WebQuest 
 An Introduction
Tech Academy IV - October 3, 2002
What is a WebQuest?
"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

WebQuests of either short or long duration are deliberately designed to make the best use of a learner's time. There is questionable educational benefit in having learners surfing the net without a clear task in mind, and most schools must ration student connect time severely." ~ Bernie Dodge

Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it. 

 
Dr. Bernie Dodge is a  professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State University. He co-directs T2ARP, a technology-oriented teacher preparation program and is the project director for Learning Technology through Cyber-Apprenticeship, a federally funded effort to reinvent the way new teachers learn about computers. He is the originator of the WebQuest model and travels widely helping teachers integrate it into their classrooms.

 
ASSIGNMENT:
Your assignment today is to get in groups of four. You will use this site to look at a collection of webquests to look for "best" and "worst" examples. Each of you will have a role to play. Pay special attention to the attributes of your job. You will view the webquests with members from the other groups that have the same role as you. After viewing and discussing the "best" and "worst," you will return to your original group of 4 to make your final report.  Your final report using Inspiration, or your choice of presentation software, will answer these questions:
  • Which example WebQuest is the best one? Why? 
  • Which one is the worst? Why? 
  • What do best and worst mean to you? 


Here is the website:

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest-es.html

Be sure to use the worksheet that is provided to record your results. 

 
RESOURCES:

http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/concept2class/month8/
This is a Disney Learning Partnership site. This is a great tutorial about WebQuests. The video clips are wonderful! Be sure to click on "buzzwords."

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/materials.htm
WebQuest Training Materials - This page has everything you'll need!

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/matrix.html
Matrix of WebQuest samples

Also try:
Go to any search engine, like google.com, and type in the word "WebQuest," you may also add a topic. You'll be amazed at the thousands you'll find. Keep in mind the "good" and "bad" about WebQuests that you learned in the assignment portion.