WCSU Libraries

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

WebQuests

What is a WebQuest?

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the World Wide Web. The concept was first developed and defined by Dr. Bernie Dodge, professor of educational technology at San Diego State University.

Dr. Dodge first coined the term in 1995, when teaching pre-service teachers ways to use the Internet/World Wide Web in the manner that demands higher-order thinking skills. Dodge asserts that WebQuests are guided explorations that require students to interact with the material they encounter and do something meaningful with it. Through the process of completing a WebQuest, students should "learn how to learn," learn to work collaboratively, and to make sense of information.

Every WebQuest has six essential components:

1) An introduction that explains clearly what the WebQuest is about.

2) The task is set out.

3) A list of web resources need to complete the task is provided by the teacher to the students.

4) The teacher explains the precise process students should follow to complete the task. The process should be broken down into steps.

5) Guidance on how to to organize the information acquired. Examples include organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams. Teacher guidance can also include objectives, standards for evaluation, and audience.

6) A conclusion that brings closer to the quest, reminds learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.

Where can I find more information about WebQuests?

• The very best place to start is Professor Dodge's own website, found at http://webquest.sdsu.edu/. Excellent background information is provided, as well as lists of exemplary WebQuests.

How can I locate lists of exemplary WebQuests?

• WebQuest.org. Search Bernie Dodge's site at http://webquest.org/ and click on "Find WebQuests" to locate specific WebQuests deemed "exemplary." This is important, as not all resources called WebQuests are the real thing!
  • Remember you may need to significantly broaden your search to get enough results.
  • Use the "Curriculum x Grade Level Matrix" to locate WebQuests for specific grade levels.
  • **Check out his "Webquest about Webquests/Elementary Level" to learn more about creating your own.**
  • Go to The Webquest Taskonomy: A Taxonomy of Tasks to learn more about this component of Webquests.

Science Webquests (Align with CT Science Curriculum Standards)

• www.nsta.org. (National Science Teachers Association). Access this page on WebQuests to get to relevant information and lists of links.
• Science Webquests (Rockwood, MO School District)

The World Beyond: Using Google to locate WebQuests in Topic Area

• Use Google Search Help to search the web more effectively. Choose Basic or Advanced (form fill in) search options based on how you like to search and what you are looking for.
• Remember Google is not case sensitive!
• Always use descriptive and specific search words--the Web is a big place.
• Place a + sign in front of essential words; a - sign can be placed in front of terms that you don't want in results.
• Put quotes around any phrases; i.e., "force and motion" "solar system"
• Some examples of effective searches:
  • "+webquest +physics +motion"
  • +online +interactive +science +elementary
  • Keep in mind that grade level will not always be indicated in a predictable way, but words/phrases such as "grade 3" or "k-6" or "k-4" or elementary may narrow results nicely.
  • Searching is an interactive and discursive process. Try one search, judge results, make changes, try again!

Evaluating WebQuests for Quality & Rigor

• Only look at or assign WebQuests that adhere to Bernie Dodge's six component framework (there are many which do not!)
• There are many web scavenger hunts out there that are labeled "WebQuests."
• The name WebQuest is often mistakenly attached to any web-based learning activity
• Dodge encourages using a rubric to establish whether something is in fact a WebQuest
• Assign your students the very best!

Evaluating Websites for Quality and Appropriateness

• Discoveryschool.com: Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators. Teacher Helpers. Critical Evaluation Information.

• UC-Berkeley Library Teaching Library. Guides. Internet. Evaluating Web Pages.

Samples of Learning Objects to Incorporate

• Force and Motion
• Science Spot Kid Zone: Physics
• Amusement Park Physics
• Funderstanding Rollercoasters
• Light
• Science, Optics, and You: Refraction of Light
• Science, Optics, and You: Newton's Prism Experiment
• Simple Machines
• Edheads: Simple Machines
• How Can we Move our Principal?
• The Franklin Institute: Simple Machines
• Sound
• Exploratorium: Listening Activities
• ThinkQuest: The Soundry

Jenny Innes
Public Services/Education Librarian
innesg@wcsu.edu
11/07
Edited 03/08 by Veronica Kenausis