Juliana LovettEDCI 691

What is a WebQuest?“An inquiry-oriented activity in which some

or all of the info that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet” (Dodge, 1995).

WebQuests integrate technology into the curriculum and make it beneficial for students.

Good teaching with the Web.

Where did the WebQuest come from?

Bernie Dodge, a Professor at San Diego State University came up with the idea of the WebQuest after he prepared a task (WebQuest) for pre-service teachers. It went so well that he decided to do it more often, named it, and created a webpage that described the idea (www.webquest.org).

The Three R’s of WebQuestsReal: Are students looking at a question or

topic that concerns people in the real world (March, 2000)?

Rich: Does the WebQuest introduce students to interesting roles that encourage students to problem solve? Does the WebQuest engage students in rich discussion (March, 2000)?

Relevant: Does the WebQuest allow students to find themselves, their concerns, or their interest in the scenarios given to them (March, 2000)?

Benefits of Using WebQuestsIncrease student motivationCooperative learningAuthentic tasksAddress real world problems or issues Timely sourcesSingle discipline or interdisciplinaryHigher-order thinking skills

5 Elements of a WebQuestIntroductionTaskProcess and ResourcesEvaluationConclusion

IntroductionIntroduces an activity to students and raise

the interest of the students. Often has a scenario or role involved.

TaskProvides a goal and focus for student/s.

Describes what the student/s will have completed by the end of the assignment (product, presentation, etc.).

ProcessDescribes and identifies steps students will

go through to accomplish the task, including resources they will need and learning advice.

EvaluationEvaluation rubric that measures results.

ConclusionSummarizes and reminds learners what they

learned and accomplished by completing the WebQuest and encourage them to extend their thinking.

Two Types of WebQuestsShort term: Takes 1-3 class periods to

complete. The goal is knowledge, acquisition and integration. Learners will have made sense of the significant amount of new information they managed (Dodge, 1995).

Long term: Takes one week to one month to complete. The goal is extending and refining knowledge. Learner will have analyzed knowledge, transformed that knowledge, and demonstrated an understanding by creating something others can respond to (Dodge, 1995).

WebQuest PitfallsCreating a task that is not authentic.Choosing an inappropriate topic.Using a WebQuest for research papers.WebQuests that only look at something in one

way or have one right answer.

WebQuest Topics to Avoid Topics that are well covered by the textbookFactual recall (ex. 50 state capitals)Procedures (ex. Pythagorean Theorem)

a2 + b2 = c2

Questions to Help Create More Authentic WebQuest Tasks

When do adults use this knowledge?How can that knowledge be applied to

another kind of situation?Does my WebQuest use life verbs like decide,

design, create, predict, or judge? Or does it use classroom verbs like know, tell, or remember?

A Successful WebQuestHas an open-ended task, is achievable, and is

authentic.Students show they are engaged and

motivated.Students results are different from each

other.Students bring up great issues.The WebQuest is unique and rich and shows

individual creativity.

Assessing WebQuestsThis “Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests” was

created by Bernie Dodge. http://www.webquest.sdsu.edu/

webquestrubric.html

This particular rubric created by Tom March is for assessing the strengths and weakness of WebQuests you find or create.

http://www.bestwebquests.com/bwq/matrix.asp

Useful Resources to Help Build a WebQuest

The most important site to go to is Bernie Dodge’s WebQuest site where you can find a lot of useful information. http://webquest.org/

QuestGarden which was created by Bernie Dodge helps with creating WebQuests. The site provides direction in creating a Webquest and sample WebQuests to look into. http://questgarden.com/

Rubistar is a great site to look into for creating an evaluation rubric for the WebQuest. http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

Works CitedDodge, B. (1995). Some thoughts about

WebQuests. Retrieved from http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html

March, T. (2000) The 3 R's of WebQuests: Let’s keep them real, rich, and relevant. Multimedia Schools Magazine. 7(6), 62-63.