Modified
by
Marianne L. Woods, Division of Health, Physical Education,
Recreation, and Dance, University of Idaho
Introduction
Since early in 1995, teachers everywhere have learned how to use the
web well by adopting the
WebQuest format to created inquiry-oriented lessons. But what
exactly is a WebQuest? What does it feel like to do one? How do
you know a good one when you see it? In the space of 30 minutes, you're
going to grapple with these questions and more.
The Task
To develop great WebQuests, you need to develop a thorough
understanding of the different possibilities open to you as you create
web-based lessons. One way for you to get there is to critically analyze
a few WebQuest examples and discuss them from different
perspectives. That's your task in this exercise.
By the end of this lesson, your group will answer these
questions:
What are the strengths of the WebQuests and why?.
What are the weaknesses of the WebQuests and why?
What features of WebQuests do you need to consider when
designing/selecting them for your students?
The Process
To answer the questions given above, you need a
group of four. A group of three can be formed so no one is left out. Within the group, each of you will take on one of
the following roles:
The
Efficiency Expert: You value time a great deal. You believe
that too much time is wasted in today's classrooms on unfocused
activity and learners not knowing what they should be doing at a
given moment. To you, a good WebQuest is one that delivers the
most learning bang for the buck. If it's a short, unambitious
activity that teaches a small thing well, then you like it. If
it's a longterm activity, it had better deliver a deep
understanding of the topic it covers, in your view.
The
Affiliator: To you, the best learning activities are those in
which students learn to work together. WebQuests that force
collaboration and create a need for discussion and consensus are
the best in your view. If a WebQuest could be done by a student
working alone, it leaves you cold.
The Altitudinist:
Higher level thinking is everything to you. There's too much
emphasis on factual recall in schools today. The only
justification for bringing technology into schools is if it opens
up the possibility that students will have to analyze information,
synthesize multiple perspectives, and take a stance on the merits
of something. You also value sites that allow for some creative
expression on the part of the learner.
The
Technophile: You love this internet thang. To you, the best
WebQuest is one that makes the best use of the technology of the
Web. If a WebQuest has attractive colors, animated gifs, and lots
of links to interesting sites, you love it. If it makes minimal
use of the Web, you'd rather use a worksheet.
In your group, choose one of the sites below to
analyze. Individually, examine that site from the
perspective of your role. Think about what the strengths and
weaknesses are of the site. Don't spend more than 5 minutes
examining this site.
Students develop and implement their own fitness plan
Get together with your group and share your results. Find out from each group member
what were the strengths and weaknesses of the WebQuest according to
each perspective.
Listen carefully to each
group member, even if at first you think you might disagree with them.
Now, go back and quickly view the rest of the WebQuests noting
features that you think are desirable for WebQuests you might design
or select for your students. You will have only 10 minutes to
view the rest of the WebQuests.
If you have time, share your findings with your group.
Conclusion
Ideally, this exercise will provide you with a larger pool of ideas
to work with as you develop your WebQuest-making skills. The best
WebQuest is yet to be written. It might be yours!
The
Efficiency Expert: You value time a great deal. You believe
that too much time is wasted in today's classrooms on unfocused
activity and learners not knowing what they should be doing at a
given moment. To you, a good WebQuest is one that delivers the
most learning bang for the buck. If it's a short, unambitious
activity that teaches a small thing well, then you like it. If
it's a longterm activity, it had better deliver a deep
understanding of the topic it covers, in your view.
The
Affiliator: To you, the best learning activities are those in
which students learn to work together. WebQuests that force
collaboration and create a need for discussion and consensus are
the best in your view. If a WebQuest could be done by a student
working alone, it leaves you cold.
The Altitudinist:
Higher level thinking is everything to you. There's too much
emphasis on factual recall in schools today. The only
justification for bringing technology into schools is if it opens
up the possibility that students will have to analyze information,
synthesize multiple perspectives, and take a stance on the merits
of something. You also value sites that allow for some creative
expression on the part of the learner.
The
Technophile: You love this internet thang. To you, the best
WebQuest is one that makes the best use of the technology of the
Web. If a WebQuest has attractive colors, animated gifs, and lots
of links to interesting sites, you love it. If it makes minimal
use of the Web, you'd rather use a worksheet.