Webquests and other webbased activities

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Webquests andother web-based activities

• Mark Gillow, EALT
• Education Queensland

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Overview

• What are Webquests?
• Why Webquests and why web-based?
• Explore web-based activities.
• Create your own web-based activities.
• Conclusion

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What are Webquests?

• A research teaching tool (targeted at upper
  primary - lower secondary).
• A web-based unit of work with all (or most)
  resources needed found on the internet.
• Based on topics which are grey not black and
  white.

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Why Webquests?

• Webquests are promote higher order thinking and
  information literacy.
• Webquests are portable.
• Webquests are real or lifelike.
• Webquests facilitate group work and
  student-student communication.
• Webquests promote student-centred instruction.

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Exploring Web-based activities.

• Hotlists
• Treasure Hunts/knowledge hunts
• Subject Samplers
• Insight Reflectors
• Webquests

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Hotlists

• A list of resources.
• A collection of websites about a particular
  theme.
• Teachers/students are given the main URL
• Useful when broad exploration of topic is
  expected.

www.web-and-flow.com/members/mgillow/feral/hotlist
.htm
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Treasure Hunts

• A list of appropriate questions and a list of
  webpages.
• Students are directed to the exact pages within a
  website answers.
• Used when the goal is knowledge acquisition

www.web-and-flow.com/members/mgillow/feral/hunt.ht
m
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Subject Sampler

• A list of fun, weird, quirky, personal websites.
• Useful when students dont give a hoot.
• Questions ask what do you think/feel?

www.web-and-flow.com/members/mgillow/future/sample
r.htm
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Insight Reflector

• Use a small number of provocative websites.
• Used to engage students in reflective writing.
• Abstract ideas such as truth, justice, good,
  evil, fairness etc are often the focus.

www.web-and-flow.com/members/mgillow/future/reflec
tor.htm
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Webquests

• Driven by one powerful question and an achievable
  task/s.
• Focuses on the grey areas.
• Students are in roles.
• Students work in groups.

www.geocities.com/markgillow/energy.html
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Creating your own Web-based activities.
Budding authors should check out these sites

• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/
• http//www.ozline.com/learning/index.htm

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Conclusion

• Not all teachers should start with webquests
• Not all classes are ready to succeed with
  webquests.
• There is value in the other web-based
  activites.
• It is very difficult to write good webquests!
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/