entire grade level.

Evaluation

Student Learning

For their summative WebQuest task, student pairs will submit at least one multimedia poem

to the Shangri-La Anthology via a WebQuest link to a wiki page on the student conclusion page.

Students will review the anthology online and submit commentary via the wiki or Edmodo.

Selected final products will be invited to post to Edmodo for sharing with other students outside


their class period. A mini-lesson on appropriate and helpful commentary using the language of

the standards will be provided to students. Student multi-media poems will be evaluated upon

their submission by the course instructor and peers in an online viewing similar to a classroom

gallery walk with each student moving through the wiki page at their own pace. Each evaluating

party will use their own rubric, and both rubrics are posted in the evaluation portion of the

WebQuest. Teacher and student rubrics consider the same criteria using the language of the

standard with the instructor rubric going into more depth. Some of the goals for students in their

multimedia poem are to include the use of descriptive techniques to convey the poem’s meaning,

compose at least three stanzas, use multimedia elements such as graphics that relate to the

writing, and apply basic design techniques. For formative learning tasks, students will be

submitting graphic organizers in the form of magic clouds for each poetic element. The magic

cloud requires students to evaluate the descriptive poetic technique used in their example poem

and discuss their thoughts with their partner. Discussion conference notes with students will also

support assessment of their progress and offer them commentary on their thoughts and work.

Students who need additional support in particular poetic elements as demonstrated through

formative assessment techniques will receive invitations to participate in small mini-lesson

groups where the instructor reinforces the instruction provided by the WebQuest. Although

students already have familiarity with descriptive poetic elements, a brief pre-test will be given

where students must define the poetry tool and attempt to use it in context since that is their

ultimate goal at the conclusion of the WebQuest. In addition, if students demonstrate an

appropriate readiness level, they can complete the WebQuest using even more challenging

poetry examples to stimulate critical thinking as directed by the instructor.


Product Design

A group of twelve current students, who were selected to be a truly normed sample,

participated in a pilot of the poetry WebQuest for two hours after school in a computer lab. In

addition, two colleagues who have experience with WebQuests served as observers, and they

offered me verbal feedback based upon their observations as the students worked. Following the

WebQuest procedures, I pre-selected student WebQuest partners. The pairs went through an

abbreviated version of the WebQuest by completing its entire process learning about each

descriptive poetic element but not completing the final product because of time constraints.

However, students did review both evaluation rubrics and the WebQuest conclusion. After

completing the WebQuest, participating students filled out a brief survey that asked the

following questions and encouraged elaboration:

1) Describe what was or would be your favorite part of completing the poetry WebQuest. 2) Was your pair able to stay focused during the WebQuest? Why or why not? 3) Were the directions clear and easy to understand? 4) Do you feel that the performance task related to the standards? 5) Did the WebQuest links relate to topic and effectively help you learn? 6) Was the WebQuest easy to navigate? Could you get where you wanted to go? Describe.

The data for each question is listed below in the form of one chart and five pie graphs:

1) Describe what was or would be your favorite part of completing the poetry WebQuest.


2) Was your pair able to stay focused during the WebQuest? Why or why not?

3) Were the directions clear and easy to understand?


4) Do you feel that the performance task related to the standards? 100%

5) Did the WebQuest links relate to the topic and effectively help you learn?

6) Was the WebQuest easy to navigate? Could you get where you wanted to go? Describe.

Results of the student survey and a wrap-up discussion mandated some changes to the

WebQuest. Students enjoyed all the aspects of poetry exploration available to them, but wanted


me to find additional musical resources to be added to the class wiki. An additional suggestion

involved changing the musical resources even two weeks, even after the WebQuest, to maintain

student interest and promote thinking while listening to music as well as music appreciation. A

majority of students were able to maintain their focus throughout the process, and those that did

not stated that it related to having difficulty with directions. Students suggested that I give three

separate sets of directions that introduce the simulation, explain the process, and explain the

product. All students felt that the activities in the WebQuest related to the learning standards, but

some had difficulty understanding how to use the various resources. Everyone, even those

students with the difficulties, stated they should have asked more questions of me or their

partners. The students understood the concept after I and others demonstrated the websites for

them during the debriefing. I was advised to simply watch for students using those web links to

be available for support quickly, if needed. The biggest complaint among students was the actual

design of the WebQuest, but most of them attributed the issues to Google pages. Students

complained that the WebQuest was slow to load and that they had difficulty getting around to

different areas. The feedback I received included removal of the front and back navigation

buttons, better highlighting of the Edmodo link, increased use of brighter green to help students

see what page they are on, breaking down the process pages into three distinct categories to

make them easier to read, and making sure that all links, whether words or pictures were clearly

defined in the directions. I thought all the changes were well-advised and agreed to all of them.

