Wonderin' About WebQuests!!!

What are they?

How would I know a good one when I saw it?

How would I use them in my classroom?

What are the benefits to my students?

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation & Conclusion | Resources | Extension & Reflection | Teacher Notes | Standards

INTRODUCTION:

WebQuests provide a format for inquiry-oriented lessons. They are an interactive learning experience that explores a theme or question, uses cooperative or collaborative learning, asks students to complete specific tasks using a variety of Internet resources and requires reflection. WHAT? This sounds great….but anyone can put educational jargon words together to make activities seem exciting…is a vendor getting money off of this? Let’s get into the nitty gritty of what a WebQuests really is and let ME, a trained professional, make the decision as to how beneficial this WebQuest thing will be for my students and myself!

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TASK:

As a teacher, you like to know the answers to everything. You try to stay current on the latest trends, know what the letters stand for in the infinite number of acronyms that plague your school life, and be the best teacher you can for your students. You have heard about the term “WebQuest” before but you are not quite sure what they are and if you should be doing them in your classroom. Is this just another technology or education fad that will quickly disappear? Is this another activity that I must try and fit in, between teaching to the standards and teaching to the standards? Could this be the answer to all my curricular dreams, i.e. tying it all together?

To answer your wondering questions, you will need to first learn what WebQuests are and where they came from...then, you will want to know how to evaluate the WebQuests for quality curriculum content for your classroom and benefits to your students, as well as make a decision if you will begin implementing WebQuests in your room. If you find the answer to the task is yes, you will be asked to identify the best WebQuest in your grade level or content area and briefly present it to the group. If you find the answer to be no, you will be asked to briefly discuss your reasoning and concerns to the group.

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PROCESS:

As a teacher who wants to use technology in the classroom...you are aware of your basic technology skills. Here is where you have your first decision to make… do you prefer working independently while utilizing the Internet and computer or would you prefer working with another teacher? If you are choosing to work with another teacher, you will need to decide who will be the "WONDERIN' Driver", i.e. computer controller and website finder, and who will be the "WONDERIN' Recorder", i.e. information recorder. Both of you will be the "WONDERIN' Presenters" to the group, so there is no hope in escaping that role!! If you are working independently, you will be the "Driver","Recorder", and "Presenter" which are certainly manageable to complete independently and your audience of teachers always takes pity on those who are alone!

STEP 1: Read about the background of WebQuests from at least three of following sites:

http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html EdTech guru, Kathy Schrock's insights on WebQuests

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html Thoughts from WebQuest creator, Bernie Dodge

http://www.ozline.com/webquests/intro.html Why WebQuest? article

http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/wqtetc99.htm Using a WebQuest in your classroom: the basics

http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jul99/webquest/index.html WebQuests in the Middle School Curriculum: Promoting Technological Literacy in the Classroom

http://www.iste.org/L&L/26/7/features/yoder/index.html Article on the Student WebQuest

http://athene.riv.csu.edu.au/~khanson/webquests.htm Beyond Read & Recall: An introduction to web-based learning using WebQuests

http://www.totacc.com/user/jornada/webquest.htm#top1 What is a WebQuest?

STEP 2: Record a 2-3-sentence definition summing up your findings on this Word document.

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STEP 3: Review several WebQuest examples to get a feel for the variety that exists.

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/matrix.html Choose the grade level or topic that most interest you

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STEP 4: Review the WebQuest Evaluation Rubric options. Choose the rubric you feel is most valid and useful for your needs. Print 2 copies. Choose 2 WebQuests to evaluate in your grade level, content area, or interest using the rubric.

Complete the rubrics.

http://www.ozline.com/webquests/rubric.html

OR

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html

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STEP 5: List some concerns or questions you still have about WebQuests and or some tips on how you would manage WebQuests in your classroom. Example: What would I do if a student finished early? OR How can I use WebQuest if I only have 1 computer in my classroom? Questions/Concerns

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STEP 6: Evaluation & Conclusion Time:

Make a decision about the use of WebQuests in your classroom. Is this something that would be valuable and impact student learning? If the answer is YES, be prepared to briefly share the WebQuest example that you found which you would like to use with your students. If the answer is NO, be prepared to explain your rational and concerns. Final decision

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RESOURCES:

www.west.asu.edu/achristie/ Dr.Christie’s site provides links to many additional WebQuests created by students, as well as many of the ideas and information was utilized from her classes.

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html Bernie Dodge, WebQuest creator, provides all of the resources needed to create your own WebQuest, along with information about its value and classroom impact

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EXTENSION/REFLECTION:

o Spend additional time using the various WebQuest sites to find quests that could be used throughout the year.

o Brainstorm your own ideas about creating a WebQuest developed by YOU! What do you need to get started?

o Could your students develop a WebQuest? Why would this be beneficial?

· How could you share this information with your peers? Who would MOST benefit?

· How will you use the new info you learned today or tomorrow?

· What would parent reaction be to this time of activity? How could you introduce this effectively?

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NOTES TO THE TEACHER

Be sure to allow fears and questions to be fully discussed; ignoring or squelching “doubters” will not create buy-in. Allow others to answer and share rather than ‘soap-boxing’ alone.

Be sure to monitor links to assure frustrations are kept to a minimum.

Reassure teachers that the presentation section can be very informal…sometimes, it can be helpful to let teachers stay at their computer and you can click through the site they are talking about while they are talking rather than asking them to stand in front of the group.

STANDARDS ADDRESSED

http://ade.state.az.us/standards/technology/Standard1.pdf AZ Technology standards

#### National Professional Development Standards

Context:

· Learning Communities: Staff development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district.

· Leadership: Staff development that improves the learning of all students requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement.

· Resources: Staff development that improves the learning of all students requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration.

Process:

· Data-Driven: Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.

· Evaluation: Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.

· Research-Based: Staff development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to apply research to decision making.

· Design: Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.

· Learning: Staff development that improves the learning of all students applies knowledge about human learning and change.

· Collaboration: Staff development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.

Content:

· Equity: Staff development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly, and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for students' academic achievement

· Quality Teaching: Staff development that improves the learning of all students deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately.

· Family Involvement: Staff development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately.

--National Staff Development Council

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