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WebQuests in the
Middle School
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is easy to see why teachers who experiment with WebQuests often have creative
and energetic classroom environments that promote the seeking out of new
knowledge."
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Strategies for Implementing
WebQuests
A WebQuest activity presents students with access to a plethora of resources that have been pre-screened by the WebQuest's creator. The way the activity is designed discourages students from simply surfing the Web in an open-ended, unstructured manner. The design is presented in six parts called building blocks. The introduction, tasks, process, resources, evaluation, and conclusion are the building blocks that comprise this tightly formatted Internet lesson. Within this format, there is little chance that students will fall prey to distractions or exposure to inappropriate Web sites. The interdisciplinary learning requires students to consider and apply concepts in various subjects to their everyday lives. When this happens they experience even greater motivation to participate in the activity. Couple this increased student motivation with the stimulation and enthusiasm that technology brings to the classroom, and it is easy to see why teachers who experiment with WebQuests often have creative and energetic classroom environments that promote the seeking out of new knowledge. This kind of interdisciplinary teaching and learning more closely parallels studentsÌ daily experiences (Raizen et al., 1995). Consequently, the WebQuest activity is a useful tool for enhancing the development of transferable skills and helping students to bridge the gap between school and "real world" experiences. |
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WebQuests were designed with
the purpose of instilling in students the capacity to navigate the Internet
with a clear task in mind, retrieve data from multiple resources, and increase
critical thinking skills (Dodge, 1998). Dodge's primary goal in designing
WebQuests was to make the most efficient use of instructional time.
Additional beneficial attributes of WebQuests include providing students
with the opportunity to engage in cooperative learning, encouraging the
development of intrinsic motivation for learning, and promoting a constructivist
learning environment.
The hands-on, active-learning setting equips students with additional useful skills. Most WebQuests require students to perform multiple tasks, well beyond simply presenting their findings to the class or writing a report. These possible tasks include the creation of a hyperstudio project, videoconferencing, and using email, databases, and spreadsheets, as well as a myriad of other technology-rich possibilities. |
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| As is the case with any other lesson, a WebQuest activity requires advance teacher preparation that includes planning, preparing students for the lesson, and guidance through the activity itself." | The two basic
types of WebQuests are the short-term WebQuest and the long-term WebQuest.
Each type of WebQuest produces different educational benefits. The short-term
WebQuest is intended to span a minimum of one 45-minute class period to
a maximum of three 45-minute class periods. The short-term WebQuest
allows the learner to grasp a significant amount of data in a relatively
short amount of time while retrieving the primary points and generalizations.
On the other hand, the long-term WebQuest may extend over several weeks
to a month. This allows for a more in-depth analysis of concepts and encourages
students to develop a deeper appreciation for the subject matter being
investigated.
As is the case with any other lesson, a WebQuest activity requires advance teacher preparation that includes planning, preparing students for the lesson, and guidance through the activity itself. Additionally, teachers may elect to create their own WebQuest. This can be a very straightforward task since Dodge's Web page provides helpful resources including instructions on how to create a WebQuest, examples of WebQuests, and a template which is downloadable and user-friendly, even for a novice. Teachers who choose to use one of the WebQuest examples from the site can easily determine its appropriate usage. Since examples are categorized according to subject and content, teachers merely have to make the choice of which one is most appropriate to use in their classroom. |
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| WebQuest examples | Evaluating WebQuests
WebQuests have been identified as quests for knowledge. Rather than being a static body of content to be taught, a WebQuest is an evolving body of content to know, to explore, and to process. This happens because the body of content changes as students interact with the information. WebQuests allow students to gain access to multiple sources of information. Therefore, an important question becomes, how do I judge the quality of resources used in a WebQuest? The WebQuest site at San Diego State University provides several methods of evaluation. One issue to be addressed is whether or not WebQuests meet the needs of the class curriculum. A second issue for consideration is whether or not they are easy for students to use. This interface issue is an important one because many things can go wrong with an activity of this type if adequate planning and preparation have not occurred. As students learn to use WebQuests, constant communication among students within learning groups and between students and teachers is vital. The model used to evaluate
WebQuest assignments suggests that student input is of utmost importance.
Students should have input in the creation of rubrics and should be provided
with foreknowledge of the requirements. Having spent time immersed
in conversations on the topic of evaluation, I believe that evaluation
of studentsÌ progress with a model must involve both oral and written
feedback. This is necessary in order for the students to understand the
directions and outcomes expected of the assignment and to further their
level of participation and accountability. This form of interaction
between students and teachers is especially important when using WebQuests.
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"Rather than being a static body
of content to be taught, a WebQuest is an evolving body of content to know,
to explore, and to process."
Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests Rubrics for Evaluating Student Performance "The use of this instructional technique affords students the opportunity to make connections and to discover for themselves that a meaningful education is one which teaches us to use what we have learned by applying our learning to new experiences."
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New Directions for Inquiry-Centered
Learning
WebQuests provide a practical way for students to acquire information, debate issues, participate in meaningful discussions, engage in role play simulations, solve problems, and, perhaps most importantly, become connected and involved learners. The use of this instructional technique affords students the opportunity to make connections and to discover for themselves that a meaningful education is one which teaches us to use what we have learned by applying our learning to new experiences. While the use of WebQuests in the middle school curriculum presents an opportunity for classroom teachers to take a fresh approach toward meeting the demands of the curriculum, it is important to remember that their use constitutes one tool among many to be used in the classroom. What else can we do in our classrooms that would allow us to take advantage of the Internet as an educational resource? Through interaction and collaboration, the individual answers teachers formulate to this question can be combined to pave the way for an ever-expanding range of educational possibilities for our students. References Beane, J.A. (1997). Curriculum integration designing the core of democratic education. New York: Teachers College Press. Clinton, W.J. (1998, January). Call to action for American education in the 21st century: Ensuring educational excellence in 1998 and beyond. State of the Union Address, Washington, DC. Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about WebQuests [On-line]. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html Dodge, B. (1998). WebQuests: A strategy for scaffolding higher level learning [On-line]. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/necc98.htm Iran-Nejad, A., McKeachie, W.J., & Berliner, D.C. (1990). The multisource nature of learning: An introduction. Review of educational research, 60, 509-515. Raizen, S., Sellwood, P., Todd, R., & Vickers, M. (1995). Technology education in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Sandholtz, J.H. Rigstaff, C., & Dwyer, D.C. (1997). Teaching with technology: Creative student-centered classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press. Zaraza, R., & Fisher, D. (1993). Introducing system dynamics into the traditional secondary curriculum: The CC-Stadus project's search for leverage points. The Creative Learning Exchange 7(1), 3. About the Author Kenneth Lee Watson is a former high school advanced placement political science teacher and current doctoral candidate in Social Studies Education at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. His research interests include technology applications in Social Studies Education with a particular interest in Web-based curricula.
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