Coincidentally, Google pages somehow deleted my WebQuest in the days immediately

following the pilot, so I recreated the entire WebQuest using Wix as my host. My student pilot

group agreed to test the WebQuest again in the Wix format, and they concurred that all aspects

of design and navigation were improved. Students were particularly pleased with having the


three separate process pages to categorize the poetic elements and additional online resources on

the product page. Finally, students agreed that the design elements in Wix allowed the webpages

to show their features more prominently and in more vibrant colors making the whole activity

more stimulating to the mind. According to their assessments, the advertisement for Wix services

did not interfere with their learning. Making the suggested changes, including my web host,

improved student satisfaction and accessibility to the WebQuest and its information.

Reflection

Project Development

Even after reviewing example WebQuests, I was still unsure about getting various technology

tools to work together to lead students to a common goal; however, once I began the analysis,

design, and development of my WebQuest, I learned that planning a block of instructional days

centering on technology use is actually quite similar to planning for traditional classroom

learning. One still considers the same components of what he or she wants students to know and

be able to do for learning objectives, aspects of differentiation in product, process, content, and

environment, and what activities will actually pique student interest to keep them engaged in the

learning process. A complete survey of to evaluate and narrow the countless learning resources

available is also a vital part of planning for a WebQuest or the classroom. Ample time needs to

be allowed for the entire process, particularly if anyone is completing a WebQuest for the first

time as it definitely takes longer than planning for regular classroom activities. It seems that the

best WebQuests, like the best classroom lessons, give students the knowledge to complete a

relevant product that relates to learning standards by their conclusion versus the many I

reviewed that solely relied on immeasurable web exploration and what is likely limited

collaboration to determine whether students learned. Technically, it is vital for an instructor


building and implementing or even simply using a WebQuest to be familiar with the technology

involved with it, particularly with how students could use the given tools and their possible

pitfalls. It is also beneficial for students to have some practical experience with technology tools

either through consistent classroom use or prerequisite mini-lessons prior to using them as part of

a WebQuest. I considered what technology tools my students were interested in learning more

about and how I could build upon prior technical knowledge during the WebQuest so students

could learning how to effectively use technology as well as write a descriptive poem. While my

students will gain improved knowledge in multimedia tools and website evaluation through this

WebQuest, I gained at least intermediate level knowledge of building webpages in this

experience. The most important thing I learned as I developed the poetry WebQuest was how to

design my own website. Despite being extremely inconvenient, having Google pages

inadvertently deleted my WebQuest, which still has not turned up, was not the obstacle I thought

would be. Reworking my WebQuest in Wix really made all aspects of this project come together

for me. I was able to understand and apply the concept of design layers and basic design

principles as Wix is very visual with color coding to keep me aware of exactly which page layer

I am working with. Near the end of rebuilding my WebQuest, the process finally began to be fun,

and I was able to move at increasingly quicker speeds through tasks that had literally taken hours

when using Google pages for the first time. I even practiced further by adding some new

elements! It was surprising to me how much planning and web design took place on my large

piece of brown paper where I was constantly moving post-it notes from area to area. Although

that visual aspect made the webpage design process seem rather daunting, it was an

accomplished feeling each and every time I crossed something off that paper as being completed

or even elected to discard items to maintain my WebQuest’s focus. Working on one thing at a


time over a lengthy period provided plenty of time to consider my options and make informed

decisions and changes to the WebQuest throughout the entire design process, even a change in

the subject matter. In addition, I was also surprised at how I incorporated all of my learning from

this course’s Skills Assignments into my WebQuest. By the end of this project, I had designed

Word documents, made Windows movies, embedded video, and incorporated Audacity audio

recordings throughout my WebQuest. The poetry WebQuest is definitely more than just the

Internet! In fact, I would refer to it more accurately as a technology quest. Other than the fiasco

with Google pages near the conclusion of the WebQuest project, I would not change any step of

my process. If I were ever to build another WebQuest or website, I would follow my initial

instincts about added additional pages as I felt they were needed despite example templates, and

I would use Wix to host from the start!

