taming the wild, wild web: webquests pam kuck, instructional technology director kaye lietz, triton...
TRANSCRIPT
Taming the Wild, Wild Web:
WebQuests
Pam Kuck, Instructional Technology Director
Kaye Lietz, TRITON [email protected]
Overview of a WebQuest
• Definition: An inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet.
• Developed by Bernie Dodge, Professor of Eductional Technology, San Diego State University
• Useful for teaching any subject at any grade level
• Learners surf the Internet with a clear task in mind
Short-Term WebQuests
• Students will:– Acquire knowledge– Integrate knowledge– Grapple with a significant amount of material
and make sense of it
• One to three class periods to complete
Long-Term WebQuests
• Students will:– Extend their knowledge– Refine their knowledge– Analyze a body of knowledge deeply,
transform it in some way, and demonstrate an understanding of it by creating something
• One week to one month to complete
Critical Attributes of a WebQuest
• Successful WebQuests always include six main components:– Introduction– Task– Process– Resources– Evaluation/Assessment– Conclusion
Introduction
• Orients the learner to what’s coming
• Sets the stage for the learning activity
• Provides background to the topic
• Engages the learner through a variety of means– relevant to past experience– relevant to future goals– attractive and visually interesting– significant on a global scale– fun due to role-playing
Task
• Describes learner expectations• Is completable or doable• Interesting and engaging• May take the form of:
– Presentation (HyperStudio, PowerPoint, etc.)– Classroom presentation (speech, play, etc.)– Written report– Classroom demonstration
Process• Clearly describes steps to complete task• Divides tasks into subtasks • Describes roles to be played or perspectives to be taken by
each learner• Provides learning advice in the form of guided questions and
directions– timelines– concept maps– cause-and-effect diagrams– other organizational frameworks
• Lists resources to help the learner accomplish the task– websites– online experts– searchable databases– books and other documents– personal interviews– videoconferencing
• Pre-selects sites to discourage aimless “surfing”• Directs the learning experience
Resources
Evaluation/Assessment
• Newest addition to the WebQuest model
• Justifies expense of using the Web for learning
• Measures knowledge gained by learner
• Examines student product and establishes benchmarks
• Often takes the form of a rubric
Conclusion
• Summarizes the experience
• Reminds the learner what they have learned
• Encourages reflection about the process
• Extends and generalizes learning
• Brings closure to the quest
• May suggest questions for follow-up class discussion
• Usually a group activity
• May be a solo quest (distance learning, library settings, or independent study)
• May include role-playing (scientist, detective, reporter, etc.)
• May suggest a scenario (“You’ve been assigned to create a new exhibit at the zoo” OR “Visit Japan, study crime statistics, and report back to the CIA”)
• May be based on a single discipline or cross curricular
Optional Components of a WebQuest
Designing a WebQuest
• Identify your topic (curriculum-oriented with sufficient online resources)
• Browse and search for resources• Organize one’s knowledge and resources
– websites (online resources)– reference materials (offline resources)– people resources (online experts, local experts, etc.)
• Follow the design template
To find WebQuests:
• Matrix of Example WebQuests http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/matrix.html
• Teacher-Created WebQuests http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/edt628/projects.html http://topcat.bridgew.edu/~kschrock/#classwork http://www-education.nmsu.edu:8001/webquest/examples.html http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/ admin/tlapages/web_que.htm http://itdc.sbcss.k12.ca.us/curriculum/webquest.html http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webquest.htm
To find out more about WebQuests…
• The WebQuest Page http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
• Kathy Shrock’s slide show on WebQuests http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/webquest/wqsl1.htm
• Building Blocks for WebQuests http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/webquest/buildingblocks. html
• The WebQuest Design Process http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/Process/WebQuestDesignProcess.html
• A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquestrubric.html
• A WebQuest Design Template http://edweb.sdsu.edu/edweb_folder/Courses/EDTEC596/WebQuest_ Template1.html
Follow your quest...