| WebQuests
What are WebQuests? Why Are They Useful? How Do I Create My Own? |
Definition General Information Creating Your Own
Templates Accessibility Rubrics
Examples Search Tips WebQuests About WebQuests
Miscellaneous Sites Contact Us
DefinitionBernie Dodge and Tom March developed the concept of WebQuests in 1995. Little did they know that this idea would spring into one of the most widely used Internet activities for school aged children. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity, where some or all of the material a student interacts with comes from the resources on the Internet. WebQuests eliminate the need for a student to search, sometimes endlessly for information on a topic, since prescreened links are provided in the WebQuest. Another benefit to using WebQuests is that they are easily created and support any curriculum topic. They are motivating and highly interactive allowing students to use real life resources that are up to date. |
The December 1996 / January 1997 issue of Classroom Connect said this about WebQuests"A quiet revolution is taking place on the Internet. K-12 educators and university professors around the world are working together to develop new, innovative ways to bring the Internet into their curriculum, and then sharing their successful implementations with others via the World Wide Web. In the summer of 1995, Bernie Dodge, a professor of educational technology at San Diego State University, developed an innovative approach to using the Internet as an integral part of teaching any subject at any grade level. He wrote a brief, three-page summary of his new idea and promptly posted it to the World Wide Web. Since that summer day, dozens of wired K-12 educators have visited Dodge's WebQuest home page, studied his unique approach, and adopted it for use in their classrooms. Indeed, the word 'WebQuest' has quickly become one of the hottest educational technology buzzwords, both online and in the real world.” (Sited from: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webque st/fanmail.html) |
General Information About WebQuests
The WebQuest Page- This is the main site for WebQuest information. Created by Bernie Dodge, it contains everything you would like to know about WebQuests.
Some Thoughts About WebQuests- This was Bernie Dodge’s original page on WebQuests first written in 1995. It has been updated to reflect changes over time.
Ozline Web and Flow- This site was developed by Tom March. The site provides different links to various articles that have been written about the use of the Web in the classroom.
The Student WebQuests- This is an article written
by Maureen Brown Yoder. It provides
a great overview of what a WebQuest is, how to find already developed WebQuests
as well as how to write your own.
WebQuests- Another site with a general overview on WebQuests. This site has many links with simple descriptions.
WebQuests in Our Future: The Teacher’s Role in
Cyberspace-
Kathy Schrock created this site.
She has created a slide show presentation about WebQuests. Visit this site to see the slide
show.
Why WebQuests? An Introduction- Tom March wrote this article about why WebQuests are a great teaching tool? It’s a great site if you need administrative support since it outlines the merits of WebQuests.
A WebQuest about WebQuests- If you’re a person who learns best by experimenting, then this site will take you through the process of learning about WebQuests by doing a WebQuest. The site listed is the elementary version. There is one for the upper grades also.
WebQuest about
WebQuests-
WebQuests:
Designing Online Curriculum Modules which promote Engaged Learning-
MiniQuest Fact Sheet - If you don’t have the time to create a WebQuest create a MiniQuest. Find out what the difference is between the two.
Creating Your Own WebQuests
Building
Blocks Of A WebQuest- This is a great site on what elements/parts
should be included in a WebQuest.
There are links to each element where there is a detailed description of
what each section should contain.
WebQuest
Process Checklist- One of the sections in a WebQuest is the Process section.
The Process section is where one learns what steps they will be going through to
complete the task. This checklist
will help you evaluate whether your WebQuest or others you preview made the
grade or need improvement.
WebQuest
Design Process- If you would like to
see a flow chart of the steps needed in creating a WebQuest this might be the
site for you. There’s one caution:
It’s under construction, so all steps are not ready.
WebQuest Taskonomy: A Taxonomy of Tasks- Check out what the Taxonomy of Tasks is all about. The task is the single most important part of your WebQuest and these sites help determine what kind of task to write.
Fine
Points: Little Things That Make A Big Difference- This is a great site with 14 great ideas on
what elements make for a great web page, whether it be a WebQuest page or just
any page on the net.
Process Guides- Outlined at this URL are 8 student guides and 2 teacher guides. It gives students and teachers suggestions on how to teach brainstorming, how to evaluate the content of a web page, time management issues to list a few areas.
WebQuests Templates
WebQuest
Templates- Do you want an easy way to get started on your own
WebQuest? At this site you will
find a template to use. There are
several different formats to choose from.
If you don’t like the templates
you can always create your own.
Lesson Template for Students and Teachers- This site provides yet another template suggestion. If you haven’t liked the others maybe this one will fit your needs.
WebQuest Alternative Templates- This site offers yet another template for completing your own WebQuest.
Rubrics for WebQuests
Rubrics
for Evaluating Student Performance- This site isn’t just for WebQuests, it’s
a great resource site on rubrics: use and development in general.
A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests- Are you developing a WebQuest? Does it contain the elements needed? Is it visually appealing? Then check out this site.
Creating a Rubric for a Given Task- This link helps you create your own rubric for activities you create.
Web Page Evaluation Criteria- This rubric was adapted from work done by Al Rogers. It is a rubric for evaluating web pages. It may help you develop your own rubric or guide you in creating your own web pages.
Assessment Rubrics- This is another example of a rubric used for assessing students skills in an area.
WebQuests About WebQuests
A WebQuest about WebQuests-
A WebQuest
about WebQuests-
Here’s another site that sends you on a WebQuest in order to learn
about WebQuests.
WebQuest
Guide Sheet-
Examples of WebQuests
These are only a few sites containing examples of WebQuests.
Bangor School Department
Home Page- To view our WebQuests
Then click on the link WebQuests About Animals and Their Habitats:
A Global Perspective.
