What is a WebQuest?

1
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 Internet
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

Prepared for STANSW Conference September, 1999
2
WebQuests?

• Why?
• What?
• How?
• Examples

3
Why WebQuests?

• based on sound teaching and learning pedagogy
• well resourced on the Internet
• growing community of WebQuest developers and users

4
Blooms Taxonomy

• Knowledge - the student remembers facts
• Comprehension - the student understands relations
  and context
• Application - the student can apply his knowledge
  to new areas
• Analysis - the student can analyse and find parts
• Synthesis - the student can create something
  unique of his own
• Evaluation - the student can give value
  judgements based on facts
• http//www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/blo
  om.html
• http//www.wested.org/tie/dlrn/blooms.html
• http//www.stedwards.edu/cte/bloomtax.htm
• http//illinois.online.uillinois.edu/model/bloomt
  axonomy.htm

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SOLO - Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome

• Prestructural - irrelevant response
• Unistructural - the use of one obvious piece of
  given data
• Multistructural - the sequential use of one
  obvious piece of data
• Relational - the integration of the given data to
  form a unique conclusion or generalisation
• Extended Abstract - the use of multiple
  interacting abstract systems to form a response.
  This may include a general hypothesis, assessing
  the quality of models and accepting open-ended
  answers.
• http//www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/DSME/TAME/Arnold/
  TAME-pages/CandS4.html

6
Constructivism

• learning is based on students active
  participation in problem-solving
• involving critical thinking
• learning activity is relevant and engaging
• constructing their own knowledge by testing
  ideas and approaches based on their prior
  knowledge and experience
• applying these to a new situation
• integrating the new knowledge gained with
  pre-existing intellectual constructs
• http//curriculum.calstatela.edu/faculty/psparks/
  theorists/501const.htm

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Dimensions of Learning

• Dimension 1 Positive Attitudes and Perceptions
  About Learning
• Dimension 2 Thinking Involved in Acquiring and
  Integrating Knowledge
• Dimension 3 Thinking Involved in Extending and
  Refining Knowledge
• Dimension 4 Thinking Involved in Using Knowledge
  Meaningfully
• Dimension 5 Productive Habits of Mind
• Marzano, R. J. (1992) A Different Kind of
  Classroom Teaching with Dimensions of Learning
  Association for Supervision and Curriculum
  Development, USA

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Activities for Extending and Refining Knowledge
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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 Internet
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

10
Short Term WebQuests

• The instructional goal of a short term WebQuest
  is knowledge acquisition and integration,
  described as Dimension 2 in Marzano's (1992)
  Dimensions of Learning model.
• At the end of a short term WebQuest a learner
  will have grappled with a significant amount of
  new information and made sense of it.
• A short-term WebQuest is designed to be completed
  in one to three class periods.
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

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Long Term WebQuests

• The instructional goal of a longer term WebQuest
  is what Marzano calls Dimension 3 extending and
  refining knowledge.
• After completing a longer term WebQuest, a
  learner would have analyzed a body of knowledge
  deeply, transformed it in some way, and
  demonstrated an understanding of the material by
  creating something that others can respond to,
  on-line or off-line.
• A longer term WebQuest will typically take
  between one week and a month in a classroom
  setting.
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

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Critical Attributes

• There is questionable educational benefit in
  having learners surfing the net without a clear
  task in mind, and most schools must ration
  student connect time severely.
• WebQuests of either short or long duration are
  deliberately designed to make the best use of a
  learners time.
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

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WebQuests should contain at least the following
parts

• An introduction that sets the stage and provides
  some background information.
• A task that is doable and interesting.
• A set of information sources needed to complete
  the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of
  the resources are embedded in the WebQuest
  document itself as anchors pointing to
  information on the World Wide Web. Because
  pointers to resources are included, the learner
  is not left to wander through web space
  completely adrift.
• A description of the process the learners should
  go through in accomplishing the task. The process
  should be broken out into clearly described
  steps.
• Some guidance on how to organize the information
  acquired. This can take the form of guiding
  questions, or directions to complete
  organizational frameworks such as timelines,
  concept maps or Vee diagrams.
• A conclusion that brings closure to the quest,
  reminds the learners about what theyve learned,
  and perhaps encourages them to extend the
  experience into other domains.
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

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WebQuests might also display the following

• WebQuests are most likely to be group activities,
  although one could imagine solo quests that might
  be applicable in distance education or library
  settings.
• WebQuests might be enhanced by wrapping
  motivational elements around the basic structure
  by giving the learners a role to play.
• WebQuests can be designed within a single
  discipline or they can be interdisciplinary.
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/EdWeb_Folder/courses/EDTEC5
  96/About_WebQuests.html

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How?

• Do it yourself
• WebQuest Templates
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/LessonTemplate.html
  
• Filamentality
• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/
• Web-and-Flow
• http//www.web-and-flow.com/

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What is not a WebQuest?

• Filamentality also caters for.
• Hotlists
• Multimedia Scrapbooks
• Treasure hunts
• Subject Samplers

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http//www.ozline.com/learning/theory.html
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Hotlist

• a collection of URLs related to a particular
  topic
• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html

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Multimedia Scrapbook

• is a collection of Internet sites
• organized around specific categories such as,
  photographs, maps, stories, facts, quotations,
  sound clips, videos, virtual reality tours, etc.
• students use the Scrapbook to find aspects of the
  broader topic that they feel are important
• students download or copy and paste these scraps
  into a variety of formats newsletter, desktop
  slide presentation, collage, bulletin board,
  HyperStudio stack, or Web page
• students find an area of interest from within the
  resources. http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/fo
  rmats.html

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A Treasure Hunt

• is a collection of web pages that hold
  information (text, graphic, sound, video, etc.)
  that is essential to understanding the given
  topic
• contains 10 - 15 links
• has one key question for each web resource in the
  collection
• defines the scope of the topic and encourages
  students to explore different facets of the
  topic
• includes a culminating Big Question so students
  synthesize what they have learned and shape it
  into a broader understanding of the big picture
• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html

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Subject Sampler

• students are presented with a smaller number of
  intriguing web sites organized around a main
  topic
• the selected sites offer something interesting to
  do, read, or see
• students are asked about their perspectives on
  the topic, for comparisons of experiences they
  have had, interpretations of artworks or data,
  etc.
• students feel connected to the topic and that the
  subject matter matters
• http//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html

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Filamentality - the process

• Define your webquest
• Choose a topic
• Make a collection of relevant web sites
• Enter title, location and description (optional)
  into Filamentality
• Choose categories for your web sites (up to 4)
• Assign each web site to a category or make it
  available to all categories
• Customize your WebQuest
• Modify the Introduction, The Quest and Conclusion
• Post your WebQuest

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Web-and-Flow also caters for .

• Concept Builder
• Insight Reflector

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Exploring WebQuests!

• http//science.uniserve.edu.au/school/tutes/webque
  st/

Prepared for STANSW Conference September, 1999