2. What is a Webquest ?
A Webquest is an inquiry-oriented online
tool for learning, says workshop expert Bernie
Dodge . This means it is a classroom-based
lesson in which most or all of the information
that students explore and evaluate comes
from the World Wide Web .
3. What is a Webquest ?
Beyond that, WebQuests:
• can be as short as a single class period or as long as a
month-long unit;
• usually (though not always) involve group work, with
division of labor among students who take on
specific roles or perspectives;
• are built around resources that are preselected by
the teacher. Students spend their time USING
information, not LOOKING for it.
4. What is inquiry-based learning?
An old adage states:
"Tell me and I forget,
Show me and I remember,
Involve me and I understand.“
The last part of this statement is the essence
of inquiry-based learning . Inquiry implies
involvement that leads to understanding.
5. How does it work
A webquest is an assignment which asks students
to use the World Wide Web to learn about and/or
synthesize their knowledge about a specific topic.
A “true” webquest requires synthesis of the new
knowledge by accomplishing a “task,” often to
solve a hypothetical problem or address a real-
world issue
6. How does it work
•The assignment can be given on paper, certainly
the simplest and most portable option.
•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.
•You can also present a webquest using some
other multi-media software such as Hyperstudio
or Powerpoint.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. • First, a good webquest puts the power of
the web behind your topic.
• 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.
10. • 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.
11. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
So what makes a webquest a success?
1- First and foremost, a well-designed
webquest puts content in context. It
lets students learn about a topic as part
of a larger framework. In some cases, a
webquest can also let students explore
a topic as part of an interdisciplinary
unit .
12. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
2- Most webquests also have a "hook." This
can be a treasure hunt, a game, or some
other activity which is embedded in your
quest. The simplest "hook" is the collection
of facts and information from the various
sites which make up the quest. The student
or team with the most information then
becomes the winner.
13. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
3- Good webquests also rely on material
that is age and ability appropriate. The web
contains everything from nursery rhymes to
postdoctoral papers, and finding
information that is written and presented
at a level that will appeal to your students
can be one of the most challenging aspects
of creating a webquest.
14. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
4- Webquests can be collaborative.
Students can work individually or in
teams, depending on classroom
circumstances and your preference.
15. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
5- A good webquest is also highly visual.
The web is a visual medium, and your
presentation will be far stronger if it
includes sites with lots of pictures, maps,
animations, or even sounds. These are
teaching tools that keep students’ interest.
16. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
6- Good webquests are easy to use.
Students should be able to move easily
from one location to the next without a lot
of tedious mouse-work. This is one reason
that a webquest which is itself a web page
can be attractive.
17. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
7- Even the best webquest won’t help
much if it doesn’t relate to the rest of your
class materials. The more closely your
webquest ties into the rest of your in-class
content, the more powerful it will be in
helping your students learn the topic –
regardless of how and where it is
presented.
18. Characteristics of a Good Webquest
8- Finally, a well-designed webquest
contains some sort of built-in evaluation
mechanism. This frequently relates to the
hook or task that students must complete
as part of the quest, but it may also include
other tasks or assignments.
19. Before You Begin
Before you even turn your computer on, think
about your webquest in the way you would any
other lesson and ask these questions :
20. Before You Begin
•What do I want my students to learn as a result of
this lesson?
•Why is this information important?
•Where does the information fit into the specific
context of this unit?
•How does this information fit into the broader
curriculum? How can this information help students
make connections across subject areas?
21. Designing for Limitations
Before you begin designing your webquest,
you should also consider the operating
constraints under which the quest will be
used. If you ignore this practical, nuts and
bolts stuff now, your quest may not come off
in the way you want it to. For example,
consider the following:
22. Designing for Limitations
•If you want students to work on the webquests in
class, will you have enough computers? Should you
have students work in teams rather than individually?
•If you’ll be using a computer lab, will the webquest
instructions be compatible with lab rules about
talking, etc.?
•If you’re allowing young students to work on a
webquest at home, do you have some assurance that
parents will be on hand to support and supervise the
activity?
23. What's Included?
Once you have figured out the instructional
objectives for your webquest, what elements
should that quest have to be effective? A
well-designed webquest will include at least
the following three elements:
24. What's Included?
1- A "road map." This is the list of web sites
or locations which you want your students to
visit. This section should include an
introduction which explains the purpose of the
webquest and the object of the
search, hunt, or other "hook" that you’ve built
into your quest.
25. What's Included?
2- A task sheet. Depending on the structure of
your quest, this sheet could be a scoring
mechanism, answer sheet, or even a list of
clues. Regardless of the precise
structure, however, this sheet is used to record
the results of the quest. There may be one
sheet per student or one per
group, depending on how you want students
to complete the assignment.
26. What's Included?
3- A summary presentation. Good webquests
require students to show what they have
learned. Age, ability, time, and circumstances
will all govern how much latitude you give
your students in presenting their findings.
27. What are the essential parts of a WebQuest?
1. Top
2. Introduction
3. Task
4. Process
5. Resources
6. Evaluation
7. Conclusion
8. Teachers Page
28. What do I need to create a WebQuest?
• Web editor .
• Web server available to post your WebQuest.
• Computers with Internet access .
29. The Search Begins
Now that you have defined the elements of your
webquest, you’re ready to begin locating
materials to include.
30. Reviewing Search Results
Once you have an interesting-looking list of search
results, you can do some initial detective work
even before you start looking at individual sites.
1. Check the URLs .
2. URLs which include a tilde "~“
3. Check member sites and questionable sources.
4. What’s the Site’s Intent?
5. Check the Reading Level
6. What About Other Students’ Work?
7. Dealing with Bias.
31. Once you have selected a group of sites that fit
your needs, take a look at them as a group.
•Are there common themes or contrasts that
your webquest could incorporate?
•Do the various sites offer different
opinions, approaches, or perspectives on the
topic?
The strength of a webquest is its ability to
32. Trying the Finished Product
When you first try out your webquest with your
class, don’t expect the results to be perfect. Like any
lesson, a webquest may take a little tweaking to get
right.
•If they want more
•If they don’t get it
•If they get bored
•If they can’t follow the directions
•If the computers don’t work
•If a site is down
33. The WebQuest Design
Process
RSS WebQuest
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