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Day
5: WebQuests
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| Readings |
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| WebQuests |
| There are
many different curriculum formats utilizing the Web, but one that has really
gained a lot of followers is the WebQuest format developed by Bernie Dodge
in 1995. Much of its appeal seems to be that it is very close to what good
teachers do throughout their curriculum using any type of media.
The first three articles will give you slightly different slants on just what a WebQuest is. After reading those, take a closer look at each of the Building Blocks for WebQuests. Notice that these look very similar to other methods of constructing lesson and unit plans without technology. However, one thing that is often difficult for teachers is to define a single task that is compelling, calls for higher order thinking and allows for some latitude in student work. You'll find a broad range of possible tasks in the article WebQuest Taskonomy: A Taxonomy of Tasks. One way to see where all this is heading is to visit Middle School Evolution of a WebQuest. This site shows how development of educational web-based activities can grow and improve from hotlists through scavenger hunts and finally to a WebQuest. You should be able to note how the level of thinking required of students gets a little higher with each iteration. A WebQuest is an excellent model for your own curriculum projects. If you choose to do this, there are templates available that you can use for your student and teacher pages. Or you can use the tools at Filamentality to create the first draft of your WebQuest. (But all that is a few weeks in your future!) Take a closer look at some of the WebQuests in your own curriculum area and at your level. You can use the Matrix of Examples to guide your explorations. However, you should be aware that this is a matrix of examples, not necessarily a matrix of good examples. I put together a sampling of WebQuests that I thought best exemplified each of the elements of WebQuests and you may want to start with those. To examine
WebQuests more closely, A
Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests has been developed to cull out the
essential elements of a good WebQuest. If you use this model for your
project, I'll be using this rubric for grading your work. You can also
use the WebQuests
for Learning: Designing for Success checklist to guide you through
individual elements. |
| Related Assignments (see Requirements page for details and due dates) |
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