UNIT 1--WHAT IS A WEBQUEST

From KNILT

Objective

Upon completion of this unit, the participant will:

  1. Have a general understanding of what a webquest is, through information and examples presented.

What is a WebQuest

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To create a webquest you first need to know what a webquest is. Click here to see an example of a webquest on The Diary of Anne Frank Diary of Anne Frank.

Webquests were invented in 1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge and Tom March. As stated by Dodge, a WEBQUEST is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the World Wide Web.

All ages and grades can use webquests. Whether you are a kindergarden teacher or an AP Calculus teacher a webquest can be created and used in your classroom.

  • Webquests can be made for a single class period or to cover the length of an entire unit.
  • Most of the time, webquests involve group work where each member takes on a specific role for the task.
  • Webquests are built around the resources that YOU as the teacher have preselected.


Benefits of WebQuests

There are many benefits of using webquests in your classroom, listed below are a few of them.

  1. Webquests help students to collaborate and work together with others.
  2. Creating a good webquest like carefully planning out a lesson, makes learning interesting for your students.
  3. Students are able to work at their own pace.
  4. Webquests offer a different approach to learning.
  5. Webquests create a "comfort zone" for students with using the internet.


WebQuests Include

All webquests should include the following components.

Introduction

  • An engaging first statement that draws or 'hooks' the reader in while setting the stage for the WebQuest. List in the introduction the learning objectives you want your students to complete.

Task

  • This is where you will clearly describe what the end result of the activity will be.

Process

  • Describes step by step how the learners will accomplish the task and offers guidance on how to organize the data they will be collecting. Includes online (and offline) resources, role descriptions (if any), and guidance on individual steps in the process.

Evaluation

  • A rubric or other means to evaluate the final task. May include rubrics or tests to measure how well they now understand the material after completing the webquest.

Conclusion

  • Summarizes what learners will have accomplished after completing the activity.


Task for UNIT 1

  • Now that you have a basic understanding of what a webquest is. Click on the following link and browse through a couple sample webquest lessons.Sample Webquests

Reflection

  1. After looking at a couple different sample webquests, take a few minutes to write down your thoughts on them. What did you like or dislike about the webquests you looked at? Was there one particular webquest you liked more than the others and if so why?
  2. Begin to think about the webquest that you want to create in your classroom.How many class periods do you want your webquest to cover and do you want your students to work together or individually on the webquest?

When you have finished reflecting on Unit 1, you may continue onto UNIT 2--CHOOSING A TOPIC

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