Wednesday, August 19, 2009

WebQuest

You may ask, ‘What is a WebQuest?’ Well according to EdWeb (2009), 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.

According to Bloom Taxonomy (as cited by Uniserve- EDU, 2009) a WebQuest can be described by the following;

Knowledge – the students remember the facts.
Comprehension – the students understands relationships and contexts.
Application – the student can apply this new knowledge to different areas.
Analysis- the student can analysis and find parts.
Synthesis – the student can create something unique.
Evaluation – the students can make judgements based on facts.

Using such a great tool fits within a constructivist framework because the learning is based on the student’s active participation in problem solving and critical thinking. Using such a great tool in the classroom is very engaging to the students because the learning is very relevant, and allows students to construct their own knowledge (Castatela EDU, 2009).

Previous to this investigation I have only been exposed to WebQuests a number of times, however I did create my own just recently on a science unit for electricity. This WebQuest, however has not been used in a classroom as of yet, although it will begin to used this coming Friday. To ensure a successful WebQuest was created the following essential components of a WebQuest (WebQuest Direct, 2009) were used:

1. Introduction -draws the learner’s attention to the topic and inspiring action.
2. Task -a problem based focus question drawn from the introduction and sets out the goal.
3. Information Sources - needed to complete the task, including links to web pages.
4. Process - description of the process the learners are to apply in solving the problem
5. Evaluation - the guidelines for how students will be assessed. Usually a rubric or criteria.
6. Conclusion - closure to the quest, addresses the answering of the Focus Question
7. Teachers Page - Contains learner profiles, curriculum and Essential Learning’s.

In conclusion, as a future learning manager I look forward to introducing these new technologies in particular WebQuests, as they open up new doors and opportunities for students and I believe this is the way of the future.

References

Castatela EDU (2009). Constructivism. Retrieved August 19th, 2009 from http://curriculum.castatela.edu_acult/pspar.html


EdWeb (2009). WebQuests. Retrieved August 19th, from http:edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_folder/course/EDTC59L/About_WebQuests.html


Uniserve – EDU (2009). Retrieved August 19th, 2009 from http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/tutes/webquest/present/


WebQuest Direct, (2009). What is a WebQuest. Retrieved 19th August, 2009, from:http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/whatis_awq.asp

2 comments:

  1. Hi Kobi,

    I agree that webquests open up new doors and opportunities for students but I do get a little bit worried about creating them myself. There are some fantastic ones already out there but I hope I will be able to one day create my own without to much stress! But I do agree they are a great way to facilitate engaging learning experiences.

    Tam

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  2. Hey Tamara,

    Thanks for taking the time to read through my blogs, and yes I am also a little worried about creating them myself. I cannot wait for the day also when I will not stress too much about creating an engaging tool for my learners!

    Kobi

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