webquests

Elementary EducationResearch demonstrates that using WebQuests at the elementary level can be beneficial to students. Depending on the age group of the learners, teachers can design WebQuests that are more general or specific in nature. The key to designing an effective WebQuest is to have a clear purpose and objective in mind.

WebQuests can be designed to be an effective use of student time by being organized and focused on using information instead of searching for it. These two factors contribute to ensuring that students remain on task while online. WebQuests extend the students' thinking to the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy; analysis, synthesis and evaluation. WebQuests also support a variety of instructional and cognitive practices such as critical thinking and problem solving through authentic assessment, cooperative learning, scaffolding and technology integration.

Teachers may incorporate WebQuests into their instruction to introduce a unit or to conclude a unit, as a culmination activity. WebQuests may also be used to foster cooperative learning through collaborative activities with a group project. Teachers use WebQuests to encourage independent thinking and to motivate students; thus increasing learning. Finally, WebQuests can be designed to help enhance students’ technological competencies.

Webquests are valuable tools for differentiating instruction. Teachers are able to provide multiple websites to use as reading content, allowing students to use the resource that works best for their level of understanding. Gifted students are able to research a topic deeply, while other students are exposed to the same websites. Students can then utilize the appropriate information for their abilities in order to complete the WebQuest. Providing a choice of final product to demonstrate understanding is another form of differentiation imbedded into a WebQuest. Webquests also encourage accountability. Specific task guidelines and/or rubrics are provided from the beginning of the WebQuest project, so that all students are aware of exactly what is expected of them. [1] [2]

[edit] Secondary EducationWebquests in secondary education include the same components as in primary education. Focus is on understanding a concept through the use of the Internet. Students have met the objective when they have gathered information and are able to show what they have learned. Webquests at the secondary level can be used across the curriculum. Secondary teachers can choose to adapt an existing Webquest some examples can be accessed at the following sites: [3] [4] [5] Secondary teachers can also make their own Webquest. Developing a good webquest requires that teachers analyze several webquests to become familiar with the components and format. [6]

"The more meaningful, the more deeply or elaboratively processed, the more situated in content, and the more rooted in cultural, background, metacognitive, and personal knowledge an event is, the more readily it is understood, learned, and remembered." (Iran-Nejad, McKeachie, and Berliner, 1990, p. 511)

WebQuests are reflective, fluid, and dynamic. They provide teachers with the opportunity to integrate Internet technology into the course curriculum by allowing students to experience learning as they construct their perceptions, beliefs, and values out of their experiences (Beane, 1997). A WebQuest activity presents students with access to a plethora of resources that have been pre-screened by the WebQuest's creator. The way the activity is designed discourages students from simply surfing the Web in an open-ended, unstructured manner. The WebQuest activity is a useful tool for enhancing the development of transferable skills and helping students to bridge the gap between school and "real world" experiences. WebQuests provide a practical way for students to acquire information, debate issues, participate in meaningful discussions, engage in role play simulations, solve problems, and, perhaps most importantly, become connected and involved learners. While the use of WebQuests in the middle school curriculum presents an opportunity for classroom teachers to take a fresh approach toward meeting the demands of the curriculum, it is important to remember that their use constitutes one tool among many to be used in the classroom. According to Dodge's original publication a WebQuest is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing" (Dodge, 1995a; Dodge, 1995b).

[edit] How WebQuests Are Developed This article contains instructions, advice, or how-to content. The purpose of Wikipedia is to present facts, not to train. Please help improve this article either by rewriting the how-to content or by moving it to Wikiversity or Wikibooks. (December 2009)

Learners typically complete WebQuests as cooperative groups. Each learner within a group can be given a "role," or specific area to research. WebQuests may take the form of role-playing scenarios, where students take on the personas of professional researchers or historical figures.

A teacher can search for WebQuests on a particular topic or they can develop their own using a web editor like Microsoft FrontPage or DreamWeaver. This tool allows learners to complete various tasks using other Cognitive tools (e.g. Inspiration, MS Word, PowerPoint, Access, Excel, and Publisher). With the focus of education increasingly being turned to differentiated instruction, teachers are using WebQuests more frequently. WebQuests also help to address the different learning styles of each students. The number of activities associated with a WebQuest can reach almost any student.

WebQuests may be created by anyone; typically they are developed by educators. The first part of a WebQuest is the introduction. This describes the WebQuest and gives the purpose of the activity. The next part describes what students will do. Then is a list of what to do and how to do it. There is usually a list of links to follow to complete the activity.

Finally, WebQuests do not have to be developed as a true web site. They may be developed and implemented using lower threshold (less demanding) technologies, (e.g. they may be saved as a word document on a local computer).

Many Webquests are being developed by college students across the United States as a requirement for their K-12 Planning e-portfolio.

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (February 2007)
[edit] Developments in WebQuest MethodologiesThe WebQuest methodology has been transferred to language learning in the 3D virtual world Second Life to create a more immersive and interactive experience[7].

[edit] ToolsWebQuest can be created using common word processing software such as NotePad, Microsoft Word and Open Office as well as HI with web editing software such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage. Webquest templates allow educators to get a jump start on the development of WebQuest by providing a pre-designed format which generally can be easily edited. Templates are characterized by frame-type: Framed or Unframed and by the placement of the navigation bar: Top Navigation, Bottom Navigation, Left Navigation, and Right Navigation. [8] [9]