WebQuest A WebQuest is a process to acquire knowledge using 21 st century skills. A WebQuest is an inquiry- oriented online tool for learning.inquiry- oriented

What is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. This means it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web. WebQuests : Can be short (a single class period) or long (month-long unit) Can be group work, with division of labor among students, or individual Are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it.

What are the benefits of WebQuests? Teachers need to show their students how to judge and evaluate the information they find. David Thornburg » “while it is true that many of our kids have developed tremendous technological skills, (they know how to turn the equipment on, they know how to gain access), it doesn't mean that they have the research skills or the wisdom to know how to make meaning out of the stuff that they're finding. And that's where human intervention in the form of teachers working side by side with the students becomes more important now than ever. “

Bernie Dodge What this means is that tomorrow's workers and citizens will need to be able to grapple with ambiguity. They will need to commit themselves to a lifelong process of learning, honoring multiple perspectives and evaluating information before acting on it. “ …a WebQuest puts more burden on the teacher, because we ask teachers to find good useful Web sites ahead of time rather than having kids find them themselves. But, on the other hand, it puts more burden on the kids. And that's where it should be. Because kids have to make sense of what they are reading. They have to learn how to learn, learn how to work with each other, and to work with information that isn't, at first, clear.”

Meet Bernie Dodge Architect/developer/creator of the WebQuest “A WebQuest is built around an engaging and doable task that elicits higher order thinking of some kind. It's about doing something with information. The thinking can be creative or critical, and involve problem solving, judgment, analysis, or synthesis. The task has to be more than simply answering questions or regurgitating what's on the screen. Ideally, the task is a scaled down version of something that adults do on the job, outside school walls. “

Why are we concerned with WebQuests now? With 21 st century skills, students will be prepared to think, learn, work, solve problems, communicate, collaborate, and contribute effectively throughout their lives. Students engaged in learning that incorporates high quality multimodal designs out perform, on the average, students who learn using traditional approaches with single modes.

How the 21 st century workplace is similar to an inquiry based lesson … Work Place 1. Define the problem. 2. Locate the information. 3. Critically evaluate the information. 4. Synthesize and solve problems. 5. Communicate the solution to the problem. Inquiry Lesson 1.Define the question. 2. Locate the information. 3.Evaluate the information. 4.Synthesize to answer the question. 5. Communicate the learning from the project.

Core Subjects English, Reading, Language Arts World Languages Arts Mathematics Economics Science Geography History Government and Civics 21 Century Themes Global Awareness Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy mess Learning and Innovation Skills Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communication and Collaboration Life and Career Skills Flexibility and Adaptability Initiative and Self-Direction Social and Cross-Cultural Skills Productivity and Accountability Leadership and Responsibility Information, Media, and Technology Skills Media Literacy Information Literacy Information and Communications (ICT) Literacy Life and Career Skills Flexibility and Adaptability Initiative and Self- Direction Social and Cross-Cultural Skills Productivity and Accountability Leadership and Responsibility 21 st Century and Education Support Systems 21 st Century Standards and Assessments 21 st Century Curriculum and Instruction 21 st Century Professional Development 21 st Century Learning Environments Information, Media, and Technology Skills Information Literacy Media Literacy Information and Communications (ICT) Literacy Core Subjects English, Reading, Language Arts World Languages Arts Mathematics Economics Science Geography History Government and Civics Learning and Innovation Skills Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communication and Collaboration 21 Century Themes Global Awareness Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy Civic Literacy Health Literacy Environmental Literacy 21 st Century and Education Support Systems 21 st Century Standards and Assessments 21 st Century Curriculum and Instruction 21 st Century Professional Development 21 st Century Learning Environments

On his initial WebQuest experience … “I put together a template: introduced the situation, listed some information resources, gave (the students) a task that required grappling with the information, laid out the steps on what to do with the information, and then brought it to a conclusion. … I enjoyed walking around and helping where necessary and listening to the buzz of conversations as students pooled their notes and tried to come to a decision. The things they were talking about were much deeper and more multifaceted than I had ever heard from them. That evening I realized that this was a different way to teach -- and that I loved it!"

So what does a WebQuest need? INTRODUCTION: sets the stage and provides some background information, mght be enhanced by motivational elements, role playing. TASK: description of what students will have accomplished by the end of the assignment. RESOURCES: Web based resources provided by the teacher that guide the internet inquiry. Because links to the resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through internet completely adrift. Resources might include primary source documents, images, experts available via or realtime conferencing, as well as books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. PROCESS: description of the steps in order to accomplish the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps. WebQuest process is also a skill lesson …. focus on web based skills. EVALUATION: A method for demonstrating the learning from the WebQuest. This may include a choice of products. CONCLUSION/REFLECTION: A final activity that calumniates the WebQuest. This should include reflection of the learning and may include extension activities.

And I do this how? Figure out what it is that you want the students do (task and introduction). How do you want the students to demonstrate their learning (evaluation)? What do the students need to do in order acquire the knowledge (process)? Find resources … websites, readings, images, etc. Package it up … create the “document” for the students.

Create the what …a “document”….? How are you going to package this WebQuest? How are the students going to know what to do? You are going to create a web-based document that the students can access from school, home, library, wherever they can find the internet, that contains all the information for your WebQuest. That web-based document …Do you want to make a Google Webpage, create a Wikispace, use Trackstar, Web Poster Wizard ?Google WebpageWikispace TrackstarWeb Poster Wizard

Of course you can do this … All it takes is …. A little knowledge and some skills … Where to find things on the web … how are your searching skills … what do you search with (I like Yippy.com for something like this). What are the resources you chose?searching skillsYippy.com Skills – Craft an engaging assignment – Develop a task that forces thinking about the content at the heart of the WebQuest – Identify a way to evaluate and reflect on the learning – Get the kids working together Internet skills … you need to get this WebQuest “out there” Remember: Evaluate the WebQuest before you give it to the kids

Got my stuff (after an internet search) … What do I need? □ A topic … The Norman Conquest of England □ A task/introduction … Figure out why the conquest of England in 1066 was a “world event” □ A list of resources to be used … annotated search resultsannotated search results □ Guidelines for a product to demonstrate learning … Formula poem templates Formula poem templates So now I need to create the WebQuest document ….document ….

Examples Norman Invasion using Trackstar Norman Invasion Golden Age of Islam Project using a Google Page Golden Age of Islam Project

Now it’s your turn …. Think of a topic … How about how to make the most “comfortable” mashed potatoes? Intro and task … Mashed potatoes are the number 1 comfort food … what is it that makes them so good? Process: Research recipes and compare the ingredients? What are the instructions for “mashing” the potatoes? Using at least two of the recipes conduct a taste test and have the tasters describe the mashed potatoes. Product: A “recipe” poem about mashed potatoes.poem Look for websites …. Remember multimodal … mascarpone-cheese-recipe/index.html Reflection: What did you learn about mashed potatoes? Let’s build a TrackstarTrackstar

Sources I consulted … What can the internet do for my classroom Four NETS for better searching cybersmart Bernie Dodge cent skills trackstar