The New Revised WebQuest
Based on B. Dodge, Building
Blocks, (http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/webquest/buildingblocks.html)
(Barely) modified by Jim Andris,
November 15, 1997 for a WebQuest workshop at North Middle School, Godfrey,
Illinois.
Introduction
The purpose of the Introduction section of a WebQuest is two fold: first,
it's to orient the learner as to what is coming. Secondly, it should raise
some interest in the learner through a variety of means. It can do this
by making the topic seem...
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relevant to the learner's past experience
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relevant to the learner's future goals
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attractive, visually interesting
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important because of its global implications
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fun, because the learner will be playing a role or making something
Task
The Task block in a WebQuest is a description of what the learner will
have done at the end of the exercise. It could be a product, like a HyperStudio
stack or PowerPoint presentation, or it might be a verbal act, such as
being able to explain a specific topic.
Process
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The Process block in a WebQuest where the teacher suggests the steps that
learners should go through in completing the task.
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It may include strategies for dividing the task into subtasks, descriptions
of roles to be played or perpectives to be taken by each learner.
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The instructor can also use this place to provide learning advice and interpersonal
process advice, such as how to conduct a brainstorming session.
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The Process description should be relatively short and clear.
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In some cases, the resources needed are embedded within the steps rather
than being separately listed.
Resources
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The Resources block in a WebQuest contains a list of web pages which the
instructor has located that will help the learner accomplish the task.
The Resources are pre-selected so that learners can focus their
attention on the topic rather than surfing aimlessly.
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It's important to note that resources for the students are not restricted
to those found on the web. There's no reason that a WebQuest might not
include textbooks, audiotapes, and face-to-face interaction with other
people among the resources.
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Very often, it makes sense to divide the list of resources so that some
are examined by everyone in the class, while others are read by subsets
of learners who are playing a specific role or taking a particular perspective.
By giving separate data sources to learners, you ensure the interdependence
of the group and give the learners an incentive to teach each other what
they've learned.
Evaluation
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The original WebQuest model contained a "Guidelines" section which was
to contain criteria that students or teachers could use to evaluate the
final outcomes.
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The Evaluation block is a new addition to the WebQuest model. Clearly,
if we're going to justify the expense of using the web for learning, we
need to be able to measure results. Since the learning we're looking for
is at the loftier reaches of Bloom's Taxonomy, we can't gauge it with (readily)
with a multiple-choice test. An evaluation rubric is called for. Rubrics
examine different aspects of the student product and establishes benchmarks
for each aspect. It's intended to be printed out and given to the evaluators
who could be teachers, parents or peers.
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Evalation rubrics would take a different form depending on the kind of
task given to the learner.
Conclusion
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The Conclusion section of a WebQuest provides an opportunity to summarize
the experience, to encourage reflection about the process, to extend and
generalize what was learned, or some combination of these. It's not a critically
important piece, but it rounds out the document and provides that reader
with a sense of closure.
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One good use for the conclusion section is to suggest questions that a
teacher might use in whole class discussion to debrief a lesson.