Creating a WebQuest Presented by: Yvette Findlayter St. Joseph’s College Technological Literacy In The Childhood Classroom

Definition of a WebQuest? Professor Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University defines a WebQuest as an inquiry-oriented activity that uses resources on the World Wide Web. WebQuests pull together the most effective instructional practices into one integrated student activity. These Web-based projects use World Wide Web sites to help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. OR An inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that students interact with comes from resources on the Internet. 2/28/2008

Professor Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University defines a WebQuest as an inquiry-oriented activity that uses resources on the World Wide Web. WebQuests pull together the most effective instructional practices into one integrated student activity. These Web-based projects use World Wide Web sites to help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills.

OR

An inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that students interact with comes from resources on the Internet.

What is a WebQuest? WebQuests are interesting and motivating to teachers and students. An effective WebQuest develops critical thinking skills and often includes a cooperative learning component. Students learn as they search for information using the Web, following a prescribed format that focuses on problem solving and authentic assessment. A well-written WebQuest requires students to go beyond simple fact finding. It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to solve a problem. WebQuests help students analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. 2/28/2008

WebQuests are interesting and motivating to teachers and students.

An effective WebQuest develops critical thinking skills and often includes a cooperative learning component.

Students learn as they search for information using the Web, following a prescribed format that focuses on problem solving and authentic assessment.

A well-written WebQuest requires students to go beyond simple fact finding. It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to solve a problem.

WebQuests help students analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information.

Two Kinds of Webquest Short term long term. 2/28/2008

Short term

long term.

Short Term WebQuest The attributes of a short term WebQuest are: knowledge acquisition and integration making sense of large amounts of information typically completed in one to three class periods. 2/28/2008

The attributes of a short term WebQuest are:

knowledge acquisition and integration

making sense of large amounts of information

typically completed in one to three class periods.

Long Term Webquest The attributes of a long term WebQuest are: extending and refining knowledge analyzing a body of knowledge thoroughly and transforming it creating a product that others can respond to typically completed in one week to a month. 2/28/2008

The attributes of a long term WebQuest are:

extending and refining knowledge

analyzing a body of knowledge thoroughly and transforming it

creating a product that others can respond to

typically completed in one week to a month.

WebQuest vs. Scavengerhunt “ scavenger hunts,” is a much simpler approach that is as old as the Web itself. In a typical scavenger hunt, students are given a list of items they must find (answers to questions, for example, or instances of data) and are set loose on the Web. Example: http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/ScavTemp.html WebQuests are much more structured and focus heavily on collaboration. 2/28/2008

“ scavenger hunts,” is a much simpler approach that is as old as the Web itself. In a typical scavenger hunt, students are given a list of items they must find (answers to questions, for example, or instances of data) and are set loose on the Web. Example:

http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/ScavTemp.html

WebQuests are much more structured and focus heavily on collaboration.

Why Do a WebQuest? Like any carefully planned lesson, a good WebQuest makes learning interesting for your students. 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. 2/28/2008

Like any carefully planned lesson, a good WebQuest makes learning interesting for your students.

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.

Why Do a WebQuest? 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. 2/28/2008

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.

Components of a WebQuest Every WebQuest has six basic components: Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Teacher Page 2/28/2008

Every WebQuest has six basic components:

Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Teacher Page

Introduction This is an overview (often a simple one) of what is to come. Many WebQuests take place within a story setting; in these instances, the Introduction is where the plot and characters are introduced. Examples: Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/index.htm Designed for 2 nd graders: http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/index.htm Designed for 3 rd Graders: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/westwardho/introduction.htm 2/28/2008

This is an overview (often a simple one) of what is to come. Many WebQuests take place within a story setting; in these instances, the Introduction is where the plot and characters are introduced.

Examples:

Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/index.htm

Designed for 2 nd graders:

http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/index.htm

Designed for 3 rd Graders:

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/westwardho/introduction.htm

Task This page details the assignment that is to come. Tasks are often comprised of numbered lists of items that must be accomplished to complete the quest. Examples: Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/task.htm Designed for 2 nd graders: http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/task.htm Designed for 5 th grders: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/pbelem/childrenspool/task.htm 2/28/2008

This page details the assignment that is to come. Tasks are often comprised of numbered lists of items that must be accomplished to complete the quest.

Examples:

Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/task.htm

Designed for 2 nd graders:

http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/task.htm

Designed for 5 th grders:

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/pbelem/childrenspool/task.htm

Process The Process is the meat of the quest — it is here that students work together, develop plans of action, and find ways to solve the presented problem. Often, quest processes may involve role-playing and other off-line methods. Examples: Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/process.htm Designed for 2 nd graders: http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/process.htm Designed for 3 rd graders: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/westwardho/process.htm 2/28/2008

The Process is the meat of the quest — it is here that students work together, develop plans of action, and find ways to solve the presented problem. Often, quest processes may involve role-playing and other off-line methods.

Examples:

Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/process.htm

Designed for 2 nd graders:

http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/process.htm

Designed for 3 rd graders:

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/westwardho/process.htm

Evaluation The evaluation phase centers on a “rubric,” a carefully designed chart listing goals for the quest and the standards by which performance will be measured. This can be thought of as a great widening of the typical letter grade usually given to classroom assignments. Rubrics are highly annotated “grades” with extensive annotation detailing many aspects of the project. Examples: Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/evaluation.htm Designed for 2 nd graders: http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/evaluation.htm Designed for 3 rd graders: 2/28/2008

The evaluation phase centers on a “rubric,” a carefully designed chart listing goals for the quest and the standards by which performance will be measured. This can be thought of as a great widening of the typical letter grade usually given to classroom assignments. Rubrics are highly annotated “grades” with extensive annotation detailing many aspects of the project.

