WebQuest Past, Present and Future

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WebQuest Past, Present and Future

• Bernie Dodge, PhD
• San Diego State University

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THE ANCIENT PAST
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THE ANCIENT PAST

• 1995

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The Problem

• Too much structure or.
• Too little structure

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The First WebQuest - 1995
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What Felt New?

• They got to work right away
• Their conversations were deep
• They were engaged
• I only introduced, debugged and debriefed
• They were using authentic data

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The Short Definition

• A WebQuest is simply good teaching with the web.

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The Longer Definition

• Constructivist lesson format
• Wrapped around a doable and interesting task that
  is a scaled-down version of something adults do
• Most (not necessarily all) material comes from
  the Web
• Resources are pre-selected
• Often (though not always) involves students
  taking on roles
• Involves higher level thinking

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WebQuest Assumptions

• Authentic tasks are more engaging
• Learning is enhanced by social interaction among
  learners
• Higher level thinking skill development is
  essential and needs to start at an early age
• Uncertainty and doubt are instructionally useful

John Dewey
Lev Vygotsky
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WebQuest Assumptions

• Better to be evolutionary than revolutionary

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Balance
Structure
Freedom
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THE RECENT PAST
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THE RECENT PAST

• 2003

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Imperfect Replication

• Scavenger Hunt WebQuests
• Here are 5 URLs.
• Answer these 10 questions.

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Imperfect Replication

• Busywork WebQuests
• First look at this site.
• Now look at this one.
• Next, play the game at this URL
• Now explore this other one.
• There. Now you know everything.

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Imperfect Replication

• PowerPoint Cut-and-Paste WebQuests
• Go to this site
• And this one
• And this other one over here
• Now make a PowerPoint presentation to show what
  you learned.

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THE PRESENT

• 2006

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WebQuests Popularity
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The Problem

• WebQuest development takes too much time
• too much skill
• a resource that teachers dont always have
  access to.

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The Problem

• Technical Skills
• Web Editing
• FTP
• Layout

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The Problem

• Pedagogical Skills
• Constructivism
• Higher Level Thinking
• Coherence

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The Problem

• Environmental Support
• Peer feedback
• Server space

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The Symptoms

• Many WebQuests are created in required courses
  and never updated
• Scared by the time demands, many teachers never
  make a second WebQuest
• There are excellent teachers out there who will
  never make a WebQuest.

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Solution QuestGarden
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Early Development

• Debut at TCEA - February, 2005
• Tested in workshops throughout the Spring and
  Summer
• Announced at NECC, July, 2005
• Opened to everyone September 1.

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Status Today Users

• Over 29419 users in 114 countries

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Where from?
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Status Today Lessons

• 19763 WebQuests created
• 14000 of them with over 500 words

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Histogram of Word Counts
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Features of QuestGarden

• Step-by-step prompted guidance on creating a
  WebQuest
• Browser-based no software needed
• Emphasis on sharing resources and advice
• Ability for WebQuest workshop leaders to monitor
  progress

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Features of QuestGarden

• WYSIWYG text formatting
• Ability to upload pictures and supplementary
  files
• Based on design patterns

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Examples
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Still.imperfection

• QuestGarden makes it easy to create great
  WebQuests.
• It also makes it easy to create WebQuests.

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Blooms Taxonomy
WebQuests
WebExercises
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Bernies Taxonomy
Life Verbs
Decide Design Create Predict Analyze
Apply Explain
Classroom Verbs
Know Tell Remember
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Design Patterns
http//webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/all.htm
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Redesigned Design Patterns

• Chunked to make them easier to grasp
• Organized under the higher level thinking verbs
• Design
• Decide
• Create
• Predict
• Analyze

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QuestGarden Future

• Free until September 1, 2006
• 20 for a 2 year subscription after that
• 30 day free trial
• Access to published WebQuests will always be free

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Features Coming Soon

• Can be stored on site or exported to any other
  site
• Will be translated into Mandarin, Brazilian
  Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan (so far)
• Peer Ratings and Feedback
• Scaffolding extras built in
• Integrated Quiz/Drill/Game
• Ability to download someone elses WebQuest into
  your space and tweak it

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Features Coming Soon

• Merger of webquest.org and webquest.sdsu.edu
  sites with Drupal
• RSS feeds for newly uploaded WebQuests
• New design patterns for integration of blogs,
  wikis and podcasting into the WebQuest format
• Hosted tools for creating timelines, concept maps
  and surveys

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Metcalfes Law
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THE NEAR FUTURE

• 2007

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The Future of WebQuests

• Evolution mutation will continue
• New task types will emerge
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• New forms will emerge
• WebQuests as DVDs
• WebQuests as Quake

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WebQuest Genesis, Present and Future

• Bernie Dodge, PhD
• San Diego State University