Web Questing

This tutorial goes through the steps necessary to create a Webquest using the Webquest Templates.

Go to the Web Quest site (webquest.org)

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Spend some time exploring this site. You will find some examples of good webquest lessons. Whenyou are ready to create your own, click on the "create webquests" link to the left of the page

Templates

If you want to pay the yearly fee to become a member of "Questgarden," you can do so. I suggest youcreate a webquest the "old school" way by downloading a template and editing it in Frontpage orDreamweaver. You can look at any of the templates available, but I am going to download the onesfrom the U. of Regina. Scroll down the page until you see the section above and click on theappropriate link

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Choosing a Template

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Once you are on the Regina site, you can choose from a number of templates. Click on the link "viewsite" to see the first page of each template. When you have decided on the one you want, download it.PC users, download the .zip format. MAC users, download the .sit format. In either case, yourcomputer should be able to decompress the template you have chosen.

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Downloading Templates

I decided on the "Left Navigation Yellow" template. You can see what the first page looks like above

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"Unzipping" the template- 1

You should see this window. Choose "Save to Disk" and click "OK."

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Click on "open." The files will be downloaded to your desktop.

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"Unzipping" the template-3

Your computer probably has the free version of "Ultimate Zip." Click on "I Agree."

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"Unzipping" the template-4

1) Go to edit on the menu and "select all. 2) Once you have highlighted all the files, click on "extract."

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"Unzipping" the template-5

Note that the files will be saved in a folder on your desktop. 1) If this is OK, click on "extract." If youwant to create a different folder (2) or on a different drive (3), you may do so.

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Exploring the Template

Here are the extracted pages in the template folder. These are html pages, so you can look at themusing your browser. Note, there are 7 separate pages to the webquest. Look at each one and seewhat you will need to include for the completed webquest.

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The Index Page

Here is what the Index page looks like in "Explorer." When you open this page in a web editor likeFrontpage, NuVu, or Dreamweaver, you can type over the template text with your own text and insertyour own graphics.

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Introduction

The second page is the Introduction to the Webquest. Note that the webquest is really just atechnological version of the Performance tasks we wrote in C&I. 1) You put your "scenario" here and 2)write (in terms students can understand) your "big question."

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Task

On this page, you describe in detail exactly what the students are to do. Remember to write this insecond person and in engaging language that is apppropriate for the age of the students. 1) Note thatwebquests are quite flexible and can be used for a variety of different tasks. 2) If you click on the"WebQuest Design Patterns" link you will find various ways you can modify a webquest (see the nextpage for details).

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WebQuest Design Patterns

Scroll down this page and you will find lots of great ideas for webquests.

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Time Capsule Example.

If you scroll down the WebQuest Design Patterns and decide on a pattern that interests you, there areusually a couple of examples provided so you can see what a completed WebQuest based upon thatpattern would look like. If, for example, you decide you want to use a "time capsule" pattern, you canlook at how two sixth grade teachers created an Egyptian Time Capsule for their class.

It will be worth your while to look at lots of these examples before you decide on your first WebQuest.You will get many good ideas that will inspire you to create your own WebQuest if you do.

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Process

The Process page is the heart of the Webquest for the student because it describes in a "step-by-step"manner just what each student (or team) must do to accomplish the WebQuest task. You can use yourweb editor to create links for resources that students will use.

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Evaluation

Every WebQuest should have a well designed rubric. The templates have a page with a rubric templateset up for you to use. Of course, you can change the rubric if you feel the need to do so.

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Conclusion

Don't forget the "conclusion" page. Remember that a WebQuest is based upon a "big idea" or essentialquestion, so students should be given some possible "extensions" of the learning on this page.

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Teacher Page

This final page of the WebQuest is for other teachers who might want to use it in their classes. 1) Youshould include an explanation as to how it could be best used in a classroom and 2) a list of referencesthat you used in putting it together.

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