Webquests

1. Webquests Inquiry approach to differentiation in the classroom

2. 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." A WebQuest is designed to: • use learners' time well, • focus on using information rather than looking for it, and • support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation Dede & Sprague, 1999 Dodge, 2001

3. How can Webquests help your students? • Webquests allow teachers to provide different levels of support within a lesson to the students in their classrooms (differentiation). Supports include: • Guided notes • Cooperative grouping • Multiple representation of content material • Use of authentic documents, and • Using ability to alter the websites color and text size

4. Implementation of Webquests • Can be used in any subject • Can be used with any age group • Can be used with any ability level • Can be used independently • Can be used with partners • Can be used in cooperative groups, based on ability and design of the webquest

5. Six Parts of the Webquest • Introduction- raise the students’ interest for what is coming • Task-Expectation of end product-can be different for different individuals or groups • Process-teacher makes suggestions as to steps for discovery, stategies, dividing roles. May include form for guided note-taking.

6. Resources-Pre-selected websites and directions of focus on each website. Can also be books or video clips. • Evaluation-Teacher evaluates student progress and also the effectiveness of the webquest. A rubric is usually used for this and should be included in the webquest. Make sure students are aware of how they will be evaluated. • Conclusion- provides an opportunity to: -summarize -extend and generalize -reflect -open path to new lesson

7. When planning a webquest • Guide your webquest by your curriculum benchmarks • Webquests can be used as an introduction to a unit or as an assessment • Webquest can be posted on websites for students who are absent for extended days or on vacation.

8. Templates to use (if needed) • http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/index.php Free registration • http://www.zunal.com/ Free registration • http://questgarden.com/ $20 for a 2 year subscription • http://teacherweb.com/wq_home.html $27 per year

9. Research Supports Webquests • Dodge, B. (2001). FOCUS: Five rules for writing great WebQuests. Learning & Leading withTechnology, 28 (8). http://www.iste.org/LL/28/8/index.cfm • Dede C., & Sprague, D. (1999). If I teach this way, am I doing my job? Constructivism in the Classroom. Learning and Leading withTechnology, 27(1). • Kelley, R. (2000). Working with WebQuests: Making the web accessible to students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(6),4-13.

10. Webquests Sites www.webquest.orgResource for WebQuest materials and information. Included on the site are training materials, templates, and a matrix of WebQuests created for all subject areas and grade levels. www.bestwebquests.com These webquests have been rated by an evaluation matrix. (March) Database of Inquiry Oriented Internet Projectshttp://www.lth3.k12.il.us/rhampton/database.htmlListed by subject and grade level. WebQuest Collection from Ecole Whitehorse Elementary http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/wes/webquest_collection.htmlCollections by theme

11. Wow, Wonderful WebQuestshttp://www.geocities.com/smilecdg/webquests.html Collection of WebQuests for K4 Science WebQuests from Williston VThttp://www.williston.k12.vt.us/Services/Science/ScienceWebQuests/sciencewebquests.html Math WebQuestshttp://www.wfu.edu/~mccoy/NCTM00/examples.htmlOrganized by grade level with titles and topics listed. There are MANY more sites- GOOGLE “webquests”