Introduction

Project work online can range from a simple low level project like making a poster presentation about a famous person to high-level investigative work where learners research a subject and present polemical views and opinions in a report or debate. In order to prepare for Internet-based project work, you will need to do the following:

• Choose the project topic

Will your learners be researching famous people, an event or an issue?

• Make the task clear

What information will they need to find- biographical, factual, views and opinions?

• Find the resources

Which websites will your learners need to visit? Do these websites contain the

information they need and are they at the right level? 

• Decide the outcome

What is the final purpose of the project? For example, will your learners be making a poster, a presentation or holding a debate?

What are WebQuests?

Webquests are mini-projects in which a large percentage of the input and the material is supplied from the Internet. According to Bernie Dodge, a Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State University, a webquest is an 'inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources from the Internet'. He identifies two main types: 

• Short-term webquests: At the end of a short-term webquest, a learner will have grappled with a significant amount of new information and made sense of it. Short-term webquest may spread over a period of a couple of classes or so, and will involve learners in visiting a selection of sites to find information, and using that information in class to achieve a set of learning aims. 

• Long-term webquests: After completing a longer-term webquest, a learner will have analyzed a body of knowledge deeply, transforming it in some way. They wil have demonstrated an understanding of the material by creating something that others can respond to, online or offline. This is the big difference between the longer-term and short-term webquests - learners have to transform the information they acquire, turning it into a new product: a report, a presentation, an interview or a survey. Longer-term webquests might last a few weeks, or even a term or semester.

Webquests structure

Introduction

This stage is normally used to introduce the overall theme of the webquest. It involves giving background information on the topic and, in the language learning context, often introduces key vocabulary and concepts which learners will need to understand in order to complete the tasks involved.

Task

The task section of the webquest explains clearly and precisely what the learners will have to do as they work their way through the webquest. The task should obviously be highly motivating and intrinsically interesting for the learners, and should be firmly anchored in a real-life situation. This often involves the learners in a certain amount of role-play within a given scenario, as in the example, 'You are a team of investigative reporters.

Process

The process stage of a webquest guides the learners through a set of activities and research tasks, using a set of predefined resources.

These Resources are predominantly Internet-based, and are usually presented in clickable form, that is, as a set of active links to websites within the task document. It's important to bear in mind that it's much easier to click on a link than to type it in with any degree of accuracy.

In the case of a language-based webquest, as opposed to a purely content-based one, the process stage of the webquest may introduce or recycle lexical areas or grammatical points which are essential to the task. The process stage of the webquest will usually have one or sometimes several 'products' which the learners are expected to present at the end. These 'products' will often form the basis of the evaluation stage.

Evaluation

The evaluation stage can involve learners in self-evaluation, comparing and contrasting what they have produced with other learners, and giving feedback on what they feel they have learnt and achieved. It will also involve teacher evaluation, and good webquests will give guidance to the teacher for this particular part of the process.

Bibliography

Hockly, N., Dudeney. G. (2007) How to teach English with technology. Pearson Educated Limited.