Matrix of
Examples- Here’s a site that gives you examples of WebQuests. They are categorized by grade level
groups.
WebQuest Collections- Another site with examples of WebQuests.
Technology Challenge Grants Projects- This site offers several great examples of WebQuests that were created for use in the K-12 curriculum.
SEED Site- This site will link you to 50 technology-based projects that you can use in your classrooms. There are several WebQuests in the list as well as other Internet based projects. If you have done something innovative with technology and would like to apply for an Adapter Award this site is a good site to check out.
WebQuests: Examples and Resources- This a great site with many links to all sorts of information about WebQuests. There are links to examples, resources and other pages where examples of WebQuests can be found.
WebQuests:
Preview- More examples of WebQuests.
These examples are geared toward high school topics.
WebQuest Resources- This is a good site with links to other resources that may help in creating or learning about WebQuests.
Hunter
College Elementary School: WebQuests-
Regional Education Technology Assistance (RETA) Initiative- Several great examples of WebQuests can be found at this site.
Educational Media and Technology: WebQuests- Bernie Dodge was impressed by this sites examples of WebQuests. EMT Professional Development Team has evaluated resources on this page. WebQuest examples are listed by content areas and grade level, with a description of each.
WebQuests 1998-
DuPage Country Professional Development Center MiniQuests- You may not have time for a major WebQuest unit, so check out this site of examples of MiniQuests. A MiniQuest is usually a 1 or 2 day activity on a topic.
Internet Activities for the Connected Classroom! By Cheryl
Stanfield, published by Creative Teaching Associates © 1999
WebQuests and Accessibility
Web Accessibility-
This site provides an in-depth checklist to follow and elements needed to
make your web pages accessible to individuals with disabilities.
This is not a requirement at this time, but in the future all sites
might need to comply with these elements before being placed on the Internet.
Welcome to Bobby 3.1.1- This is the site we used to help guide us through the steps in making our WebQuests accessible. After meeting their standards you can become Bobby Approved and can display their logo on your site. You may want to check out this site before creating a WebQuest so that you can incorporate the requirements needed into the design stage rather than back tracking after it’s been created.
Effective Search Tips
Step Zero: What to Do Before Searching- One important skill needed in creating a WebQuest is the ability to locate information related to your topic. This site will help you improve your ability to search for information, thus cutting down on wasted time finding nothing useful.
Seven Steps Toward Better Searching- If you found the other site helpful this site will improve your skills even more unless you are already a super searcher extraordinaire.
Specialized Search Engines and Directions- If Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, etc didn’t find information for you, then maybe one of these specialized search engines can. This is just a good reference site to keep on hand just in case you need information on topics that are not common or very specialized.
WebSearching Finding and Evaluating Web Resources- This is a good site if you need more information on searching the web or if your searches yield millions of entries but when you refine them you end up with zero. It discusses using natural language searching, keyword, metasearching, directory searches, concept-based searches and searches for graphics.
Miscellaneous Sites
An Introduction to the
World Wide Web- If you are new to the web and need a basic, general overview
site about the Internet. then this is the site for you. It covers how the Net works, services,
the World Wide Web, and the history of it.
Education World:
Technology in the Classroom: Clip Art 101- This is a great site if you
are interested in learning more about clip art and how to add it to your
WebQuest or other web pages.
A must see site if you are new to web page development.
Spartanburg School
District 3- This link is a good site for teachers interested in
WebQuests as well as other Internet activities.
WebQuests: A
Strategy for Scaffolding Higher Level Learning- The information at this site
has been covered, but you may find one or two things presented that are
new.
WebQuest Community- This site can be accessed from the WebQuest Page. You can join a listserv at this site or learn how to participate in a chat session with Bernie Dodge.
Using the Internet to Promote Inquiry-based Learning- This site offers great resources on several topics related to Internet use. Using search engines, developing questions, evaluating web resources, citing information from the Internet, assessment of web based projects, designing online instruction and general technology resources are some of the topics covered.
Internet 101- Do you want or need to learn the basics of the Internet then this site is for you? Some of the topics covered are safe surfing, viruses, browsers, email and search engines. There’s even a link so you can speak like a Geek (a dictionary of computer and Internet terms).
Evaluating Information Found on the Internet - This an excellent site with a lot of valuable information about copyright laws and how to evaluate the information found on the Internet. This is a must see site for all who use the Internet.
Information on Copyright and Intellectual Property- Do you want to know more about copyright laws? What do copyright laws mean to educators and how are we affected when we use information from other people's websites? There are several links covering assorted topics about copyright regulations at this site.
Copyright Basics- Learn more about copyright laws and how to copyright your work. This site starts out with the basics then moves into the more advanced information.
Checklist for Fair Use- If you want to know if the material you want to borrow from the Internet falls under the “Fair Use” of the copyright law then check out this site. It is a must see site for any teacher who wants to use information from the web on their webpage.
Suggestions for Successful Internet Assignments- This is a super site to check out before assigning students a task on the Internet. There are nine helpful suggestions for designing effective and successful learning experiences for use of the Internet. There’s even someone who will come in and teach you class on Internet use.
Contact Us
If you have questions or would like more information we can be
reached at:
Penny Rice - penrice@fifth.bangor.k12.me.us
Cyndy Fish - cfish@fifth.bangor.k12.me.us
Abraham Lincoln School Bangor, ME. (207) 941-6280 |
visits to date
Bangor School Department | WebQuest Home Page | Definition | General Information | Creating Your Own | Templates | Accessibility | Rubric | Examples | WebQuests About WebQuests | Search Tips | Miscellaneous Sites | Contact Us