WebQuest
WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity that uses resources on the World Wide Web. WebQuests pull together the most effective instructional practices into one integrated student activity. These Web-based projects use World Wide Web sites to help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. WebQuests are interesting and motivating to teachers and students. An effective WebQuest develops critical thinking skills and often includes a cooperative learning component. Students learn as they search for information using the Web, following a prescribed format that focuses on problem solving and authentic assessment. A well-written WebQuest requires students to go beyond simple fact finding. It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to solve a problem. WebQuests help students analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. There are two kinds of WebQuests, short term and long term.
The attributes of a short term WebQuest are:
knowledge acquisition and integration
making sense of large amounts of information
typically completed in one to three class periods.
The attributes of a long term WebQuest are:
extending and refining knowledge
analyzing a body of knowledge thoroughly and transforming it
creating a product that others can respond to
typically completed in one week to a month. Elements of a WebQuest WebQuests are different from “scavenger hunts,” a much simpler approach that is as old as the Web itself. In a typical scavenger hunt, students are given a list of items they must find (answers to questions, for example, or instances of data) and are set loose on the Web. WebQuests are much more structured and focus heavily on collaboration.
Components of a WebQuest
Every WebQuest has six basic components:
Introduction. This is an overview (often a simple one) of what is to come. Many WebQuests take place within a story setting; in these instances, the Introduction is where the plot and characters are introduced.
Task. This page details the assignment that is to come. Tasks are often comprised of numbered lists of items that must be accomplished to complete the quest.
Process. The Process is the meat of the quest — it is here that students work together, develop plans of action, and find ways to solve the presented problem. Often, quest processes may involve role-playing and other off-line methods.
Evaluation. The evaluation phase centers on a “rubric,” a carefully designed chart listing goals for the quest and the standards by which performance will be measured. This can be thought of as a great widening of the typical letter grade usually given to classroom assignments. Rubrics are highly annotated “grades” with extensive annotation detailing many aspects of the project.
Conclusion. This is a brief summary, usually congratulatory in tone, that wraps up the project.
Teacher Page. Instructors are provided with their own subsection of the WebQuest site, with instructions for each of the above sections. Teachers who develop WebQuests often fill this section with information to help other educators adapt the quest to their own class.
More links about Animal WebQuests:
