WEBQUESTS.

What’s a WebQuest?A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning, it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web.

Characteristics of a WebQuest:•can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;

•usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;

•are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. 

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

•Should be age apropiate

Why WebQuests?•They are an easy way for teachers to begin to

incorporate the Internet into the language classroom.

•Group activities•They encourage critical thinking skills, including:

comparing, classifying, inducing, deducing, analyzing errors, constructing support, abstraction,

analyzing perspectives, etc

WEBQUEST

FORMULACreating WebQuests is easier than you

might think! Many sites are available to walk you through the process. One of the most

thorough is Bernie Dodge's WebQuest Page. According to Dodge, the six building blocks

of a WebQuest are:

INTRODUCTIONThe Introduction orients students and captures their interest.

Which, following the formula, it's the tab WE'RE in!In the Introduction, you have to brainstorm the topic and start with

the deisgn for your webquest.

Topics can be:•Informative•Classroom Activities•Fun games for learning

TASKSAcording to Bernie Dodge, the task is the single most important part of a WebQuest. He says it provides a goal and focus for students.Characteristics of a taks: Do-able, Engaging, Elicits active thinking, Comprehensive.Dodge created the WebQuest Task taxonomy, which describes formats and suggests ways to optimize WebQuests, he also says that in a WebQuest you are more likely to combine elements of one or more of these tasks:

PROCESSThe Process explains strategies

students should use to complete the task.

In this section, you'll include the roles students will assume and the steps

they'll follow to complete the activity.

RESOURCESIdentify the online resources available on your topic by brainstorming a list of related words and using the list to search for relevant sites. As you search, create a hotlist of current, accurate, and age-appropriate sites that will engage your students' interest.

EVALU-ATION

Traditional evaluation techniques are not the best means for evaluating the results of WebQuests, since all students may not learn the same content. Individual evaluation rubrics should be developed that follow curriculum objectives and are easy for students to understand.

**Check links on the Resources TAB for a Rubric.