Examples:

Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/evaluation.htm

Designed for 2 nd graders:

http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/evaluation.htm

Designed for 3 rd graders:

Conclusion This is a brief summary, usually congratulatory in tone, that wraps up the project. Examples: Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/conclusion.htm Designed for 2 nd graders: http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/conclusion.htm Designed for 3 rd graders: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/hawthorne/farm/conclusion.htm 2/28/2008

This is a brief summary, usually congratulatory in tone, that wraps up the project.

Examples:

Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/conclusion.htm

Designed for 2 nd graders:

http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/conclusion.htm

Designed for 3 rd graders:

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/hawthorne/farm/conclusion.htm

Teacher Page Instructors are provided with their own subsection of the WebQuest site, with instructions for each of the above sections. Teachers who develop WebQuests often fill this section with information to help other educators adapt the quest to their own class. Examples: Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/t-index.htm Designed for 2 nd graders: http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/t-index.htm Designed for 3 rd graders: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/westwardho/t-learners.htm 2/28/2008

Instructors are provided with their own subsection of the WebQuest site, with instructions for each of the above sections. Teachers who develop WebQuests often fill this section with information to help other educators adapt the quest to their own class.

Examples:

Designed for 6 th graders : http://questgarden.com/52/41/5/070613164641/t-index.htm

Designed for 2 nd graders:

http://questgarden.com/52/36/4/070612201403/t-index.htm

Designed for 3 rd graders:

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/westwardho/t-learners.htm

Steps to Creating a WebQuest Step 1: Decide to Adapt a WebQuest or Create from Scratch 2/28/2008

Step 1: Decide to Adapt a WebQuest or Create from Scratch

Steps to Creating a WebQuest Step 2 - Choose a Topic, Title, Subject & Grade 2/28/2008

Step 2 - Choose a Topic, Title, Subject & Grade

Choosing an Effective Topic Start with your standards. Ask yourself the following questions to help you identify a topic. What do you (or plan to) teach? Remember, not all topics are appropriate for WebQuests. Since WebQuest development is time-consuming, it's a good idea to carefully identify a topic and matching standards that will benefit from an inquiry-based, technology-rich project. Choose content and standards that invite creativity, that have multiple layers, can have multiple interpretations or be seen from multiple perspectives. In short, pick material that requires students to transform what they seen into something different. As you develop your lesson topic, consider what goals and standards you would like the final lesson to address. What are the Big Question(s) you'd like your students to answer as a result of doing this activity? You will need to consider what roles you will have your students play. Three to four roles is usually a good number. 2/28/2008

Start with your standards. Ask yourself the following questions to help you identify a topic.

What do you (or plan to) teach? Remember, not all topics are appropriate for WebQuests. Since WebQuest development is time-consuming, it's a good idea to carefully identify a topic and matching standards that will benefit from an inquiry-based, technology-rich project. Choose content and standards that invite creativity, that have multiple layers, can have multiple interpretations or be seen from multiple perspectives. In short, pick material that requires students to transform what they seen into something different.

As you develop your lesson topic, consider what goals and standards you would like the final lesson to address.

What are the Big Question(s) you'd like your students to answer as a result of doing this activity?

You will need to consider what roles you will have your students play. Three to four roles is usually a good number.

Deciding Subject & Grade Level Once the topic selected, decide on the subject and the grade level. Your options are Subject (You can select multiple): Art Music, Business/Economics, English/Language, Foreign Language, Health/PE, Life Skills/Careers, Mathematics, Professional Skills, Science, Social Studies, Technology Grade Level (You can select multiple): K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, College / Adult 2/28/2008

Once the topic selected, decide on the subject and the grade level. Your options are

Subject (You can select multiple): Art Music, Business/Economics, English/Language, Foreign Language, Health/PE, Life Skills/Careers, Mathematics, Professional Skills, Science, Social Studies, Technology

Grade Level (You can select multiple): K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, College / Adult

Resources Creating Webquest http://webquest.org http://www.zunal.com Scavenger Hunt http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/Scavenger.html Hosting a Webquest Online - Resources http://www.zunal.com/ - zWebquest is a web-based software for creating WebQuests in a short time. When you use zWebquest , you will not need any of writing HTML code or using any web editor software. zWebquest creates all the necessary files and puts them on the server automatically. Hosting is FREE! http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/ - Filamentality is a fill-in-the-blank tool that guides you through picking a topic, searching the Internet, gathering good Internet links, and turning them into online learning activities. Support is built-in along the way through Mentality Tips. In the end, you'll create a web-based activity you can share with others even if you don't know anything about HTML or serving web pages. Cost: Free. 2/28/2008

Creating Webquest

http://webquest.org

http://www.zunal.com

Scavenger Hunt

http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/Scavenger.html

Hosting a Webquest Online - Resources

http://www.zunal.com/ - zWebquest is a web-based software for creating WebQuests in a short time. When you use zWebquest , you will not need any of writing HTML code or using any web editor software. zWebquest creates all the necessary files and puts them on the server automatically. Hosting is FREE!

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/ - Filamentality is a fill-in-the-blank tool that guides you through picking a topic, searching the Internet, gathering good Internet links, and turning them into online learning activities. Support is built-in along the way through Mentality Tips. In the end, you'll create a web-based activity you can share with others even if you don't know anything about HTML or serving web pages. Cost: Free.