A webquest is a structured learning activity that uses internet resources to gather information and poses an authentic task requiring students to synthesize and transform what they've learned. Webquests should not be simple research assignments where information is directly copied without alteration. They allow students to work independently or collaboratively while taking on different roles to teach themselves and others something new. Webquests can promote differentiation based on student interests, learning styles, and abilities. Teachers should ensure the task cannot be copied directly from online sources and requires students to create new understandings from what they've learned. Existing webquests can serve as models for teachers to modify for their own classroom needs.

1. WEBQUESTS
A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SESSION BY WOLF -TEK
3/10/12

2. WHAT IS A
WEBQUEST?
A webquest is a structured learning
environment that uses Internet resources to
gather information and poses an authentic
task for students to expand their knowledge.
A webquest extends the learning process
past acquiring knowledge, by pushing it into
synthesizing by allowing students to alter the
information discovered.

3. NOT A WEBQUEST
Webquests should NOT be a research
assignment where the information goes
directly from the computer to the a product
without any alteration.
Webquests are NOT online scavenger hunts.

4. YES WEBQUEST
Webquests use the Internet to move past search
and finds, to more interactive, multimedia rich
information that provides a variety of
perspectives.
Students should take the information they interact
with and transform it into new information in the
form of products.
The key is that the information must be
TRANSFORMED, not regurgitated!

5. STUDENT-CENTERED
Webquests allows students to work independently,
in pairs, or in groups.
The task always has the students doing the
learning, while the teacher helps to facilitate the
learning. By the end of the webquest, the students
would have taught the class and teacher something
new.
Students can take on different roles:
Explorer, business person, entrepreneur, etc.

6. DIFFERENTIATION
Webquests can promote differentiation
through a variety of different student
centered aspects:
• Interest
• Learning Style
• Product
• Pre-assessment
• Modified assignment

7. QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOURSELF
1. Could the answer to the webquest be
copied and pasted from the Internet?
• If you answered YES, then this is not a
true webquest
2. Does the task require students to make
something new out of what they have
learned?
• If you answered no, then this is not a true
webquest

8. WHERE TO BEGIN?
There are plenty of pre-made webquests at
zunal.com.
You can copy existing webquests and alter
them as you wish!
You can also start from scratch with
zunal.com’s easy to use webquest templates.