WebQuests were a completely new experience for me. Basically, a WebQuest is an online activity that requires students to work in groups to complete web research in order to answer a series of questions or produce a final project such as, video, skit, or podcast. Through an in-class activity, a WebQuest about WebQuests, we learned that a good WebQuest has four main components, efficiency, group work, well developed user interface, and higher-order thinking. Each member of our group evaluated the collection WebQuests based on one of the four components. I looked for WebQuests rich in higher-order thinking. To my surprise, the WebQuests that I found to be the best often lacked in other areas. However, for our group, it was somewhat easy to set aside our individual perspectives because we all agreed that the WebQuest should be up-to-date and well designed, and that the projects were, for the most part, equally efficient. In the end, we decided on a WebQuest that had equal parts of all of these components.
WebQuests are cool activities to use in the classroom. I think these activities can teach students a great deal about using the internet as a resource to expand their knowledge. Many of the WebQuests we looked at had the students create a final project that required extensive knowledge of the topic and of a specific technology. For instance, one required students to make a video podcast, and another required students to produce a movie using movie making software. For this reason, I believe these activities are a great way to get students involved in technology in a way that mimics a real world use for it. Before beginning the activity, I had not thought that a WebQuest would incorporate other forms of technology. However, now I realize that WebQuest can be tailored to any need or lesson in the classroom. This is what makes them such a powerful resource for teachers.
So, let's go WebQuesting!
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