Instructional Design

WebQuests provide appropriate scaffolding to support students in using the World Wide Web

as a valuable educational resource. As with classroom procedures, if students practice using the

WebQuest ahead of time, they are familiar with its structure, typically dictated by the page link

buttons that function the same as a classroom active lesson plan. My students and I found that the

more extensive the WebQuest, the more directions and pages are needed to keep students from

getting lost in the process. This also supported easier site navigation. It also seems that learning

in a WebQuest does not rely on computer use alone. Students should be chronicling their

learning in some form whether it is data collection in a spreadsheet, a wiki, Edmodo discussion,

or traditional pencil and paper activities. In addition, a WebQuest that works well should have

students creating a product at its conclusion versus just basic collaboration during the process or

completing a summary practice page. Although I kept scaling down my WebQuest throughout


the ADDIE process to sharpen its focus, there were certain aspects of it that still could have been

improved. The most difficult hurdle in creating a WebQuest for me was not to make it too

comprehensive as this could cause confusion (and in fact, did) for students. I could have scaled

this WebQuest even further back and focused only on figurative language or sound effects, and it

likely would have been more successful and supported deeper student immersion in the selected

topic. Better use of the backward design process would improve the instructional design of my

WebQuest, but in retrospect, I think I was a little more intimidated by the actual web design

process causing me to focus more on that area of the project versus the instructional planning. I

selected my multimedia elements based upon whether or not they directly supplemented student

learning within the WebQuest. All of the videos I selected provided additional instruction and

visual elements centered on the concepts being covered on a particular process page. Perhaps my

multimedia selections would have been improved by being shorter as one of them was nine

minutes long, and I would consider added multimedia elements of the selected example poems

on a supplementary link to support ELL’s and marginal learners through the class wiki. Finally,

I would want to provide more challenging elements within the WebQuest for more advanced

students in my next attempt.

Personal Growth

Despite the difficulty of this project, it truly supported my personal and professional growth. I

learned that even a true web design novice can use once of the free WYSIWYG web hosting

sites to build a better-than-basic webpage. Some of the more practice knowledge I gained was in

basic design principles, which has provided me with a more informed and critical view of the

World Wide Web. While I did not think my planning skills would ever improve, this project

managed it since it was so comprehensive and took place over such as long time period. While I


would get a little frustrated when I thought that I had certain aspects of the project completely

finished, I managed to allow myself enough time to simply move on and get the job done. The

WebQuest project reiterated the importance of planning ahead and staying on task. As a teacher,

I found new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into student learning and make it the

primary instead of the secondary ingredient. I also learned about many new ways to use student

interest in technology to get them more involved and responsible in their own learning. As a

technology facilitator, the WebQuest project forced me to troubleshoot a horde of technical

issues, both great and small, throughout the entire process. In every instance, the obstacle turned

out to be a personal learning experience that allowed me to expand my technological knowledge.

Often, I would quickly apply my newfound learning in my daily professional or personal life.

Ultimately, the project was challenging for me because I truly had to teach myself how to do it as

I went. There was minimal instruction given throughout the course in how to complete the

WebQuest outside of WebQuest reviews and the helpful Skills Assignments that focused on

specific technology applications for the product. Until recently, I was afraid that I had picked up

very little knowledge, but being able to recreate my WebQuest so easily in Wix while

simultaneously understanding and explaining what I was doing has been the most accomplished

learning I have experienced in some time.

Consideration of Others

If any colleagues were going to create their own WebQuest from scratch with no experience

and no fill-in-the-blank template, I would advise them to spend some time reviewing the

WebQuests of others online using WebQuest.org and maintaining a pros and cons list that details

all the aspects you like and all those that you find less than appealing. Having that knowledge

was one of the best ways for me to get started on this project. I would encourage others to take


time to research several web-hosting sites and practice setting up dummy pages in them to

determine which one is the easiest to use and can be adapted to your needs. New WebQuest

authors should be more concerned about ease of use versus how much audio or video a free web-

hosting site will accommodate. To keep your frustration level down, you want to be able to work

with your web host not let it work you over. In that vein, I would highly recommend Wix for

beginners. Unlike Google pages, they have a visual working environment that actually supports

users in their web design. There are subject-area linked videos that provide visuals and complete

explanations in steps on how to design and implement your webpage. Customer service is easily

accessible, even to free users, and if Wix is unable to do something, the site actually explains

why or states when they hope to have the feature available. Finally, use backward design

principles to keep your WebQuest focused on the student objectives and learning process from

the beginning. Use it with the large piece of butcher paper divided into sections with post-it notes

as suggested by Williams and Tollet. The giant page sounds like a gigantic waste of time, but it

will help you to see what you are doing, what you need to do, how your pages relate, and most

importantly, what you need to leave out. Remember to stay focused on your ultimate goal and

approach the WebQuest in baby steps, use available professional and personal resources, and

most importantly, realize that learning how to build a WebQuest can be as much fun as it a

challenge that will make you feel as though you have achieved mightily by its completion.


References

Dodge, B. (2008, October 28). Webquest.org: Home. Retrieved from http://www.webquest.org/

Lexile-to-grade correspondence. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/

Williams, R., & Tollett, J. (2006). The non-designer\'s web book. California: Peachpit Press.

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