Teaching with Online Treasure Hunts and WebQuests by Patricia B. Arinto Assistant Professor, UP Open University

Presentation outline: 1. Background: The Pilipinas SchoolNet project 2. Webquests and Online Treasure Hunts: What are they? 3. Philippine examples 4. Some observations as well as notes from the field 5. Implications for teaching

PSN’s vision  To build a network of schools throughout the Philippines that will leverage information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve learning and to better prepare the Filipino youth for the demands of the knowledge society

PSN’s objectives 1.Pilot the instructional use of ICTs in public secondary education to help inform national policy formulation 2.Create opportunities for students in public high schools to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for lifelong learning through the use of ICTs in the classroom 3.Open the door to additional development opportunities that ICTs offer to local communities

PSN schools Legend: Luzon – 3 schools (all in NCR) Visayas – 12 schools (Cebu-3; Iloilo-2; Bohol-2; Negros Oriental-3; Leyte-2) MINDANAO VISAYAS METRO MANILA LUZON   Parang HS Marikina Rizal HS-Sagad Pasig Qurino HS Quezon City     Passi NHS Passi, Iloilo Guimbal NHS Guimbal, Iloilo Camanjac NHS Camanjac, N. Oriental Negros Oriental HS Dumaguete, N. Oriental Tayud NHS Consolacion, Cebu Cansojong NHS Talisay City, Cebu Bitoon NVS Dumanjug, Cebu Manga NHS Tagbilaran, Bohol San Roque NHS Albuquerque, Bohol Ipil NHS Ormoc, Leyte Hilongos NVS Hilongos, Leyte Bais City HS Bais, N. Oriental

PSN Proponent and Implementor: Foundation for IT Education and Development Local Partners:  Department of Education  local government units/local NGOs  Globe/Islacom  Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE) Technical Institute  UP Open University, University of Cebu  ConnectEd.ph Corporate Sponsor: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation (Phils & Asia-Pacific) International Partner: World Links for Development (WorLD) Program of the World Bank Institute

Components  Connectivity. Providing the necessary physical and technical infrastructure and resources  Training. Developing competencies in the effective uses of ICTs in education, with particular emphasis on matching technology use with curricular goals  Telecollaboration. Implementing structured, curriculum-specific school-to-school collaborative learning activities using the Internet  Monitoring and Evaluation. Focused on the issues of efficacy, sustainability, and scalability

PSN teacher training activities Phase 1. Basic Computer & Internet Skills for Teachers Phase 2. Information Literacy & Telecollaboration Phase 3. Integrating Computers & the Internet Into the Curriculum: An Instructional Design Workshop

Philosophical underpinnings of PSN: Why teach with ICTs exponential growth in ACCESS to information, driven in part by ICT development information society

In today’s information society we need  ICT competencies  critical thinking skills  generalist (broad) competencies  decision-making skills  ability to handle dynamic situations  teamwork competencies  communication competencies

The 2002 Basic Education Curriculum:  conceived as an interactive curriculum that promotes integrated teaching and interdisciplinary, contextual and authentic learning  honors multiple intelligences; recognizes that there are different pathways to learning and different articulations of knowledge  achieves interactivity through “the use of information technology and the greater emphasis on computer literacy in all the learning areas in every school where equipment is available”

Instructional uses of ICTs:  “teach the tool” - ICT literacy & ICT specialization  “use the tool to teach” - application in subject areas& across the curriculum

Application of ICTs in subject areas & across the curriculum:  Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI): drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, graphical representations of math equations, etc.  Resource-Based Learning (RBL): involves the achievement of both subject and information literacy objectives through exposure to and practice with diverse resources, making students active learners  Telecollaboration

RBL using the Web: two strategies 1. Online Treasure Hunts (aka Knowledge Hunt) 2. Webquests

Online treasure hunt: key aspects  An online inquiry-based activity developed by Tom March  Aims to develop knowledge of a specific topic  Learners are given several (6-10) websites/Web pages on a topic  There is a key question that learners must answer for each website/Web page  A Big Question helps the learners integrate what they learned about the topic

Let’s look at some examples of online treasure hunts written by PSN teachers

Some observations  Learners working in groups—cooperative learning  The set of questions define the parameters of the topic  Questions are sequenced—part of scaffolding  There is a variety of question types and levels (from simple to complex)—still scaffolding  The Big Question is integrative; may require use of HOTS  The treasure hunt can be used in different ways—e.g., to introduce a topic, to deepen understanding of a topic introduced previously

Webquest: an overview  An inquiry-based activity developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March in 1995 at the San Diego State University  Learners create new knowledge products out of information found on the Web and other sources  Targets higher order thinking skills: analysis, synthesis, evaluation

Webquest elements 1. An introduction that sets the stage/ establishes the context (creative and motivational) 2. A doable and interesting task revolving around an open-ended question 3. A detailed, sequential description of the process to be followed to accomplish the task 4. A list of resources needed to complete the task 5. A section that shows learners how their work will be evaluated (evaluation) 6. A conclusion

Let’s look at some examples of webquests written by PSN teachers

Some observations Promotes cooperative learning: –learners work in groups; –each member has a role to play; roles are unique and complementary; –learners learn that no one knows everything Promotes authentic learning: –a real-world problem must be solved creatively (no set answers); –learners work with real resources; –learners’ outputs have a real audience (the output is published online)

Involves scaffolding –the task is broken down into sub-tasks (Process) –examples are provided (in Resources) –learners are guided –activity is linked to previous lessons Contains elements of novice-expert approach: learning through guided experience Develops information literacy and HOTS Promotes reading and writing across the curriculum Promotes reflective learning through self- assessment (and peer evaluation)

Were all of these realized in the actual implementation of the webquests and treasure hunts?

Student reactions What they liked most: using computers and the Internet, field research (excursion) What they had difficulty with: interviewing experts, working with uncooperative members of the group What they learned (aside from the subject matter and the output format): patience, cooperation, self-confidence, connections between subject areas Suggestions for improvement: more time in the computer lab, more guidance from teacher

Teacher reactions What they found most interesting: students were highly motivated to use computers and Internet; students working together; teachers learning from their students’ work What they had difficulty with: lack of time, lack of administrative support, negative reactions from some parents, passive students, poor technical skills (both teachers and students), limited access to computer lab, slow Internet connection What they would do differently: form smaller groups, choose better resources, not require a field trip of younger students

Implications: the challenge for teachers good instructional design provision of various forms of learner support willingness to be a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on the stage” (avoiding stage managing) access to and familiarity with the Web; developing IT skills and information literacy skills authentic assessment skills working with other teachers reflective teaching

“How you use technology in education is more important than if you use it at all.” -- Thornburg, “Technology in K-12 Education: Envisioning the Future”, 1999