Discussion

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Discussion

• Characteristics of Best / Real Webquests
• -Will Haines, January 2004

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What is a WebQuest?

• An inquiry-orientated activity in which most or
  all of the information used by learners is drawn
  from the web.

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Inventors of the concept

• Bernie Dodge and Tom March from San Diego State
• Developed and published the model in 1995
• Maintain online resources about WebQuests

Bernie
Tom
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Building Blocks of a WebQuest (Dodge)

• In Some Thoughts About WebQuests, Bernie lists
  critical and non-critical attributes of what make
  up good WebQuests.

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Building Blocks of a WebQuest (Dodge) CRITICAL
ATTRIBUTES

• Introduction
• Task
• Set of information sources
• Description of the process
• Guidance on how to organize information acquired
• Conclusion

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Building Blocks of a WebQuest (Dodge) NON-CRITICAL

• Most likely to be group activities
• Enhanced by motivational elements - learners
  have a role to play
  
• Designed within a single discipline or
  interdisciplinary

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The Dodge Model

• The Internet abounds with these types of
  WebQuests that have followed Bernies model
  
• Matrix of Examples

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The Dodge Model

• A number of training materials exist on Bernies
  site to further define / help develop great
  WebQuests
  
• Training Materials

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Tom March kicking it up a notch

• BestWebQuests.com
• Criteria for Assessing Best WebQuests
• The Learning Power of WebQuests Educational
  Leadership. Dec 2003 / Jan 2004 42-47.
  

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Tom Marchs The Learning Power of WebQuests

• In a real WebQuest, newly acquired information
  undergoes an important transformation within
  learners themselves.

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Tom Marchs The Learning Power of WebQuests

• A real WebQuest is a scaffolded learning
  structure that uses links to essential resources
  and an authentic task to motivate students
  investigation of an open-ended question,
  development of individual expertise, and
  participation in a group process that transforms
  newly acquired information into a more
  sophisticated understanding.

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Tom Marchs The Learning Power of WebQuests

• We need to examine how experts go about their
  work and then prompt novices through a similar
  process.
  
• Scaffolding is at the heart of the WebQuest model
  and WebQuests arent anything new except that
  they provide a way to integrate sound learning
  strategies with effective use of the Web.

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Tom Marchs The Learning Power of WebQuests

• Use of essential Internet Resources
• Authentic tasks that motivate
• Open-ended Questions
• Individual Expertise
• Transformative Group Process

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Tom Marchs The Learning Power of WebQuests

• The Best WebQuests inspire students
• to see richer thematic relationships
• to contribute to the real world of learning
• to reflect on their own metacognitive process

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WebQuests by Tom March
Look Who's Footing the Bill Crool Zone? A Scho
ol Safety WebQuest The Big Wide World WebQuest
Searching for China Little Rock 9, Integration
0? The Tuskegee Tragedy
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for more info
WebQuests - how to "tame" the Internet www.gr
eece.k12.ny.us/ath/library Includes all links p
resented here, and in your handout