They don’t require technical knowledge.
They stimulate interaction since they encourage cooperative learning.
Interdisciplinary: they allow cross-over into subjects, which can be highly motivating.
They encourage critical thinking skills due to learners having to transform information in order to achieve a certain task.
Low-level projects which are simple, such as making a poster.
High-level investigative work where learners carry out research and present their views and opinions in a debate.
A webquest is “an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet.”
There are two types of webquest:
Short-term webquests in which at the end, learners have a significant amount of new information and can make sense of it. They may last a couple of lessons in which learners use that information.
Longer term-webquests in which at the end, learners will have analysed a subject deeply, transforming it in some way and turning it into a new product: a report, a presentation, an interview or a survey. It may last a few weeks or a term or period.
Introduction: introduce an overall theme of the webquest which involves giving background information on the topic and introducing new vocabulary and concepts to complete the task involved.
Task: explain clearly and precisely what learners will have to do as they work their way through the webquest. It should be motivating and interesting, and anchored in a real-life situation.
Process & Resources: guide the learners through a set of activities and research tasks, using redefined and internet-based resources presented as a set of clickable links to websites.
Evaluation: it involves learners in self-evaluation, comparing and contrasting what they have produced with other learners and giving feedback on what they have learnt. It can also involve teacher’s evaluation.
Choose the project topic: What do your learners prefer?
Make a task clear: What information they will need to find?
Find the resources: the websites your learners need to visit, if the websites contain information they need and if they are at the right level.
Decide on the outcome: What is the final purpose of the project?
Link to my Webquest: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=787388
Refferences:
Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2007) Chapter 3: “Using websites” in How to…teach English with technology. Pearson Education Limited: Edinburgh.