Webquests

Webquests are inquiry-based projects where most, if not all, information is taken from the web. All websites that the student needs to complete the webquest are given, so that the students? energies are focused on completing the task, not on searching for resources. Webquest are engaging, motivating and encourage higher level thinking skills. In addition, webquests, very often give the students choice in what tasks they complete and how they complete them.

In the article, Focus: Five Rules for Writing a Great Webquest, Bernie Dodge, the creator of webquests lists the qualities that define a great webquests.  Thsee qualities make up the acronym, FOCUS. Find great sites, Orchestrate your learners and resources, Challenge your learners to think, Use the Medium, and Scaffold high expectations. To find great websites, the article encourages the use of powerful search engines and the ?deep web? by using databases, archives and directories of museums. These deeper sources add a lot of interest and relevance to the webquest. A great webquest also organizes the resources so that every student has something to do even if there is a limited amount of computers. Organizing also involves organizing the students? activities through different roles and cooperative learning experiences. Webquests should be challenging and the task should be engage the student in solving an authentic problem using higher level thinking skills. Great webquests should also use the medium by capitalizing on what is unique to the internet---add a blog or discussion board to your webquest and use all its multimedia capabilities. Last, a great webquest should scaffold the learning so that all students are working at their highest level by using templates, writing guides, how-to resources, etc.

I have used webquests and have created my own (only 2---one was written over 4 years ago and the other I wrote this year as part of a class requirement). I love creating them and I have enjoyed watching the students complete them. What I particularly like is that they are focused?.on the resources, the curriculum and student expectations, and that they usually give the students choice in completing the assignment. Webquests are naturally differentiated and involve student collaboration.

I have a new job a Media Specialist in an elementary school next year. I hope during the summer to create a separate webquest for 3 rd, 4^th and 5^th grade which integrates media and technology curriculum with the core subjects. Something new that I would like to include in these webquests are blogs or discussion groups that will allow the students to reflect on their progress as they are completing the assignment. I would also like to include resources from the ?deep web? to give the task authenticity and relevance. I?d like to use ?deep web? resources like the American Memory Project, or the archives of The NC Museum of Art or Natural History.  A third thing that I would like to try is to create a webquest with different student roles. I think that this helps to differentiate the task and to give student choice, two elements that are important in students? success.

Posted at 05:13PM Jun 18, 2006 by LEOUSIS, REBECCA in General  |  Comments[0]