Sink or Swim: Introducing the WebQuest

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"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."                                           -- Confucius

Do You Agree?

Predetermined content Exclusion different learning styles and needs Doing without deep understanding Belated technologies/methods

Problem

One Point of View

WWW has so many interesting topics to explore and it is so easy to explore that students are often follow links that let them lose, rather than reach, their learning goal.

Another Point of View

there are so many variables on WWW: resources (hardware, software, and technical support), funding, levels of expertise, content areas, findings, etc., it costs teachers themselves confused or not clear on how to get started on integration.

How do teachers help and encourage student use the WWW effectively and meaningfully, yet students won’t be easily distracted in hyperspace? It requires teacher to find solution(s).

Definition of the WebQuest

an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners’ time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners’ thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

-- Bernin Dodge (1995)

Two Levels of WebQuests

Short Term WebQuest A short-term

WebQuest is designed to be completed in one to three class periods.

Long Term WebQuest A longer term

WebQuest will typically take between one week and a month in a classroom setting.

Components of the WebQuest

Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Teacher Page

Taskonomy in Pictures

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/tasksimap/

Introduction

The purpose of this section is to both prepare and hook the reader. The student is the intended audience.

Write a short paragraph here to introduce the activity or lesson to the students. If there is a role or scenario involved (e.g., "You are a detective trying to identify the mysterious poet.") then here is where you'll set the stage. It is also in this section that you'll communicate the Big Question (Essential Question, Guiding Question) that the whole WebQuest is centered around.

Task

The task focuses learners on what they are going to do - specifically, the culminating performance or product that drives all of the learning activities.

Describe crisply and clearly what the end result of the learners' activities will be. Don't list the steps that students will go through to get to the end point. That belongs in the Process section.

Process

This section outlines how the learners will accomplish the task. Scaffolding includes clear steps, resources, and tools for organizing information.

To accomplish the task, what steps should the learners go through?...Learners will access the on-line resources that you've identifed as they go through the Process....In the Process block, you might also provide some guidance on how to organize the information gathered.

Evaluation

This section describes the evaluation criteria needed to meet performance and content standards. Describe to the learners how their performance

will be evaluated. The assessment rubric(s) should align with the culminating project or performance, as outlined in the task section of the WebQuest. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure and encourages reflection. Summarize what the learners will have

accomplished or learned by completing this activity or lesson. You might also include some rhetorical questions or additional links to encourage them to extend their thinking into other content beyond this lesson.

Teacher Page

The teacher page includes information to help other teachers implement the Webquest, including: target learners, standards, notes for teaching the unit, and, in some cases, examples of student work.

For More Information

The WebQuest Websitehttp://webquest.sdsu.edu

A couple of samples from OSU studentshttp://www.oswego.edu/Acad_Dept/s_of_educ/cigrad/WebQuest/Chrisquest/nys/http://www.oswego.edu/Acad_Dept/s_of_educ/cigrad/WebQuest/caves_files/frame.htm

More Oswego Student Samples:http://www.oswego.edu/~hyang2/edu/webquestp.htm