A webquest is an assignment which asks students to use the World Wide Web to learn about and/or synthesize their knowledge a specific topic. A “true” webquest, as originally designed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, requires synthesis of the new knowledge by accomplishing a “task,” often to solve a hypothetical problem or address a real-world issue. Simpler web activities designed for students to investigate and collect new knowledge from web-based sources can also be a more engaging and effective replacement for read-the-chapter-and-complete-the-review-questions. This tutorial will walk you through the basics to create a simple or more elaborate activity.
- The assignment can be given on
paper, certainly the simplest and most portable option. For
an example, click
here to print out a simple "on paper" webquest
on Laura Ingalls Wilder. (You'll need Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which
is available from the TeachersFirst
Toolbox.
- A webquest assignment can also be given
on the web itself by sending students
to a web page which serves as the "home base" for the
student’s information search. For an example, click
here to see an "on the web" webquest bsed
on Harper Lee's book To Kill A Mockingbird.
- You can also present a webquest using some
other multi-media software such as Hyperstudio or Powerpoint.
The quality of your webquest depends on the
ideas and thought that go into in more than on flashy presentation
technologies. It’s easy to create a mediocre webquest, and it’s
far more difficult to create quest that really works well. |
Why should you take
the time to create a webquest? The best reason is that, like any carefully
planned lesson, a good webquest makes learning interesting for your
students. Beyond that, however, several other factors make webquests
a powerful learning tool.
- First, a good webquest puts the power of
the web behind your topic. You can show students - or let them discover
for themselves, not just tell them. Web sites can take your students
anywhere in the world.
- Webquests are a way to let students work
at their own pace, either individually or in teams.
- A webquest lets students explore selected
areas in more depth, but within limits that you have selected. This
makes webquests ideal for classes which combine students with different
ability levels.
- Webquests offer a different, more dynamic
approach to teaching the value of research.
- Webquests can also increase the "comfort
level" of students using the Internet for learning activities.
While your students are probably already computer literate, a properly
designed webquest can help students become creative researchers
rather than simply "surfing" from one site to another.
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Webquest
101 – Putting Discovery into the Curriculum