WebQuests The Basics You Need to Know

What IS a WebQuest? “A WebQuest is an inquiry- oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet.”

WebQuests: Internet-based classroom activity Student-centered Teacher-designed Web sites are pre-selected Inquiry-based—it is literally a “quest” Cooperative learning: students are grouped Meant for higher-order thinking skills Comprised of a specific structure

WebQuest Structure Introduction Task Process Roles/Groupings for Students Resources (sometimes in Process) Evaluation Conclusion

The WebQuest Task The most CRUCIAL part of the WebQuest: What do students ultimately have to do? Once you have your task, the rest of the WebQuest is easier to plan. Should be realistic & open-ended, subject to interpretation Not for simple fact-finding or scavenger hunt activities: not just a search Make it motivating!

Internet Resources Chosen by the teacher Should not be a direct answer to the task Students must cull sites for information Find quality, educative resources Pay attention to reading level as well as appropriateness for the grade level Can students complete the task?

Creating Roles for Students Appropriate to the task/subject matter Motivating and interesting Puts them in the first-person role Allows inquiry to happen Student-centered role Gives them an individual task as part of their group: they are a piece of the puzzle

Why WebQuests? Promotes higher-order thinking skills Students must work with web-based information Student-centered Good way to introduce new content Safer than allowing students to do an open search Gives students access to quality web sites

Creating Your Own Time-intensive Technically easy Requires planning Screening of web sites Self-contained lesson Kids only need to know how to use the web You are freed up to facilitate