What is a WebQuest?
"A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding" (March, 2003).
A WebQuest is broken down into a few sections. A home page which gives a brief description of what the quest is about, a task page which gives you a overview of what you are to do in more detail, a process page which has a number of smaller assignments/requirements that need to be fullfilled in order to complete the quest/report and an evaluation page which has the criteria on which the quest will be marked. An example of one that I discovered was a world cultures WebQuest.
This WebQuest basically asks you to plan a 2 week holiday anywhere you want overseas. It gives you hints and sets tasks that you must achieve in order to fulfil the quest. For example the quest states that students have to play the role of a tour guide, tour promoter and a tourist while using lots of difference references in order to complete the quest.
Theory and classroom uses for WebQuest
The design of WebQuest underpins the engagement theory as a WebQuest’s purpose is to engage the learners in a meaningful learning experience, which relates to them and their friends (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). A WebQuest could be used in the classroom as a more active way to get students involved in what they are learning. Using a WebQuest would get them involved and keep them on track, due to the fact that a WebQuest has already got links and places where they can find information about the topic and has set out task by task what they can research and complete.
A WebQuest can be anything that a teacher desirses from having students create a new park showing where toilets are with play equiptment all drawn up in a detailed map with a grid and coordinates to where everything is, to having students research about a trip to mars, asking them to investigate why people discover unknown places, what they need to survive on an unknow planet and then ask them to present a detailed report showing what they have learnt.
In my opinion a webquest is a good idea for students however i think that they are very time consuming and i think that some students may struggle with the idea of them. Not all students will have the same access to computers that other students do which will severly disadvantage them due to the fact that they are mostly done online. Students may also use the incorrect data if the webquest is interperated incorectly to how it was intended.
Resources
March, T. (2003), WebQuest, viewed 4th Spetember 2009,
Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999), Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, viewed 4th September 2009 <http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm>
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